$3.2 million awarded to more than 150 nonprofits since fund launched March 18 

The Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation Friday awarded $194,500 to 12 nonprofit organizations providing services to communities throughout the state.  

Friday’s grants will address a broad range of community needs during the pandemic. Grantees are: 

• Christina Cultural Arts Center – $18,000 for laptops, projectors and other technology to pivot instruction to a virtual platform. 
• Delaware HIV Services Inc. – $20,000 for in-home HIV test kits and other resources to enable and expand services in the COVID-19 environment.  
• Friendship House, Inc. – $25,000 to provide food and case management to homeless people. 
• Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County – $15,000 to help build 12 homes on Wilmington’s East Side.
• Harrington Senior Center – $10,000 for facility safety upgrades to improve efficiency, expand capacity, and offer normal programming.  
• Mispillion Art League, Inc. – $6,000 for computers to continue to provide community-wide access to a quality visual arts program. 
• OperaDelaware – $8,500 to create a “streamable stage” to allow for virtual programming when outdoor performances are no longer viable. 
• Public Allies Delaware – $20,000 for materials to support remote work and to provide mental health supports for Allies. 
• Read Aloud Delaware – $20,000 for technology and other costs to facilitate remote work to accelerate language development in children birth to age 3.  
• Rodney Street Tennis & Tutoring Association – $6,000 for take-away supply bags for online enrichment courses, life skills, and STEAM activities for school-year programs. 
• Sojourners’ Place, Inc. – $6,000 for laptops and travel support to provide case management and training for homeless men and women. 
• TeenSHARP – $40,000 for math and English instructors to provide virtual academic support during the 2020-2021 school year. 

The fund, which launched on March 18, has awarded $3.2 million to more than 150 Delaware nonprofits so far. Through the Community Needs Grants Program, the fund awarded weekly grants March 27-May 22, two rounds of grants in June, and is awarding monthly grants July-December. 

The next application deadline is Sept. 14. For information and to apply, visit delcf.org/community-needs-grants.  

Double the Impact of Your Gift 

Donations to fund are still needed to respond to community needs, said DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay.  

“As the pandemic continues, the needs are growing and evolving,” Comstock-Gay said. “We are calling on the community to help local nonprofit organizations get food, shelter, medical care and other essential services directly to the people who need it most. We also must support our workforce, arts community and other sectors to restore our quality of life post-COVID-19.” 

The Longwood Foundation, which previously gave $1.5 million to the Strategic Response Fund, recently awarded a $500,000 grant, with the stipulation that the DCF must raise a matching $500,000 from the community by Aug. 31.  

To make a gift that qualifies for the match, give at delcf.org/covid19-fund or contact Joan Hoge-North, jhoge-north@delcf.org.  

About the Fund 

The Strategic Response Fund was established to address the state’s emerging and evolving needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Grantees are selected through a rigorous process that involves a diverse team of more than 50 community leaders representing all three counties and a range of areas of expertise.  

The fund, a partnership of the DCF and Philanthropy Delaware (PD), already includes generous gifts from the Longwood Foundation ($1.5 million), Barclays ($700,000), New Castle County ($500,000), Welfare Foundation ($300,000), CSC ($100,000), Crestlea Foundation ($100,000), Fund for Women ($100,000), Highmark ($100,000), Laffey-McHugh ($100,000), Discover ($75,000), DCF ($75,000), DuPont ($75,000), M&T ($50,000), WSFS Bank ($50,000), JP Morgan Chase ($30,000), Bank of America ($25,000), Capital One ($25,000), TD Bank ($25,000) and others.  

Nearly 300 individual donors have donated $135,000. The DCF also has waived all administrative fees for this fund, so that 100 percent of the funds are going to organizations helping people in need.  

The Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund is part of the Delaware COVID-19 Emergency Response Initiative, a nonprofit collaborative response to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. The DCF, DANA, PD and United Way of Delaware are partnering to coordinate charitable resources to maximize impact statewide during this crisis. 

To contribute, visit delcf.org/covid19-fund.