Delaware County is our home.
We are a community foundation, one of 780 across the country. We partner with others to lead initiatives and programs that address the issues and challenges faced by Delaware County and its people.
Through smart philanthropy and informed decision-making, we invest with confidence in truly effective nonprofit organizations that align with our mission of improving the well-being of the county’s diverse residents.
Our vast knowledge of the county allows us to offer top rate philanthropic services that help donors – individuals, families and businesses – support the causes important to them, including everything from health to affordable housing to food security to providing funds for the arts and improving the environment.
By establishing donor-advised funds and other philanthropic vehicles with us, donors can trust their gifts will make an impact on the lives of the more than 560,000 residents we serve.
Please join our email list and consider making a donation to support our efforts. Contact our philanthropic services team to learn how you can start or expand a donor-advised fund or to explore other tax-advantaged giving vehicles. We’re grateful for people like you who want to make a difference in our county.
A fully engaged community working together to achieve opportunity, equity, and an excellent quality of life for everyone in Delaware County.
To ensure an equitable, vibrant future for Delaware County by promoting generosity, inspiring participation and partnership across our communities, and improving the quality of life for all.
The Foundation for Delaware County works with individuals, private foundations, nonprofits, and businesses to move Delaware County forward.
The foundation supports its grantmaking partnerships with a growing, permanent charitable endowment for Delaware County. We invest that endowment wisely for the long term, and each year we use a portion of the endowment, supplemented by generous contributions to make gifts to nonprofits serving our community.
During the past year, priorities for our competitive grantmaking process included children’s health and well-being, community and economic development, food security, and hospice and homecare. The FY24 Impact Grants awards announced in April, 2024 can be found here.
Grants are awarded from donor-advised funds, designated funds, scholarships, field of interest funds and more. Gifts from these funds are used to support cancer programs, hospice, programs for seniors, the arts, the environment, education and more.
Our goal is to inspire philanthropy and assist donors who wish to make a positive impact. We are dedicated to raising awareness of needs across the community and to helping you support the causes you care about most.
Whether it’s the arts, health care, education, human services, the environment, or another cause, we have flexible giving options that can help you do good in the communities you love.
For Donors For Professional Advisors Guide to Giving
Our impact is long standing. The foundation’s inherited programs have addressed critical needs in Delaware County for more than 30 years. Our portfolio of public health programs focused on improving the health of mothers and children includes Healthy Start, Nurse-Family Partnership and WIC – all federally funded maternal health programs.
These programs serve as an anchor for the foundation’s efforts to address the social determinants of health including our new Housing Opportunities Program for Equity (HOPE).
Restricted funds inherited from the sale of the Crozer-Keystone Health System enable us to focus on several other public health issues including supporting people with cancer, helping seniors age in place and inspiring teens to succeed. Public health is also addressed through our special initiatives and grantmaking.
Our Community Health Programs Additional Public Health Initiatives Grantmaking
The foundation serves as a leader addressing issues of importance in county life, bringing together partners who share similar goals, lending a county-wide perspective to important conversations, and providing a model of effective practices for other nonprofits.
Delaware County Funders Group: We established the Delaware County Funders Group to promote collaboration and share information among regional and local funders interested in investing in Delaware County. For more information, please reach out to Frances Sheehan.
Center for Nonprofit Excellence: Established in 2019, the CNEx provides capacity building opportunities for nonprofit leaders serving Delaware County. CNEx offers monthly learning opportunities, the peer learning circle program and nonprofit management certificate program, and more. To learn more, contact CNEx here.
Delaware County Rental Housing Coalition led by The Housing Opportunities Program for Equity (HOPE): The coalition, comprising various traditional and non-traditional stakeholders, collaborates to develop and implement robust strategies dedicated to addressing housing issues in Delaware County.
The coalition focuses on three primary priorities: Education, Eviction Diversion, and Supply. Education initiatives aim to empower tenants and landlords with the knowledge and resources needed to rent and lease effectively and lawfully, while also educating municipalities about the importance of supporting affordable housing policies. The Eviction Diversion program will work to prevent evictions through mediation services, rental assistance, and support for maintaining housing stability, ensuring that both tenants and landlords can find sustainable solutions to disputes. Lastly, the Supply priority focuses on increasing the availability of affordable housing through systemic advocacy and development efforts with a focus on expanding housing options for low-income families throughout the county. This collaborative effort and focus have enabled the coalition to make a significant impact on these issues in Delaware County.
