Fundholder Login   Grantseeker Login
 What’s new?   Find a Fund   Contact Us

  • COVID-19
    • Grant Opportunities
    • Grantees
    • Impact Report
    • Donors
    • Emergency Response Initiative
  • Ways to Give
    • Support the DCF
    • About Establishing a Fund
    • Fundholders: Give From Your Fund
    • Give to an Existing DCF Fund
    • Delaware Forever Fund
    • Giving Circles
      • African American Empowerment Fund
      • Fund for Women
      • The Next Generation
    • About Endowed Giving
      • Why Endowed Giving?
      • Endowment Calculator
    • About Planned Giving
  • Receive
    • Apply for Grants
    • Apply for Scholarships
  • Resources
    • For Nonprofits
    • For Professional Advisors
      • Why DCF for Your Clients?
      • Planned Giving
      • Become a Charitable Partner
      • Gift Law
    • For Grant Recipients
    • Forms & Policies
    • New Donor Portal
  • About Us
    • Vision & Mission
    • Publications & News
    • President’s Blog
    • Board & Committees
    • Financials
    • Investments
    • Our Team
    • History
    • Career Opportunities
  • Community
    • Building Opportunity
    • Advancing Equity
    • Opportunity Areas
    • Local Journalism
    • Key Collaborators
  • PODCAST

Archive for health

5Q Logo

5 Questions with Stu: Rita Landgraf, Director of Univ of DE Partnership for Healthy Communities

Posted by Stuart Comstock-Gay 
· Monday, November 4th, 2019 
· 1 Comment

Rita Landgraf has a long and distinguished career serving Delaware. She is perhaps best known for her role as Secretary for the state Division of Health and Social Services (2009 – 2017). Yet her service is much broader and deeper, including previous service as executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and the Arc of Delaware, and as president of AARP Delaware. She currently leads the US Partnership of Healthy Communities.

What motivated you to get involved in public service?

I have a strong interest in working to promote the public good with an emphasis on advancing health and well-being. Most of my adult life, I have been focused on the most vulnerable populations that experience the poorest quality of life. It is so humbling to work in concert with others and honoring the ideal that the sum is greater than its parts. Public service and specifically leading the Department of Health and Social Services provided me with the platform to advance policy and service delivery to enhance the quality of life of all Delawareans. It was a huge honor to serve our state.

What community endeavors are you proudest to engage in?

This question is of particular interest to me since the word community has many connotations to it. A community can be a geographical location, or a community can be a specific grouping of individuals with a specified mission or characteristics. I have benefited from a multifaceted engagement with “community.” I am most proud of the work I have engaged in with individuals with disabilities, and in advancing the civil rights of this population. I am also extremely proud of the work I am engaged in with advancing health equity in place-based communities that experience high poverty.

How does your organization contribute to expanding opportunity for people in Delaware?

I am excited to bring what I have learned in the field to the classrooms of the College of Health Sciences to help grow the next generation of health and social services professionals. I am equally excited to lead the UD Partnership for Healthy Communities; a cross-college, cross-state initiative. This provides me with a platform to align the assets of this university with the needs of our community by advancing research, education and service. As a University of Delaware alumna, I have great pride in serving as faculty at the institution who provided me with a solid educational framework.

Is there a philanthropist or philanthropic organization that inspires you?

Since most of my career has been in nonprofit organizations, I have witnessed firsthand, the value of philanthropy. Individuals who have a passion to engage in the causes they believe in and invest in the sustainability of the work inspire me. I am very excited about efforts that align for collective impact, which generate a greater return on single investments. United Way, Delaware Community Foundation, Philanthropy Delaware and Healthy Communities Delaware are examples of this collective effort. Delaware is a true state of neighbors and our philanthropists value the ability to align for greater impact.

If you could do one thing to increase equity in Delaware, what would you do?

