Vision Grants 2020-2021

Vision Grants 2020-2021

About the Vision Grants Program
Delaware nonprofits are reimagining and reshaping how to equitably, sustainably and effectively strengthen our communities and provide services statewide. The Vision Grants, awarded 2020-2021 as a program of the COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund, helped big thinkers get their ideas off the ground by offering targeted support.

See how the Vision Grants are making a difference in Delaware: Watch the eight-minute video below and then scroll down to learn about all the individual projects and how you can help build on this critical work.


All told, the Vision Grants program invested $690,000 and helped the grantees secure another $2.6 million to fund these transformative initiatives.


The Impact of the Vision Grants

ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY
“We have 500+ Chromebooks and WiFi hotspots being loaned out across the state any given time. Of these people, 50 percent do not currently have a computing device in their homes. This is huge!”

Seaford District Library/Delaware Libraries

EMERGENCY SERVICES
“Due to the funding, we can offer 24/7 access… to ensure that our neighbors have food, essential supplies and even furniture. With these needs met, we can focus on taking the neighbor to the next level of self-sufficiency of permanent housing and employment which is the ultimate mission.”

Love INC.

EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT
“113 individuals are now employed. The mental health counseling and social service navigation, combined with career coaching and networking, resulted in 90% of clients reporting increases in their mental wellness.”

Jewish Family Services

ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY
“A community Help Desk provided 150 families in two school districts (Indian River, Capital) technical support (connectivity and systems access).”

Tech Impact/Social Contract/Rodel

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
“Thanks to West Side Grows my business has prospered through this pandemic and allowed me to keep my business open. The signage will bring more business to the area and the remodel of the business will help spruce up the Hilltop area.”

Joyce Woodlyn, Owner Joy’s Hair Boutique, helped by West Side Grows

About the 2020-2021 Vision Grantees

August 2021 Planning Grants

These most recent grants supported research and other planning work that is newly underway. We’ll update when we have more to share!

Community Legal Aid Society, Delaware (Main Branch)
$25,000 to support planning efforts of the Delaware Social and Civil Justice Center, a collaboration that will co-locate some of the largest nonprofits in Delaware that provide free or low-cost legal and social services to our most underserved populations.

Want to learn more or support this work? Daniel Atkins, Executive Director, Community Legal Aid Society, [email protected], www.delawareccj.org

Literacy Delaware
$25,000 to support planning efforts of the Building Capacity to Reach Adults with Low Literacy project statewide, focused on addressing the adult literacy crisis in Delaware.

Want to learn more or support this work? Contact Cynthia Shermeyer, [email protected], www.literacydelaware.org

One Village Alliance, Inc.
$25,000 to support planning efforts of Freedom: Urban Wellness Center (City of Wilmington), a collaboration among One Village Alliance and 38 churches to create a 10,000-square-foot facility and outdoor space in Wilmington’s Northside.

Want to learn more or support this work? Contact Chandra Pitts, [email protected], www.iamthevillage.org

Rodel
$25,000 to support planning efforts of the Transforming Child Care – Increasing Access and Affordability project to create an implementation plan for transforming child care access and affordability statewide.

Want to learn more or support this work? Contact Madeleine Bayard, [email protected], www.rodelde.org

Sussex County Habitat for Humanity
$25,000 to support a comprehensive study on home conditions by the Habitat for Humanity Statewide Healthy Homes Initiative that will help the organization modify their programs to better meet the needs of the community.

Want to learn more or support this work? Contact Kevin Gilmore, [email protected], www.sussexcountyhabitat.org

The Way Home
$25,000 to support planning efforts of Project Honor – Helping Others Navigate Opportunities and Resources (Sussex County) to develop a one-stop facility that offers returning veterans and other reentrants immediate housing, access to medical and behavioral/mental healthcare, and training and career development.

Want to learn more or support this work? Contact Paulette Rappa at The Way Home at [email protected], www.twhprogram.org

Spur Impact Association
$15,000 to expand and improve Delaware Gives, increasing engagement and support to Delaware nonprofits.

Want to learn more or support this work? Contact Charlie Vincent at Spur Impact at [email protected], www.spurimpact.org

The Impact of the Vision Grants

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
“I was awarded $10,000. With this funding I will be able to sustain large orders, update the outdoor space, obtain professional marketing support as well as hire a part-time hourly worker. The West Side CRF has been an integral part of my business plans forward movement.”

Ellen Cappard, Owner of Books & Bagels, LLC, helped by West Side Grows

EMERGENCY SERVICES
“A woman experiencing a family break up and job loss, needed assistance paying her electric bill. The landlord was not renewing her lease. We helped her find employment, got the family approved for DEHAP (rental assistance), and got the landlord to renew the lease. Resources were found to assist with the electric bill and JFS provided her gas cards so she could work. JFS was able to assist with a portion of her back rent. As suddenly as everything unraveled, they came back together as quickly.”

Jewish Family Services

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
“The grant funding will help us to secure the necessary equipment to open our storefront on Union Street. We are looking forward to being a part of the West Side!”

Owners Stephanie Grubb & Hannah Schoenbach, Hell’s Belles Bake Shop, helped by West Side Grows

THANK YOU DONORS

We are deeply touched by the generosity of the individuals, corporations, and others who gave more than $5 million to support grantmaking through the pandemic. Thank you to these major donors and all who contributed to the COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund.

Longwood Foundation ($2 million)

Barclays ($700,000)

New Castle County ($500,000)

Welfare Foundation ($300,000)

CSC ($100,000)

Crestlea Foundation ($100,000)

Fund for Women ($100,000)

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware ($100,000)

Jesse Ball Du Pont Fund ($100,000)

Laffey-McHugh ($100,000)

Discover ($100,000)

DCF ($75,000)

DuPont ($75,000)

Gates Foundation ($65,000)

Jeff and Rhonda Banning Foundation ($50,000)

Comenity Bank ($75,000)

M&T ($50,000)

Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell ($50,000)

Fulton Bank ($35,000)

WSFS Bank ($25,000)

JP Morgan Chase ($30,000)

Bank of America ($25,000)

TD Bank ($25,000)

Capital One ($25,000)

The fund also includes $135,300 from more than 275 individual donors.