Rebecca Klug | Delaware Community Foundation

Author Archive for Rebecca Klug

Modern Maturity volunteers loading Meals on Wheels food onto a cart for delivery to seniors

Modern Maturity’s Modern Solutions: Feeding the Heart of Kent County

Posted by Rebecca Klug

· Wednesday, July 8th, 2020

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Carolyn Fredricks, president and CEO of Modern Maturity, discusses how the largest nonprofit senior center in the state has adapted quickly to provide essential services to seniors across Kent County.

Modern Maturity has received a total of $100,000 in grants from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to deliver meals and provide grocery shopping services for seniors in Kent County who are among the most vulnerable to the virus. As the Meals on Wheels provider for the county, they’ve expanded operations significantly. At a peak moment during the pandemic, volunteers were cooking 2,500 meals per day and performing 3,000 wellness checks per month. They’ve also started teaching remote exercise classes on Facebook and YouTube, and hosted a socially-distanced tailgating party at their center in Dover.

We also talk with Sheila Bravo, president & CEO of the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA), and one of the DCF’s key partners in establishing the Strategic Response Fund.

All six episodes in this second season of Building Opportunity will feature stories about how the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund has helped nonprofits meet the needs of our community during this crisis. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay is our host.

You can listen and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.

New DCF Board Members Chanta Howard-Wilkinson, Nick Lambrow and Louisa Phillips

Howard-Wilkinson, Lambrow and Phillips Join DCF Board of Directors

Posted by Rebecca Klug

· Thursday, July 2nd, 2020

· No Comments

The Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) today welcomes Chanta Howard-Wilkinson, Nick Lambrow and Louisa Phillips to its Board of Directors.

The DCF also thanks outgoing board chair, Kelly Firment, along with departing board members Lynn Kokjohn and Jim Mazarakis. The 2020-2022 officers are Bill Dugdale as board chair, Drew Fennell as vice chair, David Singleton as treasurer and Cindy Szabo as secretary.

The new board members are:

Chanta Howard-Wilkinson, JD, SHRM-CP

Chanta Howard-Wilkinson is a human resources consultant with Vantige, Inc., where she helps clients strategically integrate effective human resources processes, programs, and practices in their daily operations. Previously she was the Associate Director of Equal Employment Opportunity at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn and she was a Deputy Attorney General in the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

Howard-Wilkinson holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Rutgers University School of Law, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers College, and a Certificate in Human Resources Management from Villanova University. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and the District of Columbia, and completed the Superior Court of the State of Delaware Mediation Training in Conflict Resolution.

An active volunteer, she lives in Lewes and is a member of the Lewes Public Library Board of Commissioners, Delaware Public Media Board of Directors and the Beebe Health Care Medical Foundation board of ambassadors.

Nick Lambrow

Nick Lambrow was named Regional President for M&T Bank Delaware in 2011. Prior to that appointment, he served for eight years as the Regional President for the Chesapeake and Central Maryland Division, which included the Eastern Shore, and parts of Central, Southern, and Western Maryland. In his current role, Lambrow has direct responsibility for the commercial efforts and market outreach within the region, as well as coordinating the activities of the bank’s Business Banking and Retail departments.

Lambrow was recently appointed by Governor Carney to serve on the Delaware Public/Private Partnership Board of Directors. He serves as a trustee of Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library, trustee of the Christiana Care Health System, Director of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, Member of the Delaware Business Roundtable and Director of the Wilmington Alliance Corporation.

A graduate of Loyola College with a degree in Business Administration, Lambrow began his career with a predecessor to M&T Bank, the First National Bank of Maryland (later Allfirst). Throughout his career, he has held a range of managerial positions throughout the bank’s Maryland and Greater Washington markets. He and his wife, Diane, live in Wilmington.

Louisa Phillips, RN, FACHE

Louisa Phillips retired in January 2017 as the Senior Director of Operations for the Cardiovascular Service Line at Bayhealth Medical Center after beginning her healthcare career as a tray girl in the dietary department of Kent General Hospital. Her diverse experience includes Clinical, Human Resources and Operations Leadership in both nonprofit and for-profit environments.