I would increase the knowledge of what equity really means since there is confusion between equality and equity. The World Health Organization defines health equity as the highest level of health and well-being possible for everyone. Healthy equity addresses differences in population health that can be traced to unequal economic and social conditions that are systemic, avoidable and are inherently unjust. Health equity benefits everyone because health is a public good necessary for a well-functioning society. If we are going to advance health equity, we must embed it in our overall values and commit to advancing equity where inequities continue to exist.

What Do You Get With a Million Words?

Posted by Stuart Comstock-Gay 
· Thursday, September 12th, 2019 
· No Comments


The importance of quality pre-K education must be one of the best known needs in America. Research over recent decades has told us over and over again that if we teach our children well in the early years, their brains will develop well, they will have the capacity to become fully productive members of society, and they will have significantly expanded chances of living robust and healthy lives overall.

Yet it remains the stubborn truth that we still aren’t doing enough to provide that education to many of our children.

I had the opportunity recently to participate in an evening of TEDx talks, sponsored by Goldey Beacom College, where each and every talk focused on early childhood education. From Lucinda Ross to Dawn Alexander to Caroline Jones, Logan Herring, Jill Slader and Timothy Purnell, each speaker taught us about why early education matters. I anticipate the speeches will be widely available at some point soon.

I used my opportunity to talk about the million-word gap, where kids who are read to hear over a million words more than kids who are not read to…entering kindergarten with dramatically better chances at success. Reading helps, I said, with language, concentration, creativity, neural development, empathy and parent-child relationships. Kind of a magic elixir.

But of course, that’s not the whole story. A million words will get you far. But there is much more we need to address. You can see my talk here.

As for how a million words connects to the broader question of early education, my talk is really a call for it – for high quality universal early education for each and every one of our kids. I’m not the first person to call for universal pre-K, and I won’t be the last. It’s something we can achieve, and something we need.

P.S. If you are wondering about the Go Dog Go picture, you’ll have to listen to the talk.

 

Our Towns book cover

Book Circles! Libraries! Beer!

Posted by Stuart Comstock-Gay 
· Wednesday, August 14th, 2019 
· No Comments

It’s time for the DCF’s 2nd annual Building Opportunity Keynote and Book Circles*!  This year we’re moving from Our Kids to Our Towns. Here’s the story:

How can we strengthen communities? What have communities across the country done to make themselves stronger, more resilient, more exciting places to be? How do communities address economic dislocation, loss of hope, opioid problems, and other challenges?

Those are the questions at the center of Our Towns, the new book from James and Deborah Fallows. On Nov. 6, the Fallowses will be the speakers at DCF’s 2nd annual Building Opportunity Keynote. The couple traveled over 100,000 miles across America – from Eastport Maine to Duluth, Minnesota; Ajo, Arizona and Demopolis, Alabama. Their answers involve art, libraries, entrepreneurialism, active citizens, beer and more.

(Yes, beer. Breweries turn out to have a big place in this book – the Fallowses are clearly my kind of people. As for libraries, well just read the book and you’ll see more.)

It’s a book about optimism and opportunity and hard work and hope. You’ll be able to buy tickets for the event soon.

But right now, sign up your book group, or form a book group, so you can read it in advance. With help from the Delaware Humanities Council, we have 500 copies of the book we’re giving away, so that the audience for this event will be ready to engage. Last year we gave away over 450 copies of Robert Putnam’s Our Kids. Join the discussion, and help us think about solutions for Our Towns.

(By the way, the event this year will be simulcast in several locations across the state. Watch for more information about that, too.)

*This program is partially funded by a grant from Delaware Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

5Q Logo

5 Questions with Stu: Talking Philanthropy with Nick Moriello from Highmark

Posted by Stuart Comstock-Gay 
· Monday, May 6th, 2019 
· No Comments

I’m very pleased to introduce a new element to my blog.  Each month – beginning today – I’ll be posting another in a new series we’re calling “5 Questions with Stu.”

Each month, we’re asking local philanthropic leaders to answer five questions about how they view philanthropy in their work, their lives, or their organizations. It’s a chance to hear from people we all know, and some you may not know – but in a different way. I hope you like it.

