Arsht-Cannon Fund Awards $592K+ to Benefit Latino Communities in Delaware

Latino families in Delaware have improved access to quality educational programs and services as a result of close to $600,000 in grants from the Arsht-Cannon Fund (ACF), an endowed fund at the Delaware Community Foundation.

Since 2007, the ACF has invested more than $9 million to expand and improve educational opportunities and access to healthcare for Latino families – improving life for all Delawareans.

“This work is possible only through our close partnerships with a growing number of very dedicated nonprofit organizations who are hiring bilingual staff and who practice cultural humility,” ACF Executive Director Dr. Christine Cannon said.

ACF 2019-2020 grants focus on building collaborative programs in several areas:

La Colectiva de Delaware ($260,000) to develop

• Community-led Family Coaching and Navigation System based out of La Esperanza Community Center and a variety of quality youth and family programs.
• Services and programs by a collaborating network of community organizations with the support of a full-time La Colectiva community engagement director and additional resources, as needed.

Language Learning that continues a 10-year history of support to family literacy programs.

• ESL at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in eastern Sussex County ($40,000 over two years)
• Family Literacy at Polytech Adult Education in Kent County ($40,000 over two years)
• Conversation Circles – “Word Wise” – at three New Castle County libraries (Route 9, Kirkwood and Bear) ($10,000)

Youth Education that continues to support English learners (ELs)

• Education Equity Delaware ($25,000) to advocate, educate and engage around needs of ELs
• Delaware Readiness Teams ($20,000) to support Latino parents in preparing their young children for kindergarten
• Reading Assist Institute ($20,000) to provide reading tutors for ELs at Academia Antonia Alonzo School
• Summer Learning Collaborative ($30,000) to provide Tyler’s Camp to Latino middle school children in Sussex County
• Nativity Preparatory School of Wilmington ($20,700) to improve the access and success of an increasing number of Latino boys by providing 12 years of support to them and their families
• Vision to Learn ($15,000) to expand free eye exams and glasses for an additional 100 Latino children statewide

Family Well-Being with a focus on strengthening relationships and program quality

• National Alliance for Mental Illness – Delaware Hispanic Services Initiative ($22,397) to educate, support and navigate families affected by mental illness
• Autism Delaware’s Family Peer Support Services ($25,000) to support bilingual services to Latino families caring for children affected by autism
• Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s Community Health Worker Collaborative Project ($10,000) to provide professional staff and healthcare partner education
• Sussex Sports Center Foundation, Inc. ($5,000) to support the operation of Sandhill Fields in Georgetown for the health and socialization of Latino families
• AIDS Delaware – Delaware Teen Idol contest ($5,000) to share talent and HIV prevention information with expanded inclusion of Spanish-speaking families
• Family Counseling Center of St. Paul’s ($15,000), La Esperanza Community Center ($5,000) and Westside Healthcare ($4,000) to provide professional staff education

Community Arts and Cultural Programs for the education and enjoyment of all Delawareans

• Delaware Contemporary’s Building a Creative Future Program ($6,000), an outreach arts education afterschool program for teens in Wilmington
• Delaware Art Museum’s “Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago” exhibit with bilingual guides and support for the African Caribbean Festival ($7,250) June-September 2019
• Annual Hispanic Heritage Celebrations ($7,425) in September-October, 2019 at Route 9 Library and Innovation Center, Dover Public Library and Milton Public Library with support of Friends of each library and the Delaware Hispanic Commission

The Arsht-Cannon Fund was established in 2004 through the gift of the estate of the Honorable Roxana Cannon Arsht and S. Samuel Cannon. The endowed fund supports Delaware’s Hispanic families, ultimately improving the lives of all Delawareans.

“The Arsht-Cannon Fund continues to create a tremendous impact on our communities,” DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay said. “Creating opportunity for all and building a more diverse, healthy community is imperative to the DCF’s mission.”