DV Journal

From a press elease

In its fifth major round of grantmaking, The Foundation for Delaware County announced more than $1.65M in new Impact Grant awards to 52 area nonprofits, eight second-year Impact Grant awards totaling more than $182K, and ten third-year Impact Grants totaling more than $371K for a total of more than $2.2 million invested in nonprofits serving Delaware County.

Grants were awarded in the following areas:

1. Children’s Health and Well-Being: $1,087,860
2. Community and Economic Development: $95,000
3. Community Mental Health Services: $53,500
4. Food Security: $287,000
5. Hospice and Home Care: $105,000
6. Services for Cancer Survivors: $30,000
7. Second-Year Payments to 2022 Impact Grantees: $182,932
8. Third-Year Payments to 2021 Impact Grantees $371,445

“We are thrilled to award more than $1.6M in new Impact Grants to 52 organizations providing critical services in Delaware County,” said Frances Sheehan, Foundation President. “They will address some of Delaware County’s most critical issues, including mental health challenges, education, food security, and support for seniors.”

Sheehan went on to stress that “The Foundation for Delaware County is dedicated to addressing the most pressing challenges in Delaware County, supporting organizations and initiatives making lasting change. We are deeply committed to being a resource for our local nonprofit community now and long-term.”

To learn more about how you can support these and other nonprofits in our community by donating to or starting your own charitable fund, contact Monika Collins.

Children’s Health and Well-being

Children’s health and well-being continue to be a major funding priority for the Foundation. Multiple grants were awarded to advance the Foundation’s goal of improving the health and quality of life of the children in our county. Grants include $100,000 over two years, to the Chester Charter Scholars Academy (CCSA) Foundation to launch a math education program for elementary and middle school students at CCSA to help them improve their math proficiency.

Additional grants include a $50K grant to Riddle Hospital over three years to establish a prenatal care program that integrates medical care with education to empower and improve the health of pregnant patients and their babies, $60,000 over three years for the Young Men and Women in Charge Foundation to prepare youth to become leaders through careers in STEM, and $20,210 to Teacher’s Teammates to ensure that under-resourced schools in Delaware County have adequate school supplies for students in K-12.

“The Impact Grant we received from the Foundation will allow us to arrange direct delivery to the schools for all our teachers’ orders, removing a significant barrier for teachers in accessing supplies for their students, said Raelyn Harman, Executive Director for Teacher’s Teammates. “Teachers often have many after-school commitments which prevent them from traveling to our warehouse in Folcroft to pick up their order. Teachers’ Teammates wants to make it as easy as possible for teachers to access the supplies we have and as easy as possible for donors to contribute in-kind donations.” 

Community and Economic Development

The Foundation supports organizations working to enhance their community and economic development strategies. A $30,000 grant was given to Chester Pike Corridor Improvement Project to support a collaboration between the boroughs of Sharon Hill, Glenolden, Norwood, Prospect Park, and Ridley Park to foster economic development along a critical Delaware County transportation route. And a $25,000 grant was awarded to Darby Free Library to support library services that ensure a safe and healthy environment within the oldest continually operating public library in the United States.

Community Mental Health

In the past few years, mental health challenges have skyrocketed. Addressing and providing support for mental health services is a priority for the Foundation. A $35,000 grant was awarded to the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) to expand its counseling program to meet the increasing mental health needs of people in Delaware County.

“With mental health challenges at an all-time high in our country, we are pleased that the Foundation has included mental health as a priority for our county,” said Cheryl Brubaker, Executive Director of the Women’s Resource Center. “For women facing the impossible expectations of caring for while providing for their families, WRC’s counseling services have been a lifeline for hundreds of women who could not have otherwise afforded mental health care. With this grant, we will be able to provide nearly 500 free counseling sessions for those in Delaware County who face gender disparities and discrimination in addition to difficult life transitions such as divorce and job loss.”

Food Security

Seven organizations received Impact Grants to help address food insecurity. Murphy’s Giving Market received a $10,000 grant to provide ethnically and culturally diverse food and other essential items to people who live in the Upper Darby area.

In addition, a $100K grant was awarded to the Share Food Program to support their centralized food bank in Delaware County to promote equitable food access across Delaware County food pantries.

