Search Through Arts Grants for Nonprofits in Delaware in the U.S.

Delaware Division of the Arts 

The Delaware Division of the Arts offers a variety of grants for nonprofit arts organizations

Arts Access Grants

Arts Access provides program support to organizations that offer occasional arts programs and to organizations that do not meet the eligibility criteria for the Division’s General Operating Support and Project Support categories. Applicants are encouraged to contact program staff prior to application.

Arts Access funding is available for arts projects that accomplish one or more of the following:

• Provide experiences of artistic merit and integrity for the public
• Involve collaborations between artists or arts organizations and community and civic groups, government entities, or social service agencies
• Reach audiences and participants with limited access to the arts or to a particular art form
• Provide lifelong learning opportunities in the arts beyond the school setting
• Offer opportunities for the creation of new works of art
• Support arts programs in new or non-traditional venues
• Provide opportunities for artistic expression of a community’s unique history, culture, or circumstances
• Provide opportunities for conservation, documentation, and appreciation of the artistic traditions of diverse cultures and communities chartered and based in Delaware.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications for Arts Access Grants are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Artistic Quality (the quality of the artistic product, process, or service and relevance to one or more of the Arts Access program goals)
• Availability of the Arts (the project provides increased access to diverse and quality arts programs, particularly in underserved communities)
• Management (the organization demonstrates the capacity to carry out, market, and evaluate the project, with qualified personnel, an effective marketing plan, and a fiscally responsible budget.

Delaware Division of the Arts

The Delaware Division of the Arts offers a variety of grant programs for individual artists, nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations chartered and based in Delaware, and schools and government entities that support arts activities.

Community-Based Program Grants

These grants serve non-profit Delaware organizations, colleges, universities, and government entities that do not have the arts as their primary mission

Arts Access (ACC) Grants

Arts Access grants support the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. The supports organizations that offer occasional arts programs and organizations that do not meet the eligibility criteria for the Division’s General Operating Support and Project Support categories.

Arts Access provides small grants of up to 80 percent of eligible cash expenses, not to exceed $1,250, to support the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. 

Who We Are

The Creag Foundation is a private grant making foundation established in 2009 in Woodinville, Washington.

The founders of the Creag Foundation believe that meaningful change can only be achieved through hard work, creativity and passion. They also understand the practical mechanisms that allow charitable organizations to succeed and grow. As a group, Creag Foundation principals are dedicated to helping today’s most innovative programs improve the human condition in a wide variety of ways.

Our Focus

The broad purpose of the Foundation is to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations who are innovators in the field of human services. Our particular focus is on smaller organizations that are starting out or established organizations that are looking for funding to take their organization in a new direction.

What We Fund

/ What We Fund

The Creag Foundation is focused on innovation in the industry. We will consider proposals from 501(c)(3) organizations that are finding new ways to address societal issues facing the nonprofit community. Applicants must have held 501(c)(3) status for one year before submitting. If your organization has held 501(c)(3) status for over a year, and your believe that your organization has a new approach to an existing social problem or is addressing a previously unaddressed social issue, you are welcome to contact us and request that we consider your organization for a funding opportunity.

Mission

The DanPaul Foundation will use its resources to help train teachers and parents in early childhood development, protect children from abuse and neglect, stimulate children's personal social responsibilities, and offer them opportunities for enrichment and growth.

The Foundation will also encourage children to be concerned and informed about the environment and the underprivileged, particularly with regard to clean air and water, and adequate housing and nutrition for all.

Beliefs

The DanPaul Foundation believes that children should have ample opportunities for enrichment in their lives, and thus strives to provide many different ways to enrich and expand children's minds through direct programs and monetary support to organizations doing similar work.

We have provided or currently provide grants related to the following program areas:

• Workshops, Conferences, + Seminars: We strive to offer educational workshops, conferences, and seminars for parents and teachers on topics related to early childhood development.
• Student Scholarships: We aim to help students attending post-secondary education institutions by providing need-based and academic scholarships.
• Scientific Endeavors: We desire to advance scientific endeavors which seek to improve the quality of life for everyone in the world.
• Clean Air + Water: We hope to pass on knowledge and practical life skills to youth regarding their personal responsibility to the environment, teaching them about issues surrounding clean air and water.
• Child Advocacy: We believe in protecting children from abuse and neglect and particularly love to support programs that provide education and assistance to children as well as organizations advocating or caring for vulnerable children.
• Homelessness: We want to encourage young people to take a personal interest in seeing that adequate housing and proper nutrition, especially for the underprivileged and homeless, are available.
• Poverty + Neglect: We seek to help those in poverty as well as educate youth about their responsibility to consider the underprivileged and take care of those most in need of life's basic essentials like adequate housing and proper nutrition.
• Refugee Enrichment: We wish to help refugee youth by supporting programs that provide them enrichment and help them transition to life in a new country.

