My synapses are firing, and I’m full of appreciation and joy!
Last night, hundreds of you joined us in a discussion with Wes Moore – about race, structural racism, hope, and passion. We also heard from a local panel, featuring Bebe Coker, Rev. Edwin Estevez, Alonna Berry and Charito Calvachi-Mateyko, responding to Wes and sharing their thoughts about where we are, and where we need to go. 
Thank you to everybody who participated.
There is so much to digest and think about, but a few items stuck hard with me.
The racial awareness that has come about in 2020 is not, said Wes, because of something different that happened this year vs. last. Killings of, and harassment of, black men and boys have been with us for a long time, and are not going away. What’s different now is that we are in a movement, not a moment. And at some point, we will reach a time when we will say, “Can you believe racial justice was something people had to fight for?”
Wes also reminded us that we do not have the luxury of “looking past race,” when race remains the most accurate predictor of life outcomes in America.
Wes reminded us that every person’s story matters, and every story is interesting “because it is that person’s story.” Unfortunately, we too often don’t know people’s stories until it is too late.
And there’s not really room to discuss the powerful statements by all of our panelists. Suffice it to say, they were great.
Finally I appreciate that so many of us want to make progress. In his book Five Days, Wes says, “The figures in this book were each, in their way, fighting to prevent the tragedy of Freddie Gray from playing out again and again…In their small victories and looming failures, they revealed to me the importance of individual changemakers and the indispensable necessity of collective action.”
As for us at the DCF, we believe that collective and individual action to reduce racial inequities is and must remain central to all of our work. The work is not just a one-time thing, but will imbue all we do.
We are engaging in this work in a number of ways.
• Right now, in partnership with the Rodel Foundation, we are pleased to say that we will support a Delaware participant in the Black Voices for Black Justice Fund, a national initiative co-chaired by Wes.
• We are developing new grant opportunities focused on better supporting and investing in leaders of color, the organizations they lead, and the communities they serve.
• We are implementing recommendations of the fellows who were part of our Community Equity Project – their work will be featured on the DCF website in the upcoming weeks.
• And we are continuing to participate with the Delaware Racial Justice Collaborative being coordinated by our partners at the United Way of Delaware.
We are on a path. And we all have a part to play. And (using Alonna Berry’s metaphor), while none of us alone can move the wall, we all need to work hard on moving our individual bricks.
Archive for Delaware
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
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.
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, or your favorite podcast player. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.
$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.
Mark Carter, director of Beer & Benevolence, the charitable arm of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, talks about the role of businesses in building opportunity.
A Kent County native and Marine Corp veteran who has traveled around the world, Carter brings a “think globally, act locally” approach to Dogfish Head’s charitable giving, which focuses on arts, environment, and community. In addition to the brewery’s donations, Dogfish Head staff regularly volunteer for projects across the state.
Our nine-episode Building Opportunity in Delaware podcast series focuses on how can we build opportunity and strengthen community for all. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay talks with Delawareans who are building opportunity through the arts, faith communities, libraries and everything in between.
You can listen and subscribe on Apple, Spotify. and Google Podcasts. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.
Bear Library specialist Adriana Camacho-Church talks about the role of libraries in building opportunity. The Bear Library’s ESL programs for Spanish and Chinese speakers help people learn how to read, write, find job opportunities and integrate into their communities, benefiting the community as a whole. Camacho-Church also writes a monthly series in Delaware’s Out & About Magazine called “Worth Recognizing: Community Members Who Go Above and Beyond.”
Our nine-episode Building Opportunity in Delaware podcast series focuses on how can we build opportunity and strengthen community for all. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay talks with Delawareans who are building opportunity through the arts, faith communities, libraries and everything in between.
You can listen and subscribe on Apple, Spotify. and Google Podcasts. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.