The Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) awarded its latest round of Focus Grants.
These new grants support a variety of programs statewide - targeting ones in two specific areas.
“We just awarded close to $300,000 ($284,476) in what we call our Focus Grants focusing in this case on youth opportunity and helping youth achieve what they can achieve and working on help better integrate the Latino community in the State,” said Delaware Community Foundation president and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay.
He notes that a rigorous process was used to select grant recipients, "Through this Grants program we had about 80 different programs apply to participate. And we have a committee of 22 volunteers who review all of the applications and cut them down to a manageable number, conduct site visits and then make their decisions about which ones will best achieve real impact in the community.”
Comstock-Gay points to Best Buddies Delaware as one example of a program funded. It received $25,000 to provide supplies, equipment and leadership trainings for Friendship and Inclusion, a project created to connect adults with developmental disabilities to mentors, and boost opportunities for integrated employment.
Comstock-Gay says programs are designed specifically around mentoring are certainly ones the foundation focuses on.
“We know it is proven through lots of research how important it is for youth to have mentoring. We all have big brothers and big sisters. And of course folks have known about Big Brothers and Big Sisters (of Delaware) for a long time. And they got $20,000 for their program mentoring at-risk youth.”
Comstock-Gay says another area the foundation focuses on is summer learning loss and groups with programs to help kids that don’t have access to summer enrichment programs.
One example is the Summer Learning Collaborative, Inc. It received $24,626 to pay instructors leading its Sussex County Tyler’s Camp program, which offers low-income Latino middle school students summer learning and extra-curricular activities.
In all, 12 programs received Focus Grants during this funding cycle.