We begin with Nick Moriello from Highmark Delaware. Highmark has proven to be an important player in the state’s philanthropic landscape, with their attention to healthy communities. They have been major supporters behind important work in the area of opioid addiction, and many other things. Nick has served as market President for Highmark Delaware since August of 2018, after serving for over 25 years in other healthcare related positions.

5 Questions with Nick Moriello
President, Highmark Delaware

Why is philanthropy important to you?
As a native Delawarean and President of Highmark Delaware, a company that traces our Delaware roots back more than 80 years, supporting our community through philanthropy and events like the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community inspires me. Whether it is helping a Delawarean overcome addiction or breaking down the barriers to quality health care, our philanthropy makes me proud of what we do. We make a difference, and we see it every day as we work in partnership with so many stakeholders to build a stronger, healthier community.

What are the greatest factors influencing your decisions when you consider opportunities you could support?
Two of the most important factors we consider are overall community impact and the capacity of our nonprofit partner to reach the goals they have set.

The large majority of our giving is through our BluePrints for the Community Fund. Since its inception in 2007, BluePrints has made over $13 million in grants and served nearly 100,000 Delawareans. More than 10 percent of Delawareans have been impacted by a BluePrints grant.

Our BluePrints grants focus on four main areas:

•Increasing access to health care for the uninsured/underserved
•Reducing health disparities in minority communities
•Supporting early childhood development with initiatives focused on health
•Recruiting and training health care professionals.

What community endeavors are you proudest to support or engage in?
I am equally proud of two initiatives. First, I am extremely proud of our efforts to combat the opioid crisis. In 2018, we announced $325,000 in grants to four community organizations that are fighting the opioid epidemic in Delaware. Our nonprofit partners are reaching every corner of our state and taking a multi-faceted approach to addressing the opioid crisis.

My second point of pride is our annual Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community. Last year, our fifth annual walk included 20 local nonprofit partners and more than 1,300 walkers who raised over $186,000 – a new record. Highmark Delaware completely underwrites the cost of the walk, which means 100 percent of the funds raised goes directly to our nonprofit community.

In five years, the Highmark Walk has raised over $600,000 for Delaware nonprofits.

Where do you see the greatest potential for philanthropy to drive change in Delaware?
Our greatest potential to drive change will come through partnerships. There’s not one organization or donor who can be the sole driver of impactful change. If we are going to truly impact our communities and make real change, we need to collaborate and align our funding decisions. Government, foundations, corporations and nonprofit partners all need to work in unison if we are going to drive real change. A great example of the power of partnership is how the Delaware Center for Health Innovation (DCHI) engaged health care stakeholders, which has led to Healthy Communities Delaware, built on the foundation of DCHI’s initial work.

If you could do one thing to increase equity in Delaware, what would you do?
Increase access to high-quality health care. As a health and wellness leader in our state, increasing access to health care is a priority that Highmark is deeply committed to advancing in meaningful, community-focused ways. We work with our members every day to remove barriers and align our philanthropic giving with nonprofit partners who support those efforts. From supporting more accessible transportation for seniors in Sussex County or funding scholarships for preventative care initiatives like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, our philanthropy is another way we are helping to increase access to care and build a healthier Delaware.

* * *

Going Far Together

Posted by Stuart Comstock-Gay 
· Wednesday, February 27th, 2019 
· No Comments

It’s long been said that if you want to go quickly, you go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.

Yesterday’s Focus on Wilmington showed the power of going together. It was DCF’s first community engagement session this year, and brought together 14 collaborative programs in the city, with a hundred citizens, leaders and activists – to share innovative work and break down silos.

Dorrell Green, recently named superintendent of the Red Clay School District, spoke about the Dual Generation Center at Stubbs Elementary School, a partnership between the state and Christina School District – a new center that will focus on early education but provide support for a broad range of family issues. Said Green to WDEL. “No one entity can do it alone. I just think this [event] is a good example of folks coming together to support, as a whole.”

