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Archive for women/girls

2021 Virtual Grant Applications Workshops, December 9 and December 14

Fund for Women Accepting Grant Applications for 2021

Posted by Rebecca Klug 
· Monday, November 30th, 2020 
· No Comments

Opens January 1, 2021
Deadline January 31, 2021 11:59PM

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

All Delaware nonprofit agencies with programs benefiting women and girls are welcome to apply. Although we diverted all 2020 grant funds to solely support COVID programs, this year we have adjusted the application and we are ready to get back to supporting programs that benefit women and girls in Delaware.

The FFW accepts applications from nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organizations for programs that address the needs and enhance the worth and potential of women and girls in Delaware by helping them to lead productive, self-sufficient lives. The FFW’s one-year grant offers organizations an opportunity to obtain seed money for innovative, creative programming or funding to continue or expand programs where effectiveness has been demonstrated. Grants will not be awarded to individuals. This year we will not be limiting eligibility based on past awards, since we took a break in last year’s 2020 Grant Cycle, this year, all grantees will start anew on the FFW 2021 three-year cycle.

Completed applications are due by Jan. 31, 2021. Apply online at fundforwomende.com/grants. Only online applications will be accepted.

The FFW is offering two grant workshops to assist organizations in preparing their applications. Attending the workshop is optional and will not affect the grant awards. However, historically, organizations that attend the grant workshop have a higher success rate in receiving grants. The workshops will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 4:30 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 14 at 5:30 pm Click here to register for one of these workshops or visit www.fundforwomende.com/grants.

Presentation slides from the FFW’s December grant workshop will be available after the workshops at fundforwomende.com/grants, along with specific grant guidelines.

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 issued more than $3 million in grants to hundreds of nonprofit programs statewide. In 2020, the FFW donated $200K to the COVID-19 Emergency Response Initiative. For information, please visit fundforwomende.com/grants.

Building Opportunity in Delaware podcast logo

Episode 4: Jacqueline Means, Delaware’s “STEM Queen”

Posted by Stuart Comstock-Gay 
· Friday, February 7th, 2020 
· 2 Comments

Jacqueline Means at a table speaking into a microphoneIn episode four, we take a very different turn. Jacqueline Means is Delaware’s “STEM Queen.” Her story – and her passion – are changing lives and lifting girls to stronger futures.

And she is a true believer in the possibilities of Delaware. “I would say my story as a Delawarean, is one of a dreamer. I, over five years ago, was just a young girl who dreamt of hanging out with other girls and making slime with them and maybe even a little bit of ice cream… That idea just snowballed into this Woman to Urban STEM Initiative. Oh, we’re not only going to do experiments, we’re going to have speakers as well, and a free lunch and an anti-bullying demonstration and just really pack the day full of positivity for these young girls who don’t always get to have all this positivity in their life, like other girls living just one or two zip codes away from them. I would say that Delaware is definitely somewhere where you can make things happen.”

This interview will make you smile, will make you proud for this powerful young woman, and will give you renewed hope for the possibilities of Delaware. Listen here.

Find all the episodes in the series at delcf.org/podcast.

Jacqueline Means at a table speaking into a microphone

Building Opportunity in STEM for Girls | Jacqueline Means

Posted by Rebecca Klug 
· Friday, February 7th, 2020 
· 1 Comment

“STEM Queen” Jacqueline Means, 17-year-old founder of the Wilmington Urban STEM Initiative, talks about building opportunity for girls through STEM education. Jacqueline grew up in the high-poverty Southbridge neighborhood of Wilmington and is currently a senior at the Delaware Military Academy. She has been featured on The Today Show, Access Hollywood, The Q, and TedX for her work engaging girls in science, technology, engineering and math.

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.


5Q Logo

5 Questions with Stu: Stephanie Staats, CEO, YWCA of Delaware

Posted by Stuart Comstock-Gay 
· Monday, August 5th, 2019 
· No Comments

Stephanie Staats, CEO at YWCA Delaware began working at the YWCA almost 10 years ago as the Chief Programs Officer. Prior to that role she was the Development Director for something called the Delaware Community Foundation.

She also served as an Adjunct Instructor at DelTech, and the Chief of Staff at Delaware Humanities Forum. Stephanie has shown strong leadership skills as she has helped the YWCA continue its role as a leading social change organization in the state.

* * *

1. What motivated you to get into public service?

I developed an awareness of inequality as a child. I grew up in a diverse city, but it was socially segregated. I noticed who lived in the wealthiest neighborhoods, got treated kindly in stores and on the streets, and who did not. I experienced the overt distrust between people who were different from one another. I heard and felt how women and girls of all backgrounds were devalued. It troubled me greatly. So I would say that public service chose me. Leading YWCA Delaware has been an amazing opportunity to work toward the elimination of racism and empowerment of women.

