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AREAS OF GIVING

Focus Areas

 

Grantmaking is the primary strategy used by Welfare Foundation in its philanthropic work. Depending on the performance of its investments, the Foundation will typically award approximately $5 million in grants each year and has made grants to nonprofits totaling approximately $130 million in the past 25 years. 

 

The primary focus area for the Foundation is the State of Delaware, although some grants are made to organizations in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. Regarding the latter, Welfare has adopted the United Way of Southern Chester County's map, which specifically identifies the included townships and zip codes that are eligible to apply.

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Also, traditionally, the Welfare Foundation has primarily focused on capital grants (but not endowments) in the the following seven nonprofit sub-sectors:

 

  • Social Services

  • Housing

  • Health/Hospitals

  • Education

  • Environment

  • Civic

  • Arts/Humanities

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From time to time we will provide program or capacity-building support to nonprofits; however, it will remain the exception and not the norm (less than 10% of our funds in any given cycle). NEW as of 2025: A meeting is required with our staff prior to submitting your application. You will not be able to access the application portal without the code that we will provide to you during our meeting. Due to the extremely high-volume of meeting requests that we receive, we cannot guarantee that requests within one week of the application deadline will be honored. Please plan ahead!

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For a five-year overview chart of our grant giving by area click here.

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For a list of our Fall 2024 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Spring 2024 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Fall 2023 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Spring 2023 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Fall 2022 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Spring 2022 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Fall 2021 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Spring 2021 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Fall 2020 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Spring 2020 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Fall 2019 grant recipients click here.

 

For a list of our Spring 2019 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Fall 2018 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Spring 2018 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Fall 2017 grant recipients click here.

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For a list of our Spring 2017 grant recipients click here.

 

For a list of our Fall 2016 grant recipients click here.

 

For a list of our Spring 2016 grant recipients click here.

 

Eligibility

 

In addition to being in our geographic focus area, as defined above, the following list details the other criteria for our charitable contributions (all must be met prior to submitting request):

 

  • Organization must be 501(c)(3) status

  • Organization must not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, national origin, disability, handicap, age, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, martial status, veteran status or any other basis prohibited by law

  • Funds must not benefit:

    • Political candidates, causes, organizations, or campaigns

    • Advocacy or lobbying activities

    • Churches, synagogues, and temples

    • Fundraising activities, such as galas, benefits, dinners, and sporting events

    • Goodwill advertising, souvenir journals, or event programs

    • Individual needs, including scholarships, sponsorships, and other forms of financial aid

    • Pass-through grants 

    • Travel for individuals or groups

    • Books, magazines or articles in professional journals

    • Any other activities deemed not appropriate for support

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For information about application requirements, please visit the Applying for a Grant page.

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