DCF Awards Nearly $150,000 in Specific Interest Grants

This year, the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) awarded $144,500 in specific interest grants to 34 nonprofit organizations around the state. 

There are a variety of funds at DCF that provide a structured opportunity for eligible nonprofits whose missions align with specific interest areas to apply for grants. These specific areas include athletic-based education and mentoring, the arts in Delaware, racial justice, education and financial assistance for at-risk youth and animal welfare. 

For more information about the DCF’s grantmaking process, visit delcf.org/grants or contact Yolanda Rushdan (302-504-5239). 

This year’s recipients are: 

Athletic-Based Education and Mentoring – The Tubby Raymond Charitable Fund:

Delaware Futures ($7,500) – Support “Success One Student at a Time” 

Autism Delaware ($5,000) – Support the expansion of its Challenger Leagues 

First State Squash ($7,500) – Support First State Squash’s athletic program 

RodneyStreet Tennis and Tutoring Association ($7,500) – Support Tennis Enrichment Community Outreach and Teen Workforce Development 

Green Beret Project ($7,500) – Support the Keep It Moving initiative 

Small Arts – Dave Ryerson Fund and the Beekhuis Community Fund:

Wilmington Children’s Chorus ($2,000) – Support its Summer of Song Music Festival 

Bellevue Community Center ($2,000) – Support “Empowering Edgemoor: Creating Access to Cultural and Artistic Experiences” 

Green Beret Project ($2,000) – Support its “Color Your World” art challenge to foster creativity and color the walls of its community center 

Delaware Futures ($2,000) – Support Arts for Teens in Delaware to expose teens to art and practice arts and crafts  

Latin American Community Center ($2,000) – Support ArtAddiction 2024, its annual competition exploring addiction and recovery themes through art 

Delaware Shakespeare Festival ($2,000) – Support its “Shakespeare, Poe, and Friends” program 

Gamma Theta Lamda Education Foundation, Inc. ($2,000) – Support its Diamond State Black Film Festival 

Easterseals Delaware & MD Eastern Shore ($2,000) – Support its Artfulness program to bring in community artists to teach art classes 

First State Ballet ($2,000) – Support Danceworks, which provides free weekly dance instruction to students from schools in Wilmington 

The Delaware Contemporary ($2,000) – Support its Art Residency Cohort (ARC) 

Racial Justice – Quintin E. Primo Jr. Fund for Racial Justice and the African American Empowerment Fund of Delaware:

Neighborhood House ($2,500) – Support programming in Southbridge 

Delaware Futures ($2,500) – Support its Crisis Fund that helps students receive basic needs related to food, healthcare, housing, clothing or essential school supplies 

Culture Restoration Project ($2,500) – Support its Sankofa Rites of Passage Institute 

Wilmington Children’s Chorus ($2,500) – Support its Ridout Teaching Fellowship 

Delaware Academy of Vocal Arts ($2,500) – Support its Summer Institute for Vocal Arts Apprentices  

Leading Youth Through Empowerment (LYTE) ($2,500) – Support the LYTE Scholars Program 

Education and Financial Assistance for At-Risk Youth – 21st Century Children’s Fund:

Nehemiah Gateway CDC ($4,000) – Support the Tennis Rocks Summer Read-A-Thon and Dinner Program 

Neighborhood House ($3,000) – Support its programming in Southbridge 

Friendship House ($2,500) – Support its School Uniform Project to provide uniforms to Delaware public and charter schools 

Jobs for Delaware Grads ($2,500) – Support a work-based learning program 

Delaware Futures ($2,500) – Support “Success One Student at a Time” 

Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay ($2,500) – Support its Community Initiatives Program 

Animals and Animal Welfare – Walls and Turner Charitable Fund & Freida Dolby Fund:

Humane Animal Partners ($7,500) – Support the organization’s pet food pantry 

Forgotten Cats ($7,500) – Support adoption preparation for Sussex County cats 

Friends of Animals ($7,500) – Support the organization’s Spray and Neuter program 

Faithful Friends Animal Society ($7,500) – Support the pet food and supply bank and the community veterinary services 

Canine Partners for Life ($10,000) – Support team training for future partnerships

Southern DE Therapeutic Riding ($10,000) – Support the EquiMentors Foundation Training Program 

Brandywine Valley SPCA ($7,500) – Support trapping, neuter/spraying, vaccination and release of Delaware cats