Hospice and Home Healthcare

The Foundation is grateful to the Delaware County Home Care Association Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation for enabling grants to support home care and hospice programs at Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice, Senior Community Services, Surrey Services, and Wayne Senior Center.

About The Foundation for Delaware County

The Foundation for Delaware County is the largest philanthropy in Delaware County, PA. One of 780 community foundations across the U.S., the Foundation offers support and resources for nonprofits of every size, helps generous people give with more impact, brings together funders, nonprofits, and elected officials to address critical community problems, and responds to major challenges and crises as they arise.

In addition to grant funding, the Foundation operates the Center for Nonprofit Excellence to strengthen Delaware County’s nonprofit community through training workshops and peer learning opportunities. The Foundation encourages philanthropy by connecting donors to worthy causes through efficient charitable giving vehicles like donor-advised and scholarship funds.

The Foundation operates the prestigious public health programs Healthy Start, the WIC nutrition program, and Nurse-Family Partnership. In addition to the Housing Opportunities Program for Equity (HOPE), other programs include El Centro (a Hispanic resource center) and a health resource center for students in the Chester Upland School District.

At a press conference outside Delaware Memorial Hospital on Monday, Delaware County Council Chair Monica Taylor, Ph.D. sounded the alarm about the hospital’s emergency room closing.

After the hospital company announced the hospital would be changing to a mental health facility without an ER, the Foundation for Delaware County sued for an injunction. The hospital is appealing a court ruling granting it.

“The health and safety of the tens of thousands of residents who live in the eastern section of Delaware County is in jeopardy,” said Taylor. “On Friday evening, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced an order closing the Emergency Department here at Delaware County Memorial Hospital due to staffing.

“Pennsylvania Department of Health’s decision to suspend operations at Delaware County Memorial Hospital, owned by Prospect Holdings, is a direct result of (parent company) Prospect’s failure to adequately staff Delaware County Memorial Hospital,” said Taylor.

“Prospect’s recent history shows a gross lack of concern for the well-being of Delaware County residents. On September 21, Prospect announced its intention to close the hospital within 60 days. They were faced with legal action to remain open, which they then appealed. It isn’t by chance that Prospect is now unable to adequately staff the hospital- which has resulted in the state shutting them down,” Taylor said.

“As you can imagine, that is a severe concern to the county, to the tens of thousands of residents who live in this section of the county, to the nurses and medical staff who treat the community here at the hospital, and to the EMS members who transport residents here for lifesaving care. In a lifesaving situation, seconds can save a life.”

Frances Sheehan, president of the Foundation for Delaware County, said the foundation was formed six years ago when Prospect Medical Holdings, parent company of Crozer Medical, bought the hospital. Prospect agreed to keep ER services through 2026 but “has not honored that commitment to the community.”

The Foundation secured a temporary injunction, but with the state’s decision, “Prospect has shown a level of contempt for the court and for the health and well-being of the people of Eastern Delaware County. Again and again, Prospect has proven that they are not a trusted partner.”

With the help of the district attorney and the attorney general, the foundation will “pursue all legal options available,” said Sheehan. “People’s lives and health are at stake right here, right now.”

Taylor said, “As a mother, I am concerned for the many young women in the community who were receiving pre-natal care here, and who now need to travel to a hospital in another section of the county or to Philadelphia or Montgomery County to get the vital care they need throughout their pregnancies and then also care for their newborns and children,” Taylor said.

“Traveling to the next closest hospital is not an easy and viable option for some women. The same is true for some of the elderly residents who live in this section of the county. And for those who don’t have a vehicle and rely on public transportation or walking. This is a major barrier for them to access healthcare,” she said.

“The closure of the hospital greatly impacts some of our most vulnerable residents and historically underserved communities. Through the past year, Prospect has shown little to no regard to the safety and well-being of our community and the county has, and will continue, to do everything in its power to ensure the hospital stays open.

The county is also continuing to explore all of our legal options to try to keep the hospital open,” she said.

Asked to respond, the hospital sent this message. “Crozer Health received an order from the Pennsylvania Department of Health advising us that due to staffing issues, we must close the Emergency Department at Delaware County Memorial Hospital until further notice, beginning at 7:00 a.m. on Monday, November 7,” said Crozer Health CEO Tony Esposito. “We have alerted nearby emergency departments and EMS, including our Taylor Hospital and Crozer-Chester Medical Center, that are prepared to see patients.”

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