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Foundations that fund nonprofits in Delaware
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 2,147 grantmakers listed 9,670 grants totaling $1.6 billion to 3,356 organizations in Delaware. 1,943 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 204 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 285 are based in Delaware; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a Delaware organization was $10,000. New Castle County received the most grants (7,104, from 1,656 funders), followed by Sussex County (1,171) and Kent County (665). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (1,838 grants), children & youth (782 grants) and arts & culture (669 grants).
Delaware Community Foundation Inc (Wilmington, DE) funded the most different Delaware organizations: 319, through 474 grants with a typical size of $26,694.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most Delaware organizations
Ranked by the number of different Delaware organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to DE organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware Community Foundation Inc Wilmington, DE · EIN 22-2804785 | 474 | 319 | $26,694 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 2 | Longwood Foundation Inc Wilmington, DE · EIN 51-0066734 | 261 | 238 | $250,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 3 | Laffey-Mchugh Foundation Wilmington, DE · EIN 51-6015095 | 237 | 177 | $25,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 4 | Crestlea Foundation Inc Wilmington, DE · EIN 51-6015638 | 126 | 126 | $15,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 5 | Welfare Foundation Inc Wilmington, DE · EIN 51-6015916 | 121 | 121 | $59,275 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 6 | Nor' Easter Foundation Inc Greenville, DE · EIN 51-0350173 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 242 | 103 | $1,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 7 | Chichester Dupont Foundation Inc Wilmington, DE · EIN 51-6011641 | 117 | 96 | $20,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 8 | Wsfs Cares Foundation Wilmington, DE · EIN 13-4229063 | 93 | 89 | $5,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 9 | The Carl M Freeman Foundation Inc Selbyville, DE · EIN 52-6047536 | 112 | 84 | $5,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | The Sykora Family Charitable Foundation Glassboro, NJ · EIN 03-0547269 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 130 | 69 | $1,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Incyte Charitable Giving Foundation Wilmington, DE · EIN 37-1827916 | 123 | 69 | $15,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | Ellice & Rosa McDonald Foundation Wilmington, DE · EIN 51-0348090 | 107 | 55 | $50,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | The Mid-Del Charitable Foundation Harrington, DE · EIN 38-3642292 | 67 | 48 | $1,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 14 | Freedman Family Fund Wilmington, DE · EIN 13-3486425 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 70 | 45 | $2,550 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | Happy Difference Foundation Montchanin, DE · EIN 20-5679477 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 78 | 44 | $2,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County | 7,104 | 1,656 | $1.3 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Sussex County | 1,171 | 326 | $66.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Kent County | 665 | 301 | $96.0 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 1,838 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 782 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 669 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 541 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 292 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 199 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 188 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 176 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 174 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 169 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 93 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 76 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 15 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for Delaware ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.