The DanPaul Foundation provides grants to 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organizations as defined by the IRS. The Foundation is interested in providing funding to programs that directly serve the health, education, development, and welfare of the world's youth.

Grants range from a few hundred dollars up to $15,000 per calendar year.

Background

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

Global Impact Cash Grants

Identifying and incubating innovative early-stage solutions. We identify, incubate, and develop innovative early-stage solutions with the highest potential for impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We're looking for programs that fit within our investment sectors, focus on the underserved, and use technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services.

We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. A brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application. Please expand and carefully review each of the three sections below to learn more

Our priority social impact sectors

We focus on investing in innovative, tech-enabled solutions to the challenges and opportunities that matter most to communities in need, prioritizing four social impact sectors:

Cisco Crisis Response

Mobilizing to provide essentials to communities in need and those in crisis, including food, housing, secure connectivity, and disaster relief

By leveraging Cisco’s people, technology, financial resources, and strategic partnerships, we help strengthen community resilience and drive long-term recovery from crises.

Education

Supporting students, teachers, and schools by increasing engagement, building skills, promoting subject mastery, and expanding their capacity to thrive

Cisco is committed to inclusive access to digital skills training and supporting those who use technology to educate. Through programs like Cisco Networking Academy and social investments in education, we create new opportunities for individuals to thrive.

Economic Empowerment

Transforming communities through skill development, long-term career opportunities, entrepreneurship, and access to financial products and services

Strategic grants that unlock economic prosperity and growth for individuals and communities.

Climate Regeneration

Building an inclusive, regenerative, and resilient climate future through education, regenerative agriculture, conservation, protection, and clean energy solutions

Our efforts began in 2021, when the Cisco Foundation committed US$100 million over 10 years to fund nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions. 

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

PNC Foundation

Strengthening and enriching the lives of our neighbors in communities where we live and work.

Vision & Mission

For decades, we have provided resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination are at work enhancing people's lives everyday.

The PNC Foundation's priority is to form partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations in order to enhance educational opportunities, with an emphasis on early childhood education, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives.

Foundation Grant

The PNC Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on those that work to achieve sustainability and touch a diverse population, in particular, those that support early childhood education and/or economic development.

Education

The PNC Foundation supports educational programs for children and youth, particularly early childhood education initiatives that meet the criteria established through PNC Grow Up Great. Specifically, PNC Grow Up Great grants must:

• Support early education initiatives that benefit children from birth to age five; and
• Serve a majority of children (>50%) from low- to moderate-income families; and
• Adhere to all other standard PNC Foundation guidelines, as outlined on the PNC Foundation website, applicant eligibility quiz, as well as the Foundation policies and procedures; and
• Include one or a combination of the following:
  • direct services/programs for children in their classroom or community;
  • professional development/workforce development for early childhood educators;
  • family and/or community engagement in children’s early learning
• Additional considerations:
  • The grant focus should include math, science, reading, vocabulary development, the arts, financial education, or social/emotional development.
  • The grant recipient, or collaborative partner, should have early childhood education as an area of focus. If the organization’s focus is beyond birth to age five, the specific grant must be earmarked for birth to age five.
  • Incorporate opportunities for PNC volunteers in classroom or non-classroom-based activities.

Economic Development

Economic development organizations, including those which enhance the quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, cultural enrichment and human services are given support. Priority is given to community development initiatives that strategically promote the growth of low-and moderate-income communities and/or provide services to these communities.

• Affordable Housing
  • The PNC Foundation understands the critical need for affordable housing for low-and moderate-income individuals.
  • We are committed to providing support to nonprofit organizations that:
    • give counseling and services to help these individuals maintain their housing stock;
    • offer transitional housing units and programs; and/or
    • offer credit counseling assistance to individuals, helping them to prepare for homeownership.
• Community Development
  • Because small businesses are often critical components of community growth and help foster business development, the PNC Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that
    • offer technical assistance to, or loan programs for, small businesses located in low-and moderate-income areas or
    • support small businesses that employ low-and moderate-income individuals.
• Community Services
  • Support is given to social services organizations that benefit the health, education, quality of life or provide essential services for low-and moderate-income individuals and families.
  • The PNC Foundation supports job training programs and organizations that provide essential services for their families.
• Arts & Culture
  • Support is given for cultural enrichment programs benefitting the community.
• Revitalization & Stabilization of Low-and Moderate-Income Areas
  • The PNC Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that serve low-and moderate-income neighborhoods by improving living and working conditions.
  • Support is given to organizations that help stabilize communities, eliminate blight and attract and retain businesses and residents to the community.

