The Foundation for Delaware County made its first major grants

The largest philanthropic organization in DelCo — which announced a new name, new partnerships and a new funding strategy this past March — just granted a whopping $1,165,000 via 46 grants to 42 local nonprofits.

It’s the Foundation for Delaware County’s first major round of grantmaking since the revamp. All grants were given to programs that improve maternal and child health, particularly for children living in poverty, and fall within these funding priorities (as described by the foundation):

• To improve physical and behavioral health services for Delaware County’s children
• To support advocacy and systems change for improved health service delivery for Delaware County’s children
• To improve maternal and birth outcomes in Delaware County
• To support preventive health services for vulnerable and low-income Delaware County residents
• Preparing Delaware County’s students for success in college
• To address Delaware County’s substance use including the opioid epidemic
• To support and improve access to hospice and homecare services in Delaware County (with support from The Philadelphia Foundation’s Delaware County Home Care Fund)
• Strengthening Delaware County’s non-profit community

That last one supports capacity building via strategic planning, infrastructure development, succession planning and the like — a funding trend making its way through the social impact sector.

“We were extremely pleased with the quality, range and innovation of many of the proposals we received and honored to support so many dedicated non-profit partners serving our county,” said President Frances Sheehan. “The 46 proposals that received funding will address some of Delaware County’s most critical health issues. And they’ll do so with direct service and support, advocacy and education, and with innovation that could lead to even more impact in the future.”

We are excited to announce $1,165,000 in grant awards to 42 area nonprofits to improve the health and well-being of Delaware County’s residents. Read more about the organizations helping to move #delawarecounty forward: https://t.co/MdMe54JeBy #HealthyDelco pic.twitter.com/VQ8Auvj6PS

— The Foundation for Delaware County (@DelcoFdn) November 1, 2018

The biggest grants within the $1.1 million is $100,000 to CASA Youth Advocates, Inc. over two years to launch social services coalition Delaware County’s Voice for Children.; $60,000 to ChesPenn Health Services for a patient-centered medical home initiative; and $60,000 to Be Proud Foundation over three years for a substance abuse education app for teens.

See a full list of grantees here.