From the Stubbs project to the comprehensive plans of REACH Riverside to break the burdens of inter-generational poverty in the Riverside Community, to the work of the Wilmington Leaders Alliance and Generations to reinvent employment pipelines, we heard from many of Wilmington’s most inspiring collaborative efforts. You can read about the programs that were highlighted here.

During the event, participants said things like, “I heard about things I’ve been wanting to do and learned they are already happening, and being done better,” and “This was a great way to learn about how funding aligns with community needs and a great way to connect with leaders.” And “I just didn’t know about this program, and it’s exactly what I’m looking for.” Collaboration is indeed well practiced in Wilmington and Delaware, with leaders like the Wilmington Community Advisory Council and United Way doing heavy lifting.

DCF organized this event as one of many activities to build on the work of our fall 2018 community leadership lecture from Bob Putnam, talking about his book Our Kids and about the opportunity gap in America. During the lead up to that event, and afterward, we heard repeatedly from friends and colleagues that folks wanted to know more about what’s going on and how to plug in. Even those of us most involved keep finding new programs that we didn’t previously know about, and which are great opportunities for partnerships.

There is so much tremendous work going on. And everybody knows that we need to work together. Most of us are working together. This program tried to broaden the connections. And it’s not the end. DCF is committed to helping bring people together to strengthen partnerships up and down the state. Watch for more about future focus conversations.

DCF, Discover and Longwood pilot social impact investing with Blood Bank

Posted by Allison Levine 
· Friday, September 7th, 2018 
· No Comments

The Delaware Community Foundation (DCF), Discover Bank and the Longwood Foundation are piloting “Pay for Success,” an innovative type of social impact grantmaking, for the first time in Delaware.

The DCF Social Impact Fund was created in 2017 with a gift to the DCF from Discover Bank.

Using the Pay for Success model of social impact investment, the DCF Social Impact Fund made a grant of $450,000 to the Blood Bank of Delmarva, an affiliate of the New York Blood Center.

The Blood Bank will use the money for a project to increase the number of millennials donating blood. The Blood Bank has a goal of securing 500 units of blood from millennial donors over the course of three consecutive years.

When the Blood Bank meets the goal, the Longwood Foundation will “pay back” the $450,000 with a premium into the DCF Social Impact Fund. This will make the money available for the DCF Social Impact Fund to invest in another initiative to drive social change.

This is the first social impact initiative in Delaware. Social impact initiatives have already succeeded in 22 other states.

“Our goal is to help the community maximize the impact of the charitable resources available. Pay for Success is one of the many creative, effective tools we use to help stretch philanthropic dollars for community benefit,” DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay said.

The DCF, Discover and Longwood worked with the Blood Bank initiative partly to demonstrate the Pay for Success model for the General Assembly. The General Assembly recently passed legislation to allow the state government to enter into Pay for Success contracts to incentivize private funding of economic development and social impact initiatives. That legislation was signed into law by Gov. John Carney last week.

“Pay for Success is a win-win-win idea,” said There du Pont, president of the Longwood Foundation. “It’s an exciting way to seed social change initiatives that are well planned and positioned to succeed.”

“Discover Bank believes in making strategic investments that help build stronger communities,” said James Roszkowski, president of Discover Bank. “We are delighted to be an early investor of the Blood Bank of Delmarva Pay for Success model, along with the Delaware Community Foundation and the Longwood Foundation.”

“As a recent pay-for-success partnership grant recipient, we can see how beneficial this unique arrangement is for Delaware,” said Michele Hart-Henry, vice president and chief operating officer of the Blood Bank of Delmarva. “The Blood Bank of Delmarva will be expanding our operations while having both the expectation and the support to be accountable for our results.”

Social Finance, a nonprofit organization with deep experience designing and managing PFS projects, served as project advisor.

