Rushdan joins the DCF’s community impact team. 

The Delaware Community Foundation is pleased to welcome Yolanda Rushdan as program associate.

A native of North Carolina who came to Delaware in 1993, Rushdan most recently served as the director of development at Exceptional Care for Children, Delaware’s first and only pediatric nursing home.

Previously, Rushdan worked in development at the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition and at the Delaware Children’s Museum (DCM), where she was a founding staff member. During her time at the DCM, Rushdan served as associate director of development, director of operations and director of development.

Rushdan lives in Wilmington with her husband, Wali, and their son, Noah.

“The DCF is about creating opportunities for Delawareans, something I am passionate about,” Rushdan said. “I am excited to join the community impact team and help effect positive change throughout the state.”

As part of the DCF’s community impact team, Rushdan will work to ensure resources invested in the community have maximum benefit toward improving quality of life. She will support coordination of the programmatic activities of the DCF, including community and donor engagement, and will manage the DCF’s community impact grants programs.

“We’re excited to be expanding our community impact staff,” DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay said. “Yolanda brings a wealth of experience in community engagement to the DCF that will strengthen our ability to build opportunity for all in Delaware.”

Established and emerging leaders invited to apply. 

This spring, the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) will convene the Community Equity Project, bringing together up to 10 experienced community leaders to develop and implement an innovative, collective approach to increasing equity in Wilmington.

“A focus on increasing equity – increasing people’s access to the education, jobs, health care and networks necessary to thrive – is crucial to building opportunity for all in Wilmington,” DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay said.

“The reality is that many Delawareans start with so few opportunities and face so many challenges that they have little to no chance of achieving educational and economic success, no matter how hard they work. The goal of the Community Equity Project is to find effective, strategic ways to change that.”

Through the Community Equity Project, the DCF will look to the perspective and expertise of the community, rather than trying to define how to address equity on its own. The learnings from this project will inform the DCF’s overall strategy and future grantmaking to most meaningfully move the needle on equity.

Established and emerging community leaders with expertise in tackling social inequity are invited to apply to participate.

Over the course of five months, participants will build a shared vision of what is possible and partner with the community to develop strategies, a plan and a budget for how to make their vision a reality.

In recognition of the time and commitment of each participant, small grants in the amount of $2,500 will be made to organizations addressing equity issues in Wilmington. Each participant will have the opportunity to recommend a grantee organization.

The Community Equity Project is part of the DCF’s Building Opportunity in Delaware initiative, launched in 2018 to increase the impact of philanthropy on the most critical issues in our state.

To apply for the Community Equity Project and for more information, visit delcf.org/community-equity-project. The deadline to apply is March 22, 2019.

Photo credit: Paul Sableman

Deadline Jan. 30, 2019

Nonprofits helping women and girls in Delaware are invited to apply for grants from the Fund for Women (FFW) at the Delaware Community Foundation.

The FFW’s one-year grants offer organizations an opportunity to obtain seed money for innovative, creative programming or to continue or expand programs in which the program’s effectiveness has been demonstrated.

The FFW accepts applications from nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organizations for initiatives related to health, wellness and life skills that lead to future economic self-sufficiency for girls and women in Delaware. No grants are awarded for individuals. Organizations that have received a FFW grant in the previous three years are not eligible.

Completed applications are due by Jan. 30, 2019. Apply online at delcf.org/grants. Only online applications will be accepted.

A video and presentation slides from the FFW’s December grant workshop are at delcf.org/ffw, and specific grant guidelines are at delcf.org/grants.

About the Fund for Women

Through collective philanthropy, the Fund for Women invests and advocates by bringing together our knowledge, passion and commitment to empower women and girls in Delaware to achieve their potential. The FFW was established in 1993 as an endowment at the Delaware Community Foundation. Since then, the FFW has made over $2.5 million in grants to hundreds of nonprofit programs statewide. In 2018, the FFW awarded $200,000 to 16 Delaware nonprofit organizations statewide, helping women and girls avoid abuse and poverty, improve their health and financial independence, and address many other social issues.

Photo: The Fund for Women’s Maude Glore, Lynn Kokjohn and Polly Mervine.

Delaware nonprofit organizations are invited to apply for grants from the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) Youth Philanthropy Boards (YPB).

The Kent and Sussex County boards will award $10,000 each. The New Castle County board will award $15,000. Applications must be submitted by Jan. 1, 2019.

