This year marks an important milestone for The Foundation for Delaware County: our 10th anniversary.
Anniversaries are a natural time to pause and reflect. To look back at where we started, recognize what we have built together and, perhaps most importantly, consider what comes next.
What began as an extraordinary opportunity ten years ago has grown into something much bigger—a community foundation built by and for the people of Delaware County.
In this past decade, we have worked to establish a strong foundation for philanthropy in Delaware County. We have invested resources in addressing some of our community’s most pressing needs. We have supported families and children through our Family Village programs, strengthened local organizations with funding and support from our Center for Nonprofit Excellence, and responded to moments of crisis with two rapid response funds.
At every step along the way, we’ve invited members of our community to join us by directing their philanthropic resources to where they matter most.
We have also learned that our greatest impact comes from being deeply connected to our community. We are here to listen, convene, connect, and amplify the generosity and expertise that already exists throughout Delaware County. We work in partnership with our community, and we are stronger together.
This spirit is at the heart of initiatives like Delco Gives, which has brought tens of thousands of donors together to support hundreds of local nonprofits. It is reflected in our grantmaking and our partnerships. And it is evident in the incredible work being done every day by nonprofits, donors, businesses, and community members across the county.
Since 2016, we have:
Our first decade was about establishing a new community foundation for Delaware County. Our next decade is about expanding what is possible and building a lasting legacy of philanthropy across our community.
That means going all in for Delaware County.
It means continuing to invest in the organizations and leaders who are making a difference today, while also thinking about what our community will need tomorrow. It means creating more opportunities for people to give, connecting donors with the causes they care about and bringing additional resources to the challenges and opportunities facing our community.
And it means thinking beyond the immediate moment to something that can benefit Delaware County for generations: a permanent endowment for our community.
A permanent community endowment creates a lasting source of philanthropic support that can respond to Delaware County’s needs and opportunities year after year, decade after decade. It gives future generations the ability to invest in their community just as those who came before us invested in ours. And it prepares a community to respond with greater urgency and strength to unforeseen events like the challenges Delaware County’s healthcare system has faced in recent years.
That is the opportunity ahead of us.
As we celebrate our first ten years, we are incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped make this Foundation what it is today—staff, donors, nonprofit partners, board members, volunteers, community leaders, and the countless people who believe in Delaware County and its future.
We are looking forward to the next decade with ambition, optimism, and a commitment to go all in for our community.
Together, we can amplify generosity, strengthen philanthropy, and build an enduring resource for Delaware County.
Ten years on, we are just getting started.