Phillips earned her Diploma in Nursing from Milford Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Wesley College, a Master’s Degree in Human Resources from Wilmington College, a Post Masters Certificate in Nursing Administration from Villanova University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Wilmington College. An avid lifelong learner, she earned a Master of Science Degree in Nursing from Wilmington University in 2014.

Phillips is the incoming chair of the Fund for Women. She is the immediate past chair of the Southern Delaware Board of Directors of the American Heart Association and was the recipient of the Richard H. McCarty Friend of Heart Award for Distinguished Lifetime Service and the Great Rivers Affiliate Leadership Legacy award. She is the current secretary of Bayhealth Foundation and a member of the boards of Planned Parenthood of Delaware and Mary Ann’s List.

Phillips lives in Dover with her husband Jerry Fritts and labradoodles Franky and Jax. She is the proud mother of two daughters – Meghan Phillips-Schepens, Nurse Practitioner, Bayhealth Neurosurgery, and Molly Phillips, history teacher at Dover High School – and grandmother to Cooper Schepens. She enjoys political advocacy, gardening and helping others become successful.

Heroes at Home: Serving Veterans in Crisis

Posted by Rebecca Klug

· Wednesday, July 1st, 2020

· No Comments

Father-and-son team Retired Major Kevin Conley and US Army Specialist Dylan Conley join us this week to discuss Warriors Helping Warriors, a grassroots organization in Middletown that connects veterans to employment opportunities, health care and housing.

Warriors Helping Warriors received a $10,000 in grant from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to continue providing case-management for veterans. Kevin Conley cofounded the organization in 2010 when he returned from Afghanistan and faced his own difficulties navigating the healthcare system. During the pandemic, they have pivoted quickly to provide a safe environment for residents to shelter-in-place and self-quarantine in the event of testing positive for COVID-19.

We also talk with Cynthia Pritchard, president & CEO of Philanthropy Delaware, and one of the DCF’s key partners in establishing the Strategic Response Fund.

You can listen and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.

Two kids sitting at a table laughing while working on a drawing project

DCF Awards $240,000 in Focus Grants

Posted by Rebecca Klug

· Monday, June 29th, 2020

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The Delaware Community Foundation has awarded $240,000 in Focus Grants to programs enriching the lives of Delaware youth and Latino communities.

During the pandemic crisis, community needs have changed, and many nonprofits have changed their business models, stepped up services and cancelled events. For this reason, the Focus Grants program was modified this year to allow recipients to use the grants for operations and pandemic-related needs as well as for the original projects.

This year’s Focus Grants recipients are:

Youth Serving

Choir School of Delaware – $12,250
To expand their transportation program for choristers as they expand their program to include a summer session.

Multiplying Good (SIA4Good- Serving the State of Delaware) – $12,250
To support the Students in Action (SIA) program to prepare Delaware youth for leadership and public service.

Read Aloud Delaware – $9,800
To continue expanding the Volunteer Reading Program in New Castle County.

CAMP Rehoboth – $12,066
To support LGBTQ+ youth in middle and high schools through promoting and strengthening school GSA clubs.

Arise Delaware – $7,350
To support building relationships among special needs participants and volunteer “buddies,” and among parents.

Jobs for Delaware Graduates – $12,250
To provide academic, workforce preparation, and life skills education to some of the most at risk middle- and high-school students in Delaware.

Summer Learning Collaborative – $9,800
To support the six-week Tyler’s Camp program for Sussex County middle school students, including sports, arts, STEM and academics.

YearUp Wilmington – $12,250
To support a workforce development program for young adults who have not progressed past a high school diploma or GED.

Urban Garden Initiative – $5,145
To expand their student gardening program to a workshop series that will serve about 200 students at five Wilmington community centers.

Mom’s House of Dover – $4,900
To provide free child care and other support services to low-income single parents who are pursuing secondary or post-secondary education.

Latin American Community Center – $12,250
To implement a new trauma-informed youth drugs and violence prevention program.

Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch Up – $11,144
To begin providing an Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) home visiting program to families at imminent risk of their children being removed to foster care.

Plastic Free Delaware – $4,900
To host high school students from across the state for a new Youth Environmental Summit.

Teen Warehouse – $12,250
To support the Teens in Motion program for personal development and soft skills training designed to move teens to employment.