Each county’s board will award grants to programs supporting a unique focus area:

Kent County will consider organizations that enhance and support youth development in Kent County, with preference for those which focus on mental health, the arts, hunger and/or agriculture programs. Typical awards are $1,000 – $5,000 per year.

New Castle County will consider 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).
Typical awards are $1,000 – $2,500 per year.

Sussex County will consider nonprofit organizations that focus on mentoring at-risk youth in Sussex County with a preference toward programs supporting those affected by substance abuse, sex trafficking and/or mental health issues. Typical awards are $1,000 – $5,000 per year.

Organizations may apply for grants from each county’s YPB. To be eligible, the program for which funding is requested must directly benefit residents of that county and fall within that county’s unique focus area.

Grant requests must be submitted online beginning Dec. 4,. Applicants will be notified in each county in April 2019.

The DCF sponsors the YPBs to encourage younger generations to become more involved in philanthropy. Each board, composed of high school students from public, private and parochial schools, is allotted a pool of money to give as charitable grants. The students learn about philanthropy and effective grant-making, study youth issues in their neighborhoods and schools, solicit grant proposals, and award grants to those they determine to be most deserving.

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 gives students an opportunity to enjoy the pleasure and the challenges of charitable giving, including determining how to make the greatest impact on quality of life with the limited resources available,” said DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay. “It’s an important program because we are cultivating the philanthropists of tomorrow.”

Photo: Sussex County Youth Philanthropy Board

Delaware students are invited to apply for scholarships available through the Delaware Community Foundation. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2019.

Last year, the DCF awarded 208 scholarships totaling $396,700 to individuals to assist them in pursuing higher education. Students can apply for most scholarships by completing a single online application, available on the DCF’s new platform. On the website, students can review all criteria and award amounts before beginning the application process. Candidates can view the DCF Scholarship Compendium, with information on all available scholarships.

The online application system guides applicants through a series of questions to determine which scholarships they may be eligible for. Students are automatically considered for every scholarship for which they meet the minimum criteria.

There is no cap on the number of scholarships or the amount students may receive. Funding from many of the scholarships may be applied to the costs of textbooks and fees, in addition to tuition. Some are one-time awards, and others are renewable.

“Many of our donors who care about education choose to create scholarship funds to help students and their families with rising college costs,” DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay said. “Our goal is to empower people who care about education with people who are engaged about their futures.”

For more information, contact Kelly Sheridan, 302.856.4393.

High school students will award $15,000 in grants to New Castle County nonprofits

Thirty-two New Castle County high school students will experience the joys and challenges of being philanthropists this year through the Delaware Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Board (YPB).

Like its counterparts in Kent and Sussex Counties, the New Castle County YPB includes students from public, private and parochial schools. The DCF gives the New Castle County students $15,000 to award to local charities. The students work together to choose a focus area, solicit and review grant applications, conduct site visits, and decide how to distribute the money to have the greatest impact.

Grant applications will be available in December and due in January.

“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.”

2018-19 New Castle County YPB

In photo:

Siawaa Antwi, Freire Wilmington Charter School
Madison Berkey, Red Lion Christian Academy
Frederick Bolarinwa, Concord High School
Mykajah Brown, Newark High School
Luke Campbell, Wilmington Christian School
Ashley Chompre, Wilmington Friends School
Dennis Chu, Charter School of Wilmington
Riley Cuddy, Tower Hill School
Caelin Foley, Delcastle High School
Jordan Foy, St. Elizabeth High School
Tamon Hamlett, MOT Charter School
Jalia Lawrence, Mt. Pleasant High School
Diamond McClellan, Christiana High School
Elonna Mowbray, Design Thinking Academy
Chloe Nield, Brandywine High School
Tatiana Romero, William Penn High School
Jamie Rowley, St. Andrew’s School
Hunter Rzaca, Archmere Academy
Cameron Smith, Sanford School
Colin Smith, Delaware Military Academy
Jessica Smith, Cab Calloway School of the Arts
Nashawn Smith, Howard High School of Technology
Sarah Smith, Caravel Academy
KeAnna Williams, St. Georges Vo-Tech High School
Kimmi Woods, Tatnall School

Not pictured:

Kamryn Dorsett, Odyssey Charter School
Peter Kardash, Salesianum School
Jane Lyons, Ursuline Academy
Thomas McGraw, Tall Oaks Classical School
Lance Ralsten, St. Mark’s High School
Anya Verucci, Newark Charter High School
Madison Wells-James, Appoquinimink High School