“We are proud to have supported the DCF Social Impact Fund to structure Delaware’s first Pay for Success initiative,” said Tracy Palandjian, CEO and co-founder of Social Finance. “With this project, DCF and their project partners are paving the way for future Pay for Success projects that improve the lives of Delawareans.”

Pictured, left to right: Longwood Foundation President There du Pont,  Michele Hart-Henry, vice president and chief operating officer of the Blood Bank of Delmarva; John Ferretti, New York Blood Center board trustee; Stuart Comstock-Gay, Delaware Community Foundation president and CEO; Amy Walls, Discover Assistant CRA Director 

Field of Interest Funds: Hitting the Target, Now and Forever

Posted by Stuart Comstock-Gay 
· Friday, August 10th, 2018 
· No Comments

Here is another post about working with DCF, and why it can be a great way to achieve charitable goals…this one describes the Field of Interest fund.

* * *

We all have passions that drive us, that occupy a space in our heart and motivate us to improve the world. One way to address those passions – and invest in our community’s future – is through the Field of Interest Fund.  These funds are designed by the donor to focus gifts in an area that is important to them, such as protecting the environment, supporting educational advances, or expanding access to the arts. And then, instruct the DCF board and staff to make sure good grants are made on that issue now and in the future.

It’s a way to narrow philanthropic giving, but keep your donation flexible enough to meet the changing needs of the community. The fund type allows for long-term community impact on issues that matter, while providing immediate benefit for the donor in the form of a tax deduction at the time the gift is made.

Think of it as hitting the target without having to nail the bullseye.

Here’s how it works:

1. Donors identify an area of personal interest, as broad or narrow as desired. (DCF staff can help narrow the focus if you wish). For example, the Jonathan Moyed CARE Fund, established at the DCF in 2001, is focused on innovative and creative ways to provide/support long term health programs for Delawareans. The DCF researches the organizations doing effective work in this important area and awards grants to make the greatest impact possible. Over the years, Moyed CARE fund has supported the Mary Campbell Center, Ingleside Homes, Nanticoke Health Services and other important organizations.

2. Donors create the endowed fund at DCF with a gift of cash, securities, or other property worth $15,000 or more. That gift becomes a permanent source of community funding, targeting the donor’s area of interest. Donors can add more funds at any time.

3. The DCF board awards grants to community organizations and programs that are making a difference in the selected area of interest. All the while, DCF handles the administrative requirements for the fund, including managing the fund assets and overseeing the fund’s investment.

There’s a lot of great work being done in philanthropy today. A field of interest fund is a great way to not only protect and promote the issues you care about, but also to ensure they get the support they need in the future.

It’s hitting the target — even from far away.

Arsht-Cannon Fund Increases Access to Mental Health Services for Delaware Hispanics

Posted by Allison Levine 
· Monday, February 5th, 2018 
· No Comments

With the help of a $75,000 grant from the Arsht-Cannon Fund at the DCF, the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Delaware (NAMI-Delaware) is now helping address the mental health needs of Delaware’s growing Hispanic population by providing bilingual, bicultural services from its new Georgetown office.

This two-year program grant is the latest installment of the Arsht-Cannon Fund’s $200,000 NAMI-Delaware Hispanic Services Initiative, a multi-year investment to provide mental health care for Hispanic adults and families coping with mental illness.

Many Hispanics face mental illness due to high levels of stress for prolonged periods of time, driven by fears about their ability to meet basic needs and potential for separation from loved ones through deportation.

NAMI-DE’s website offers information in Spanish.

Negative effects of mental illness are compounded for Hispanics because of the current political environment, cultural stigmas, and limited access to care, particularly bilingual and culturally sensitive care.

“Mothers started feeling scared,” said Blanca Sandoval, a Spanish-speaking Sussex County native, who directs the NAMI-Delaware Hispanic program. “They started keeping their children out of school. They thought their husbands would be taken off their jobs and they would never see them again.”

Over the past 10 years, the ACF, NAMI-Delaware and several other nonprofits have been working in partnership on a variety of programs to increase access to mental health services to Hispanic families in Kent and Sussex County. This work is part of the ACF’s multimillion-dollar investment in improving quality of life for Hispanic Delawareans.