United Way of Delaware – $12,250
To implement their Step on It program to increase the capacity of two middle schools in Wilmington Promise Communities by engaging community stakeholders.

Christiana Care Health Systems – $5,145
To support the annual spring overnight field trip of the First State School, which serves chronically ill children and adolescents.

Latino Serving

Habitat for Humanity Sussex County – $21,250
To support the anticipated growth of Latino clients in the Sussex County Habitat for Humanity’s (SCHFH) Family Empowerment Program for financial literacy education.

TeenSHARP – $11,750
To support the Delaware Goes to College Academy (DGCA), which provides academic advising and college guidance in English and Spanish to Latino high school students and their families across Sussex County.

Children and Families First – $8,500
To allow the Sussex Community of Hope Latino Community Outreach project to translate outreach and survey materials into Spanish.

ESL Lutheran Church of Our Savior – $4,250
To expand the English as a Second Language program to serve the growing population of non-English speakers in Sussex County from South and Central American countries.

La Esperanza – $8,500
To support a New Citizenship Program to provide education, outreach, and full naturalization preparation for eligible Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR).

Literacy Delaware – $8,500
To expand Literacy Delaware’s services into Sussex County.

Autism Delaware – $8,500
To expand the Autism Care Team (ACT) program in Sussex County, with a focus on Spanish-speaking families in Sussex County with a child affected by autism.

Sussex Tech Adult Division – $12,750
To provide continuing GED instruction for English Language Learners in English and Spanish at James H. Groves High School in Sussex County.

Photo: Summer Learning Collaborative’s Tyler’s Camp

A Link in the Chain: Ending Cycles of Violence and Socioeconomic Inequality in Wilmington

Posted by Rebecca Klug

· Wednesday, June 24th, 2020

· 1 Comment

Margaret Guy, executive director of Stop the Violence Prayer Chain Foundation, talks about providing educational and social services to children and families who live at or below the poverty level, and who are often impacted by domestic and gun violence.

Stop the Violence Prayer Chain Foundation received $2,500 in grants from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to continue providing essential supplies for children in Wilmington during the crisis. In the past, the organization has offered after-school tutoring, educational trips, life-skills classes and apprenticeships, and has even partnered with Comcast to produce a children’s show. Now they’re finding new ways to connect with a community affected by the social and economic impacts of the pandemic.

We also talk with Sheila Bravo, president & CEO of the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) and one of the DCF’s key partners in establishing the Strategic Response Fund.

You can listen and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.

Headshots of Rob McCreary and Kathleen Seipel

Maintaining Mental Health in a Pandemic: Stories from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund

Posted by Rebecca Klug

· Wednesday, June 17th, 2020

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In the Season 2 premiere of our Building Opportunity in Delaware podcast, Rob McCreary and Kathleen Seipel from the Family Counseling Center of St. Paul’s join us to talk about providing emotional and behavioral health services to uninsured families in low-income communities in Delaware.

The Family Counseling Center of St. Paul’s received $43,000 in grants from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to continue providing mental health and family counseling services statewide during the pandemic. Rob and Kathleen serve many of our most essential workers — custodians, caregivers, supermarket clerks — who are members of Delaware’s Spanish-speaking community and find themselves in new and stressful conditions both at work and at home.

You can listen and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.

Two New Grant Programs Open Through Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund

Posted by Rebecca Klug

· Friday, June 12th, 2020

· No Comments

Delaware nonprofits invited to apply for Community Needs Grants and Vision Grants

The new Community Needs Grants Program and the Vision Grants Program are now open to Delaware nonprofits through the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF).

Through the Community Needs Grants Program, the fund will award monthly grants up to $50,000 to enable nonprofits to better serve Delawareans by providing resources to help them shift to new or modified operating models, or restart or pivot programs in response to COVID-19.

These grants are not intended for emergency needs. Rather, these grants are intended to support nonprofit sectors through organizations that are sustainable with strong leadership, management and fiscal accountability, as well as solid programmatic outcomes that benefit Delawareans.

Through the Vision Grants Program, the fund will invest in innovative solutions across a variety of topic areas that address the emerging and evolving needs arising from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vision Grants will support bold solutions, innovative ways of delivering services and programs, address specific social problems, include key partners, and drive broader social or systems changes.

For full details and to apply, visit delcf.org/covid-grants.