2. What community endeavors are you proudest to engage in?

Since we launched YWCA’s Sexual Assault Response Center (SARC) in 2016, it has been a privilege to provide 24/7 crisis support to victims statewide and to amplify the community conversation about the causes and effects of sexual assault. The numbers are staggering, as are the negative long-term impacts on economic success, physical and emotional health. There are many misunderstandings about the issue of sexual violence and until we de-stigmatize open conversation about it there will be no advancement in social attitudes, institutional practices and systems response for victims.

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

YWCA’s mission is to eliminate racism and empower women. We achieve this by offering programs that advance housing stability, health and safety, and economic empowerment for women and their families. Specific programs can be found on our website at www.ywcade.org. In 2018, we served more than 5,200 Delawareans. Our social advocacy initiatives concentrate on racial justice, gender-based violence, civil rights, and economic opportunity for marginalized communities. In 2019, we launched “Dialogue to Action” groups to facilitate individuals’ understanding of inherent bias, its effects, and to inspire action as a result. More than 200 individuals participated in the first three months.

4. What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities facing philanthropy today?

An overall challenge is that as corporate giving has become more targeted on a regional scale, the administrative burden for government funding has increased, and it puts more pressure on individual giving. Organizations have an opportunity to be innovative in how they secure diverse revenue sources while staying in alignment with organizational values. YWCA included this opportunity as a priority in its 2019-2021 Strategic Plan.

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

At YWCA we practice our belief that issues overlap and intersect, and in order to achieve equity in opportunity, each issue must be addressed. To put it simply: you can’t solve for one without the other and expect lasting change. This belief is why YWCA offers programs and advocacy in the core areas of women’s lives: economic empowerment, personal safety, legal rights, health and education. It is why we work collaboratively with more than 50 other organizations across the state when a client has a specialized need for a service that we don’t provide. A holistic approach will increase equity.

———————————

About 5Qs: Each month, we ask 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. This is the second in the series.

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.”

Fund for Women Awards $190K in Grants Statewide

Posted by Allison Levine 
· Tuesday, May 16th, 2017 
· No Comments

The Delaware Fund for Women at the Delaware Community Foundation has awarded $190,046 this year to 18 Delaware nonprofit organizations statewide, breaking its record of $178, 926 from last year.

The grants will be presented at the Duncan Center in Dover on May 18 at 5:45 p.m. Each recipient organization addresses the Fund for Women’s mission to empower women and girls in Delaware to achieve their potential. Recipients are statewide programs unless the county is noted:

Children & Families First ($15,000): The funds will be used to support a program that will increase the parenting skills of new mothers who are recovering from addiction.

Connections Community Support Programs, Inc. ($15,000): The grant will fund a program to provide safe and sober housing for women in recovery and their children in Sussex.

Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition ($7,750): The coalition will use the funds to encourage proactive health care in diverse communities in Kent and Sussex.

Delaware CAN (Contraceptive Access Now) ($7,750): The grant will fund a statewide program aimed to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies.

Delaware Financial Literacy Institute ($8,425): The grant will fund a program to improve financial management skills to increase the number of businesses owned by women in Sussex County.

Delaware Guidance Services for Youth & Children ($5,071): The grant will fund a statewide program that will teach coping skills to children and their families.

Family Promise of Northern New Castle County ($11,000): The grant will fund transportation support for homeless families in New Castle County.

FAME: Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering, Inc. ($15,000): The grant will help fund programs to increase STEM education for girls in New Castle County.

Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County ($8,800): The grant will fund a program that will provide employment support for women in New Castle County.

Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids ($2,550): The grant will fund a program that provides children with the opportunity to grow and cultivate their own gardens at school in New Castle County.

Jewish Family Services of Delaware ($12,900): The grant will provide funds to support a statewide program to provide financial literacy workshops for refugees and immigrants.

Lydia’s Way ($15,000): Lydia’s Way will provide housing, dental care, clothing, and transportation for women with substance abuse issues in Kent County.

Pathways to Success ($6,000): Pathways to Success will provide a program to prevent unintended pregnancies for Sussex County high school girls.

Ronald McDonald House of Delaware ($10,000): The grant will be used to fund housing for mothers of premature and ill infants in all three counties.

Strive: How You Lead Matters ($9,800): The grant will be used to fund a Leadership Academy that promotes critical thinking and problem solving in New Castle County.

Urban Promise Wilmington ($10,000): The grant will be used to fund employment and leadership development for urban teens in New Castle County.

Vision to Learn ($15,000): The grant will be used to provide statewide free eye exams and glasses for low income girls.

What is Your Voice, Inc. ($15,000): This grant will fund holistic care for victims of domestic violence Sussex County.

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