Now, via NAMI-Delaware’s Georgetown office, Hispanic Delawareans can receive services in their native language. Sandoval is coordinating “Sharing Hope/Compartiendo Esperanza,” a series of Spanish-language presentations about the symptoms of mental illness. She also is working with other nonprofits to develop a sequence of workshops addressing issues that often go hand in hand with mental health needs, such as domestic violence.

Through this outreach, Delaware Hispanics are becoming more familiar with mental health issues and the care available. And most importantly, they are gaining confidence that they are safe because NAMI-Delaware provides confidential services, said Anne Slease, NAMI-Delaware director of advocacy and education.

“Many people stopped seeking help. They stopped seeing doctors. They thought their information would be passed on,” Slease said. “This is a big turning point. This is traction. We’re making connections in the community.”

In addition to building trust and offering Spanish-language services, unique cultural sensitivity is needed to work with the Hispanic population because of the significant stigma around mental health issues, Sandoval said.

“The words mental illness can’t even be mentioned when I talk to people,” she said. “The way I approach people is I tell them we have help for depression or anxiety or trauma.”

As she builds trust through visits to festivals, health fairs, churches and other community events, Sandoval is also searching for volunteers to facilitate and expand the popular support groups. She’s also looking for bilingual counselors and therapists to volunteer to work individually with people who are struggling with their mental health needs.

“It’s really critical to partner with the Arsht-Cannon Fund,” Sandoval said. “We’re getting funding to help a vulnerable population.”

The work to expand mental health services for Hispanics in southern Delaware is just one of many nonprofit programs supported by the Arsht-Cannon Fund, said ACF Executive Director Christine Cannon, Ph.D.

“I am very proud to say that our funding (over $9 million since 2003) has increased the number, the size and the statewide availability of programs/nonprofits that support educational opportunities and healthcare access for Delaware’s growing number of Hispanic families,” Cannon said.

“And in supporting the success of Delaware’s Hispanic families, we’re supporting the success of all Delawareans.”

The Arsht-Cannon Fund is one of the more than 1,200 charitable funds at DCF, all working to make Delaware the best it can be. For information about how you can open your charitable fund at the DCF, contact Joan Hoge-North, 302.504.5224.

Joy Lives Forever at Justin’s Beach House

Posted by Allison Levine 
· Thursday, December 21st, 2017 
· No Comments

No doctors, no nurses, no needles, and no machines tethered to the arm.

At Justin’s Beach House, which will be supported in perpetuity by the new Justin’s Beach House Fund at the DCF, families can leave behind the frustration of cancer treatment while they enjoy the comfort of this beautiful home in Bethany Beach.

Just a half-mile from the waterfront, the five-bedroom house was built with donations and volunteer labor in memory of Justin Jennings, a Pennsylvania State University student who died in 2000 from glioblastoma, the form of brain cancer that also killed Beau Biden and is now affecting Sen. John McCain.

Families with a loved one who is in cancer treatment, or less than a year out of treatment, may stay at the house for a full week. Donations ensure that no one ever has to pay for their stay.

The house is equipped with everything a vacationing family might want, including a sun deck on every floor and a flat-screen TV in every room. A trolley goes right past the front door, providing easy access to the beautiful sites of Bethany Beach.

Since it opened seven years ago, more than 150 families have stayed at Justin’s Beach House, which has become a cherished part of the community. Local businesses, schools and private donors continue to raise money to maintain the house. Grocers and restaurants provide gift certificates for guests.

In June of this year, the Justin’s Beach House Board established a new endowment fund at the DCF, which will ensure money is available to care for the property in perpetuity. The fund was established with money raised over several years, and additional donations are needed to reach the endowment goal.

While growing up in Delaware, Justin loved visiting the family’s beach house in Bethany. And when he was recuperating from chemotherapy, the beach was his favorite place to be.

