DCF AWARDS $263,380 STATEWIDE TO HELP VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
Through the DCF’s collaborative grant program, the foundation seeds organizations’ efforts to find creative, sustainable ways to work together, leveraging each other’s resources, to make the greatest positive impact on quality of life. Past collaborative grants have resulted in several permanent alliances and organizations that continue to serve Delawareans, including the Delaware Anti-Hunger Coalition and the Delaware Aging Network.
The 2017 lead agencies and initiatives are:
Catholic Charities (New Castle)
Catholic Charities received $25,000 to collaborate with St. Francis Healthcare to better serve individuals who are without health insurance or who are underinsured. This partnership will provide health care and additional services such as mental health counseling, basic needs assistance, and immigration support. The DCF grant will be used for renovations to the Saint Clare Medical Outreach Van, a mobile medical office that offers acute care to the homeless and uninsured, and related transportation expenses.
Eden Delmarva (Sussex)
Eden Delmarva received $33,000 to help ensure safe drinking water is available and groundwater is protected in several Sussex County communities by funding the operation of septic cluster wastewater systems. These private communities are not served by a government-owned system and currently do not have safe drinking water. The DCF grant will be used to negotiate the transfer of ownership from the community to Eden Delmarva’s partner agency, the Diamond State Sustainability Corporation, which will ensure that the systems are sustainable and will protect the environment, groundwater, and drinking water.
First State Community Loan Fund
First State Community Loan Fund received $77,380 to collaborate with the Central Baptist Community Development Corporation to create the Lacey Project, a new economic revitalization endeavor on Wilmington’s East Side. DCF funds will be used to rehabilitate a mixed-use property for residential and commercial use and to provide entrepreneurial training.
HOPE Commission
The HOPE Commission received $60,000 to help re-integrate high-risk, formerly incarcerated men into targeted Wilmington communities. Last year the program served 73 referred members and 65 walk-ins. The DCF grant will help the HOPE Commission double those numbers. The commission will partner with the Department of Corrections, Superior Court of Delaware and other social service agencies to provide services including counseling and support services, outreach, and family engagement and enrichment services.
La Red Health Center (Sussex)
La Red Health Center received $60,000 to increase its capacity to meet the health care needs of the increasing senior population in Sussex County by placing medical providers within communities where there is a high senior population. The CHEER Center will provide clinical space so its members can get health care not currently available. The DCF grant will fund salaries, and equipment and transportations services.
Project New Start
Project New Start (PNS) received $8,000 to provide training to medium- to high-risk/high-need offenders transitioning out of prison, help them secure and sustain employment, and contribute positively to their families and communities. PNS will collaborate with Alternatives to Violence Project, Child, Inc. and the Delaware Safety Council. This grant will provide funds for instruction, course materials, and transportation costs associated with these partnerships.
“The DCF is honored to be able to provide resources to help organizations work together and leverage each other’s resources as they work improve quality of life in Delaware,” said DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay.
The Delaware Community Foundation’s collaborative grants are funded by earnings from the Forever Fund, the foundation’s unrestricted fund. Gifts to the Forever Fund can be made online delcf.org/forever.