About the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund

A partnership of the DCF and Philanthropy Delaware (PD), the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund was established to address the state’s emerging and evolving needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fund, which launched on March 18, has awarded $2.5 million to 107 Delaware nonprofits so far. The fund awarded grants each week March 27-May 22 and an additional round on June 9. One more round of grants will be awarded next Friday. The new Community Needs Grants Program and the Vision Grants Program will build on the work to date.

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, directed by PD President Cynthia Pritchard, already includes generous gifts from the Longwood Foundation ($1.5 million), Barclays ($500,000), New Castle County ($500,000), Welfare Foundation ($200,000), 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), JP Morgan Chase ($30,000), Bank of America ($25,000), TD Bank ($25,000), WSFS Bank ($25,000) and others. The fund also includes $134,000 from more than 250 individual donors.

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, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (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. Gifts through Aug. 31 will be matched by the Longwood Foundation up to $500,000.

$108,760 Awarded from Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to 13 Nonprofits

Posted by Rebecca Klug

· Monday, June 8th, 2020

· No Comments

$50,000 earmarked for grants to minority-led organizations serving communities most affected by pandemic.

In its ninth round of grants, the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund on Friday awarded $108,760 to 13 nonprofit organizations providing services to communities throughout the state.

The fund also earmarked $50,000 to create a new initiative to increase equity in Delaware by strengthening smaller nonprofits (operating budgets $250K and under) led by and serving people of color, who are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Specifics will be determined in the coming weeks.

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

Absolutely Flawless Women — $5,000 to provide meals for families in Indian River School District.
Bellevue Community Center — $10,000 to provide fresh produce to underserved families in Wilmington.
Chinese American Community Center — $8,000 to support virtual programming and operations of the facility in Hockessin.
Clear Space Theatre Company — $10,000 to support operations.
Delaware Center for Horticulture — $10,000 to mobilize home gardeners to grow and donate produce statewide.
Delaware Zoological Society — $10,000 to support zoo operations and virtual programming.
Joshua M. Freeman Foundation — $10,000 to convert the Freeman Stage’s free, weekly Young Audience Series to a virtual program.
Laurel Public Library — $3,900 for a UV sanitation machine for books and materials.
Lewes Public Library — $10,000 for equipment to support virtual programming.
Merakey Allos — $6,500 for equipment to provide services for individuals with intellectual disabilities at Delaware group homes.
Paws for People — $4,000 to support virtual pet therapy and reading programs statewide.
Siegel JCC — $16,360 for equipment to facilitate safely reopening the facility in Wilmington.
Wilmington & Western Railroad — $5,000 for equipment to facilitate safely reopening the historical railroad.

In this ninth round of grants, 51 applicants requested $1.3 million from the COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund, which is housed at the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF).

The fund, which launched on March 18, has awarded $2.5 million to 107 Delaware nonprofits so far. The fund awarded grants each week March 27-May 22 and paused for a week before awarding Friday’s grants.

Next Applications Due June 15

The fund will accept additional grant applications on June 15 at delcf.org/covid-grants.

The grants have been targeting a combination of immediate needs and broader community needs, including the arts, culture, the environment, workforce development, animal welfare and others.

The June grants are target nonprofit organizations – both large and small – playing key roles in various sectors, throughout the state.

While we cannot address the sustainability of every nonprofit organization, the goal of these grants is to strengthen the sustainability of the sectors traditionally upheld by nonprofits, including health and social services, education, the environment, workforce development, animal welfare, the arts, culture and others.

These grants target solvent nonprofit organizations with solid plans for long-term fiscal sustainability and strong leadership and management. The plans should be responsive to the changing environment for funding, as well as evolving community needs. Organizations with a history of serving populations most affected by the pandemic will be favored.

New Grants Programs to Be Announced for Second Half of 2020

The Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund will continue to award grants at least through the end of 2020.

Two new grants programs will be announced on Friday, June 12 at delcf.org/covid-grants. Details are not yet available.

Double the Impact of Your Gift

The council is actively raising money to be able 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.