“When we drove over the bridge, Justin would put his hands up and say, ‘we’re almost there!’” said his mother, Mary Ellen Nantais.

When Justin died on June 25, 2000, his family started a charitable foundation that quickly filled with gifts from friends and fundraising events. The family decided to build a beach house to honor Justin’s memory and provide some pleasure for families suffering similar trials.

On Sept. 29, 2009, which would have been Justin’s 29th birthday, ground was broken at the site. Exactly one year later, the doors opened, and the first guests arrived in time to enjoy the Christmas holidays at the beach.

Eligible families from anywhere in the United States are invited to apply for a week at Justin’s Beach House. The house is open all year long and applications are now being accepted for 2018. To apply or for more about Justin, visit justinjennings.org. To support Justin’s Beach House Fund, visit delcf.org/Justin.

Arsht-Cannon logo

Arsht-Cannon Awards $667k+ in Grants to Improve Lives of Hispanics in Delaware

Posted by Allison Levine 
· Monday, November 13th, 2017 
· No Comments

 

Hispanic families in Delaware are benefiting from increased access to education and health care with the support of $677,841 in grants from the Arsht-Cannon Fund (ACF), an endowed fund at the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF). 

Some of the 2017-18 grants were awarded in June and the remainder are being issued this week. Over the past 13 years, the ACF has invested nearly $9 million in Delaware nonprofits focused on education, health care and youth, with a particular focus on improving the lives of Hispanic Delawareans As our Hispanic communities benefit, the quality of life for all Delawareans improves.

1-Immigrant family integration:

Lutheran Church of Our Savior’s English as a Second Language Program – $50,000 (2 years): Helping approximately 150 adults and their children learn to read, write and speak English.

Polytech Adult Education’s Family Literacy Program – $50,000 (2 years): Breaking the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by providing educational opportunities to low-income and immigrant adults and their children.

Latin American Community Center (LACC) English as a Second Language (ESL) and Nurturing Parenting programs – $30,000: Continuing its ESL program and providing a new parenting-skills program.

Friends of Bear Public Library and Friends of Route 9 Library and Innovation Center – $3,500: Offering Plaza Comunitaria program at both libraries that includes basic-, elementary- and intermediate-level school courses in Spanish for immigrants age 15 and over.

Delaware Readiness Teams – $10,000: Translating and disseminating information about early kindergarten registration for Spanish-speaking Latino parents; gathering data to provide help to parents preparing preschoolers for kindergarten.

Friends of Wilmington Parks – $1,800: Buying books in Spanish for preschool and kindergarten nature programs.

Friends of Milton Library and Friends of Garfield Park Library – $5,500: In partnership with the Delaware Hispanic Commission, holding the annual celebration of Latino culture and community at the Milton Library in Sussex County and, for the first time this year, at the new Route 9 Library and Innovation Center in New Castle County.

Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council, Inc.’s ESL & Low Income Tax Clinic – $25,000: Helping Latino immigrant families statewide resolve tax issues.

2-Kindergarten through College Programs that improve life trajectories:

Reading Assist, Inc.’s Reading Corps Reading Intervention Program – $25,000: Recruiting, training and supervising bilingual reading tutors for first- through third-grade students in the Colonial School District.

Sussex Tech Adult Education’s Healthy Snacks for 21st CCLC – $8,500: Providing snacks and food for their after-school programs and field trips.

UrbanPromise Wilmington’s Street Leaders Program – $25,000: Increasing the number of Wilmington’s Hispanic youth leading and participating in their afterschool and summer programs, which focus on developing teens personally and academically in a nurturing environment.

Summer Learning Collaborative, Inc. – $36,000: Expanding this successful summer camp program, focused on reducing the summer learning gap for middle school-aged children in low income families, to Sussex County during the summer of 2017.

La Esperanza Community Center’s Youth Immigration Advocacy Program – $20,000: Planning and piloting a Youth Advocacy Program to support the development, academic success, and rights of Latino youth in its surrounding Georgetown community.