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

Helping Build Better Futures

Our mission is to deliver great value to our customers every day. For over four decades, our deep commitment to the principles of providing value and caring for others has helped define our culture. It extends beyond the walls of our stores, distribution centers, and offices, and into our local communities around the world. The intersection of these principles defines our global community mission:

Deliver great value to our communities by helping vulnerable families and children access the resources and opportunities they need to build a better future.

Our Social Impact Areas

We bring our community relations mission to life around the world by focusing our giving on four social impact areas where we believe we can have the most impact and are critical to helping families and children succeed and thrive.

Basic Needs

We are passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations that help fill critical basic needs such as a warm meal, clean clothing, and a safe place to sleep for vulnerable families.

Education & Training

Our efforts have focused on quality enrichment and extracurricular programs that provide skills, resources, and opportunities to support school and career success for children, teens, and young adults.

Patient Care & Research

We support organizations that deliver services to families and children facing health challenges and life-threatening illnesses.

Empowering Women

We support programs that provide services ranging from help for those fleeing domestic violence, to others that offer education, training, and job placement resources.

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Vision

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world.

We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Delaware Division of the Arts 

The Delaware Division of the Arts offers a variety of grants for nonprofit arts organizations chartered and based in Delaware. Below find a list of grants for organizations whose primary mission is the promotion, production, presentation, or teaching of the arts.

Start Up Program Grants

The StartUp Program develops and strengthens the management capacity of emerging arts organizations while providing modest support for operating expenses. The StartUp Program serves as the gateway for emerging arts organizations to enter the Division’s General Operating Support grant program.

Delaware Division of the Arts

The Delaware Division of the Arts offers a variety of grant programs for individual artists; nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations chartered and based in Delaware; and schools and government entities that support arts activities.

Arts Organization Grants

These grants are made to non-profit Delaware organizations whose primary mission is the promotion, production, presentation, or teaching of the arts.

Arts Stabilization Grants

Support for improvements to facilities owned (or under long-term lease) and operated by the organization. ASF grants are funded through the Division’s participation in the Arts Consortium of Delaware, Inc. (ArtCo) endowment. 

The Delaware Division of the Arts has established the following goals, in accordance with the ArtCo bylaws, for Arts Stabilization grants:

• Provide funding for needed maintenance, repairs, or renovations of existing facilities owned and operated by the nonprofit arts organization.
• Provide funding for the repair, upgrade, or replacement of facility-related equipment (i.e., HVAC, electrical, seating, flooring, display, storage, etc).

Goals

The Delaware Division of the Arts has established the following goals, in accordance with the ArtCo bylaws, for Arts Stabilization grants:

• Provide funding for needed maintenance, repairs, or renovations of existing facilities owned and operated by the nonprofit arts organization.
• Provide funding for the repair, upgrade, or replacement of facility-related equipment (i.e., HVAC, electrical, seating, flooring, display, storage, etc).

Evaluation Criteria and Considerations

The following criteria are utilized by citizen panels to evaluate each Arts Stabilization application.

• Need for the Project: Degree of urgency for project completion and the need for Arts Stabilization funding
• Nature of the Project: Extent to which the project addresses physical plant needs, facility improvement, and/or delivery of services with capital equipment (in descending order of priority)
• Financial Information: Extent to which the budget and bids are detailed and realistic, aligned with proposed project, and supported with matched funding from multiple sources.  Application must include at least two comparable and competitive bids
• Facilities Planning: Extent to which the project fits into a broader long-range plan for facilities management and maintenance.

Delaware Division of the Arts 

The Delaware Division of the Arts offers a variety of grant programs for individual artists; nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations chartered and based in Delaware; and schools and government entities that support arts activities.

Education Resource Grant

These grants are intended to assist in the facilitation of partnerships between Delaware’s schools, arts organizations, and artists in providing standards-based arts learning experiences for pre K-12 students statewide. Education Resource projects focus on ways that Delaware arts organizations can serve as resources to Delaware schools before, during, and after the school day.

Projects that have been supported in the past include, but have not been limited to:

• student engagement in the arts during the school day (working with an arts specialist in the classroom for hands-on programs where students are actively participating in arts activities designed to deepen and broaden learning)
• extended-time arts programs in the schools before or after the school day (curriculum- and standards-based arts programs designed to give students additional opportunities to create, produce, and learn through the arts)
• integration of the arts with other content areas and arts disciplines to provide collaborations between the arts and classroom teachers to reach mutual objectives
• development and implementation of standards-based curriculum and/or assessment models/tools.