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. Final decisions are made by the COVID-19 Community Needs Grants Council:

April Birmingham, M&T Bank
Sheila Bravo, president, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA), ex officio
Vernita Dorsey, WSFSAlan Levin, SoDel Concepts
Leslie Newman, retired CEO, Children & Families First
Todd Veale, executive director, Laffey-McHugh Foundation
Enid Wallace-Simms, Delmarva Power
Amy Walls, Discover Bank

The fund, which is being directed by Philanthropy Delaware President Cynthia Pritchard, already includes generous gifts from the Longwood Foundation ($1.5 million), Barclays ($500,000), New Castle County ($500,000), Welfare Foundation ($200,000), 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), JP Morgan Chase ($30,000), Bank of America ($25,000), TD Bank ($25,000), WSFS Bank ($25,000) and others. 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.

2020 DCF Youth Philanthropy Boards Grant $50,000 Statewide

Posted by Rebecca Klug

· Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020

· No Comments

High school students participating in the Youth Philanthropy Boards (YPB) of the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) have awarded $50,000 to 19 nonprofit organizations throughout the state.

The DCF sponsors a YPB in each county, to encourage high school students to become more involved in philanthropy. Each board of high school students is allotted a pool of money to give as charitable grants.

Since September, YPB members have been studying youth issues in their neighborhoods and schools, learning about philanthropy and effective grantmaking, soliciting grant proposals and conducting site visits to nonprofit organizations. Using that knowledge and experience, the students awarded grants to nonprofits they determined to be most deserving.

Jessica Smith, from Cab Calloway School of the Arts, noted the impact the YPB has had on her, “For the past two years, I have been an active and proud participant on the Delaware Community Foundation Youth Philanthropy Board where we allocate money to nonprofit organizations in our local community in an attempt to solve some of the most critical issues in our state and reduce the ever-present opportunity gap.”

The DCF provides $15,000 to New Castle County YPB and $10,000 each to the Kent and Sussex YPBs. This year, each board had an additional $5,000 to award to nonprofit organizations thanks to the generosity of Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, founder of the GLOW Fund, a donor advised fund at the DCF.

With the COVID-19 pandemic making the grants award dinners in each county unfeasible, Congresswoman Blunt Rochester recorded a message expressing her gratitude toward their volunteer service and their desire to help out their fellow Delawareans. View the video at bit.ly/lbr-ypb.

“We are so inspired by you,” Blunt Rochester said. “You give us hope. You give us encouragement. We know what we have to look forward to in the future because we have such compassionate young people like you. On behalf of the whole State of Delaware, I want to say thank you.”

A message from Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester to members of the Delaware Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Boards.

Kent County YPB focused on organizations that enhance and support youth development in Kent County, with preference for those that focus on mental health, the arts, hunger and/or agriculture programs.

$3,500 – Compassionate Hearts
$2,500 – Green Beret Project
$2,000 – Children & Families First
$2,000 – YWCA of Delaware
$5,000 – Survivors of Abuse in Recovery

New Castle County YPB focused on post-secondary readiness and/or mentoring programs that serve teens and young adults in New Castle County, with special consideration for initiatives that build leadership opportunities, address specific challenges (including homelessness, substance abuse or violence), or target traditionally underserved populations (including low-income and immigrant youth).

$1,250 – Jewish Family Services
$2,500 – Leading Youth Through Empowerment (LYTE)
$2,500 – Survivors of Abuse in Recovery (SOAR)
$2,500 – The Delaware Contemporary
$2,500 – Delaware Youth Leadership Network
$3,125 – Catholic Charities
$3,125 – YWCA of Delaware
$2,500 – Delaware College Scholars

Sussex County YPB chose to focus on nonprofit organizations that focus on mentoring at-risk youth in Sussex County, with a preference for programs supporting those affected by substance abuse, sex trafficking and/or mental health issues.

$5,000 – Green Beret Project
$4,675 – La Red Health Center
$2,825 – Mental Health Association of Delaware
$2,500 – YWCA of Delaware

Retired Delaware educator Phyllis Wynn established the Youth Philanthropy Fund in 1999 because she wanted to encourage youth to become more involved in philanthropic ventures. Students who serve on the YPB are nominated by their principal or guidance counselor.

“The Youth Philanthropy Board program does more than give kids the chance to make a difference,” DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay said. “It gets them out into the community to experience firsthand the impact their work has on people’s lives.”

