Delaware Community Foundation’s Arsht-Cannon Fund Awards $570,000 to 25 Organizations for 2025
The Delaware Community Foundation (DCF), one of the largest charitable organizations in the state and a top-100 community foundation nationwide, today announced $570,000 in grants to 25 nonprofits through its Arsht-Cannon Fund (ACF), which marks 20 years of supporting opportunities for Hispanic communities in Delaware.
“For two decades the Arsht-Cannon Fund has supported families who have chosen Delaware as their home through granting to Hispanic-serving nonprofits,” said DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay. “From literacy and education efforts to small business development, we’re proud to support local leaders working to build a community where all of us thrive.”
Since 2004, the ACF has awarded over $12 million to 150 organizations, focusing on areas such as language learning, youth and arts programs, leadership development, Hispanic small business support, health education, and special initiatives.
“I have seen the dramatic, life-changing effects of educational opportunities provided to the growing Hispanic community by many dedicated nonprofits statewide,” said Dr. Christine Cannon, the ACF’s retiring Executive Director.
La Esperanza, which builds empowerment among Hispanic and immigrant families in southern Delaware, is a long-time ACF grant recipient and received $30,000 from the Arsht-Cannon Fund this round.
“We are deeply grateful to the Arsht-Cannon Fund,” said Bryant Garcia, Executive Director of La Esperanza. “For many nonprofits, securing support for immigrant communities is a challenge. We appreciate the ACF’s commitment to Hispanic-serving nonprofits and their communities.”
The Arsht-Cannon Fund was endowed by the Honorable Roxana Cannon Arsht, appointed as Delaware’s first female judge, and her husband, S. Samuel Arsht, a prominent corporate attorney and founding partner of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell. Their mission for the ACF was to preserve, support, and defend the best interests of a civil society. Adrienne Arsht, their daughter, helped shape the Arsht-Cannon Fund’s early focus on serving Hispanic communities in Delaware through educational opportunities.
Persons interested in opening a charitable fund at the DCF can contact VP of Philanthropy and Southern Delaware Mike DiPaolo at [email protected].
The 25 ACF grantees for 2025 divided into six impact areas:
Language Learning and Family Literacy
- Academia Antonia Alonso Charter School – $15,000 for Literacy-Focused Interventions for Bilingual Students in New Castle County
- La Esperanza – $30,000 for Place-based Opciones/Resource Navigation and Family Coaching Program 2.0, ESL for Newcomers, ESL for Citizenship, and Spanish Literacy in Sussex County
- Lutheran Church of Our Savior (LCOS) – $25,000 for The Community English as a Second Language (ESL) Program in Sussex County
- Polytech Adult Education – $25,000 for ESL/Family Literacy in Kent County
- Sussex County Vocational Technical School/Adult Education – $25,000 for Adult ESL Program Site at Georgetown Middle School
- The Latin American Community Center – $15,000 for the Family Digital Equity Program in New Castle County
Developmental, Academic and Arts Programming, Infancy to Adulthood
- Children’s Beach House (CBH) – $25,000 for the Youth Development Program (YDP) in Milford, Kent County
- Choir School of Delaware (CSD) – $25,000 for the Latinx Outreach Initiative and Programming in Wilmington, New Castle County
- Connecting Generations – $10,000 for Supporting Latino Students through Mentoring and a Lexile-Based Library statewide
- Delaware Contemporary – $10,000 for Building a Creative Future teen programming in New Castle County
- Delaware Futures – $10,000 for Trabajando para el futuro statewide
- Leading Youth Through Empowerment (LYTE) – $30,000 for LYTE Scholars: Empowering Latino Futures statewide
- United Way of Delaware – $5,000 for College and Career Readiness: Latino Unidos Student Summit statewide
Advocacy and Leadership Development
- Network Delaware – $20,000 for the Luisa Capetillo Hispanic Community Leadership Program statewide
- Nuestras Raíces – $12,500 for the Emerging Leadership Development Program (ELDP) in New Castle County
- Rodel Foundation of Delaware – $20,000 for support for MLL advocacy, engagement and materials statewide
Latino Small Business Development/Economic Development Programs
- Delaware Hispanic Chamber of Commerce – $30,000 for the “Empresarias Ascendentes” (Rising Businesswomen) Program in New Castle County
- Delaware Restaurant Association – $25,000 for Empowering Hispanic Workers in Delaware’s Hospitality Industry statewide
- La Plaza Delaware – $27,500 for business coaching in Kent and Sussex Counties
- West End Neighborhood House – $35,000 for Launcher Entrepreneurship Program
Health-related Education, Coaching, and Support
- Down Syndrome Association of Delaware (DSAD) – $15,000 for Bilingual Programs & Outreach Coordination
- Food Bank of Delaware (FBD) – $35,000 for Latino and Hispanic Community Outreach Coordination
- Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids – $20,000 for “Educación en Crecimiento”: Growing Spanish Language, Curriculum, and Culture in Delaware’s Edible School Gardens statewide
- More Than Fitness – $20,000 for Bilingual Outreach and Summer Pool Program in New Castle County
- SNAC – $20,000 for new SNAC Garden development for Georgetown schools in Sussex
Special Initiatives
- La Esperanza – $40,000 for La Colectiva de Delaware (LCD) Initiative statewide
About the Delaware Community Foundation
The Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) stands at the intersection of generosity and community transformation. We manage charitable funds, advise donors and grant to nonprofits to cultivate the future of philanthropy in Delaware. Our mission is to expand opportunity for all by helping individuals, families, businesses and organizations focus their generosity where it can create the greatest impact statewide. Through convening, connecting, providing leadership on important issues and investing in community needs, we empower Delawareans to build a stronger, more vibrant future. Learn more at delcf.org or call 302.571.8004.