We want to inform you about a significant decision our Foundation has made for our Impact Grant process in 2024. After careful consideration and as part of our strategic planning, The Foundation for Delaware County has decided to implement a one-year pause in our Request for Proposals. We will still provide funding to nonprofits, but we will not have an application process. Current grantee partners will hear from Foundation staff to discuss how we plan to support their organizations in 2024. Interim grant reports will be due by January 10, 2024; it is our hope that it will be helpful to existing grantee partners to focus on their grant reports and not on new applications.
Since 2016, our organizational priorities and societal needs have evolved, and we want to ensure that our philanthropic initiatives remain aligned with our overarching mission and strategic goals. To that end we will be conducting a comprehensive assessment of our past five years of grant funding activities, to measure the impact of our initiatives and to inform future funding priorities.
We will examine the outcomes and outputs of our philanthropic funding, a key aspect of responsible and effective philanthropy. By doing this, we hope to gain insights into the efficacy of our strategies, identify areas where we have made a positive difference, and allow an opportunity for us to course-correct where necessary. This process will be invaluable in demonstrating accountability to our stakeholders, including donors, beneficiaries, and the broader community. It will provide an opportunity for organizational learning that will allow us to better serve the nonprofit community. This iterative learning process ensures that our Foundation evolves and adapts our approaches based on evidence and experience.
We know many nonprofits depend on our Foundation Impact Grants as part of their development plan. We understand that this evaluation period may create concern among nonprofit partners. We are committed to being transparent about changes that emerge from this process.
We appreciate your understanding as we work to strengthen the nonprofit community serving Delaware County, and we look forward to discussing the next steps in this critical evaluation process.
If you have any questions, please click here to schedule a meeting with Mischico Warren, our Director of Nonprofit Services.