Photo: Members of the 2019-2020 Sussex County Youth Philanthropy Board of the Delaware Community Foundation granted $15,000 in Sussex to four organizations. $50,000 was granted statewide. For information about the Delaware Community Foundation and participation on the YPB, visit delcf.org/ypb.

$260,592 in Grants Awarded from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund

Posted by Rebecca Klug

· Friday, May 22nd, 2020

· No Comments

$2.3 million awarded in past eight weeks

In its eighth round of weekly grants, the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund today awarded $260,592 to 19 nonprofit organizations providing services to communities throughout the state.

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

Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children – $22,000 for virtual training to protect Delaware children and keep them safe from abuse.
Brandywine Valley SPCA – $10,000 to provide veterinary care for pets of families in need in Kent County.
Choir School of Delaware – $20,000 for summer camp programming in Wilmington.
Code Purple Kent County – $12,000 to provide shelter and food for homeless people in Kent County.
Delaware Art Museum – $10,775 to provide educational art kits for children in Wilmington.
Delaware College Scholars – $18,000 for technology to support high-achieving public-school students from low-income families statewide.
Downtown Visions – $10,000 to provide safety services and trash removal in downtown Wilmington.
Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Inc. – $30,000 for thermal scanners for Delaware locations statewide.
EDGE for Tomorrow – $9,000 for technology to provide underserved children in Edgemoor with tutoring and mentoring.
Fellowship Health Resources Inc. – $6,500 for technology to provide telehealth services for individuals in recovery in Sussex County.
Georgetown Public Library – $16,000 for sanitizing equipment and sneeze guards.
Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County – $10,000 for technology to provide remote services and facilitate social distancing to reopen the ReStore.
Harrington Senior Center – $2,500 to help them safely deliver food to seniors in Kent County.
Latin American Community Center – $25,000 for emergency assistance for families in Greater Wilmington.
Laurel Community Foundation, Inc. – $4,000 to provide emergency housing for homeless families in western Sussex County.
Literacy Delaware – $15,567 for technology to provide virtual literacy instruction to adults statewide.
Ministry of Caring Inc. – $11,000 to make capital improvements to allow for safely relaunching dental services in Wilmington.
One Village Alliance, Inc. – $15,000 to provide virtual tutoring, mentoring and support to underserved children in greater Wilmington.
Wilmington Children’s Chorus – $13,250 to provide virtual summer programming in Wilmington.

In this eighth and final round of weekly grants, 56 applicants requested $1.4 million from the COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund, which is housed at the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF).

The fund, which launched on March 18, has awarded $2.3 million to 94 Delaware nonprofits so far.

Based on the nature of the applications, initial grants focused largely on immediate community needs. In recent weeks, the grants have broadened to address a combination of immediate needs and broader community needs, including the arts, culture, the environment, workforce development, animal welfare and others.

This week marked the final round of weekly grants. In June, the grants program will resume as follows:

The fund will accept additional grant applications on June 1 and June 15. The June grants will target nonprofit organizations – both large and small – playing key roles in various sectors, throughout the state.

While we cannot address the sustainability of every nonprofit organization, the goal of these grants is to strengthen the sustainability of the sectors traditionally upheld by nonprofits, including health and social services, education, the environment, workforce development, animal welfare, the arts, culture and others.

The application for June grants will be available next week at delcf.org/covid-grants.

Double the Impact of Your Gift

The council is actively raising money to be able to respond to community needs, said DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay.

The Longwood Foundation, which previously gave $1 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 May 30.

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 on March 18 to address the state’s emerging and evolving needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

April Birmingham, M&T Bank
Sheila Bravo, president, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA), ex officio
Vernita Dorsey, WSFSAlan Levin, SoDel Concepts
Leslie Newman, retired CEO, Children & Families First
Todd Veale, executive director, Laffey-McHugh Foundation
Enid Wallace-Simms, Delmarva Power
Amy Walls, Discover Bank

The fund, which is being directed by Philanthropy Delaware President Cynthia Pritchard, already includes generous gifts from the Longwood Foundation ($1.5 million), New Castle County ($500,000), Welfare Foundation ($200,000), 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), JP Morgan Chase ($30,000), Bank of America ($25,000), TD Bank ($25,000), WSFS Bank ($25,000) and others. 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.

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

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