PeaceWork, Ltd. – $10,000: Expanding programs to provide arts, yoga and gardening activities to at-risk youth living at the New Castle County Youth Detention Center.

Leading Youth through Empowerment (LYTE) – $12,000: Planning to expand capacity to recruit, enroll, and engage Latino 8th through 12th grade students in their college access afterschool and summer program.

TeenSHARP Inc.’s College Access Ambassador Program – $20,000: Expanding and recruiting additional Latino high school students into its program, which expands college access for students of color.

TeenSHARP Inc.’s Delaware Goes to College Academies – $34,000: Providing academic advising and coaching for college admission for up to 600 Delaware qualified youth during the 2017-18 school year.

Nativity Preparatory School of Wilmington’s Hispanic Graduate Support Program – $20,000 (2 years): Enabling Nativity Preparatory School of Wilmington to provide continuing guidance to their middle school graduates (and their Spanish-speaking parents), through high school and college.

3-Increased Access to Quality Bilingual Mental/Behavioral Healthcare:

National Alliance on Mental Illness Delaware’s Hispanic Services Initiative – $75,000 (2 years): Expanding outreach to the Hispanic community to increase knowledge of mental illness and reduce barriers to access of care in Kent and Sussex County.

Family Counseling Center of St. Paul’s – $30,000: Educating Latino families in Wilmington on access to mental health care, expanding capacity for screenings to better direct clients, and training new clinicians.

Ronald McDonald House of Delaware’s Housing Program for Delaware’s Hispanic Families – $10,000: Expanding support services for Latino families staying at the Ronald McDonald House while their child is receiving care at a local hospital.

Latino Mental Health Workforce Program – $16,500: Providing partial tuition assistance for three bilingual graduate students, who have committed to work as mental health professionals in Delaware after graduation.

Sussex County Health Coalition – $50,000:  Facilitating an environmental health assessment focused on behavioral health and expanding school-based mental/behavioral programs to Latino students.

4-Advocacy for Education Achievement and Health Equity

Rodel Foundation’s Social Emotional Learning Landscape Study – $20,000: Providing critical information on Delaware’s SEL efforts, student needs, evidence-based practices, evaluation measures, and advice to scale up successful efforts and align with needs.

Rodel Foundation’s English Learners in Delaware – $20,000: In partnership with the Delaware Hispanic Commission’s Education Committee, conducting data collection and analysis to address educational disparities in a series of 5 fact sheets and secure state funding for English learners.

Delaware Campaign for Achievement Now (Delaware NOW) – $60,000: Engaging students, parents, communities, teachers, and organizations to urgently advocate for educational policies for student success – higher graduation rates, test scores, and college enrollments for Latino students.

UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza) – $5,000: In partnership with the Rodel Foundation, developing advocacy and awareness plans for English learners in Delaware.

The Arsht-Cannon Fund was created in 2004 from the estate of the Honorable Roxana Cannon Arsht and S. Samuel Arsht. Roxana Cannon Arsht was the first woman to be appointed to serve as a Delaware judge, while her husband S. Samuel Arsht was well-respected for overhauling Delaware’s General Corporation Law. Their daughter, Adrienne Arsht, said, “My parents’ desires to invest in the needs of the times- supporting the best interests of a civil society- are actualized by supporting this newest wave of immigrants.”

“We’re honored to partner with a growing number of Hispanic-serving non-profits that provide life-changing opportunities for integration, learning and health,” said ACF Executive Director Dr. Christine Cannon. “Our Hispanic families face unique challenges that require understanding, culturally-sensitive approaches, and expert program bilingual staff and volunteers who care deeply.”

“We’re proud of the impact of the Arsht-Cannon Fund,” said DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay. “The focus on Hispanic families fosters a community where everyone can feel welcome and succeed. Supporting a diverse and healthy community is at the core of the DCF’s mission.”

Next Page »
Delaware Community Foundation
Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved
Proudly powered by WordPress
Built and Designed by 38solutions