Delaware Division of the Arts

The Delaware Division of the Arts offers a variety of grant programs for individual artists; nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations chartered and based in Delaware; and schools and government entities that support arts activities.

Arts Organization Grants

These grants are made to non-profit Delaware organizations whose primary mission is the promotion, production, presentation, or teaching of the arts

General Operating Support Grant

Support of annual operating expenses to ensure that year-round participation in the arts is available to the people of Delaware. 

Three-year Application Cycle

The Division uses a staggered, three-year application cycle for General Operating Support (GOS). Organizations seeking GOS must submit a Full Application in the “on year,” and Interim Applications in the “off years.” Grant awards for the second and third years will be determined by applying a funding formula to updated financial information submitted in the “off year” Interim Application.

A multi-year application cycle permits grantees, as well as the Division, to focus more attention on the delivery of programs and services and less on the preparation, processing, and review of grant applications. Organizations approved for GOS demonstrate a history of programming, service to their community, and management of their operations that provides confidence that a similar level of service or activity may be sustained over a three-year period without requiring a full application and review each year.

Delaware Division of the Arts

The Delaware Division of the Arts offers a variety of grant programs for individual artists; nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations chartered and based in Delaware; and schools and government entities that support arts activities.

Education Resource (EDR) Grants

Education Resource grants assist in the facilitation of partnerships between Delaware’s schools, arts organizations, and artists in providing standards-based arts learning experiences for Pre K-12 students statewide. Education Resource projects focus on ways that Delaware arts organizations can serve as resources to Delaware schools before, during, and after the school day.

Projects that have been supported in the past include, but have not been limited to:

• student engagement in the arts during the school day (working with an arts specialist in the classroom for hands-on programs where students are actively participating in arts activities designed to deepen and broaden learning)
• extended-time arts programs in the schools before or after the school day (curriculum- and standards-based arts programs designed to give students additional opportunities to create, produce, and learn through the arts)
• integration of the arts with other content areas and arts disciplines to provide collaborations between the arts and classroom teachers to reach mutual objectives
• development and implementation of standards-based curriculum and/or assessment models/tools

Delaware Division of the Arts

The Delaware Division of the Arts offers a variety of grant programs for individual artists; nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations chartered and based in Delaware; and schools and government entities that support arts activities.

Community Based Programs

Community Based Programs include non-profit Delaware organizations, colleges, universities, and government entities that do not have the arts as their primary mission.

Community Based Project Support Grants

Support for arts programs provided by CBOs that assist in the growth of a vibrant cultural environment by encouraging the continued development of arts activities in communities throughout the state. College and university projects must be non-credit and serve the general community. 

Project Support funding is available for arts projects that accomplish one or more of the following:

• Provide experiences of artistic merit and integrity for the public
• Involve collaborations between artists or arts organizations and community and civic groups, government entities, or social service agencies
• Reach audiences and participants with limited access to the arts or to a particular art form
• Provide lifelong learning opportunities in the arts beyond the school setting
• Offer opportunities for the creation of new works of art
• Support arts programs in new or non-traditional venues
• Provide opportunities for artistic expression of a community’s unique history, culture, or circumstances
• Provide opportunities for conservation, documentation, and appreciation of the artistic traditions of diverse cultures and communities

Background

Mid Atlantic Arts was established to promote and support multi-state arts programming in a region that includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is one of six regional arts organizations in the United States, and works in close partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and its member state and jurisdictional arts agencies. Mid Atlantic Arts distinguishes itself through its work in international cultural exchange, model programs in performing arts touring, its knowledge and presence in the jazz field, and its support of folk and traditional arts.

Mission

Mid Atlantic Arts nurtures and funds the creation and presentation of diverse artistic expression and connects people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond.

Vision

Mid Atlantic Arts envisions a future in which artists and creators are actively engaged with diverse communities to energize the transformative power of the arts.

Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Grant

Mid Atlantic Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects grants fund projects that support the vitality of traditional arts and cultures in the mid-Atlantic region.

Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects grants fund projects that support the vitality of traditional arts and cultures in the mid-Atlantic region. Non-profit organizations in DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, USVI, PR, or WV may apply for $1,000 to $7,000 grants. A 1:1 match is required.

Eligible project activities may include performances, public art collaborations, workshops/trainings, exhibitions, fieldwork/documentation, and creation of new traditional work. Mid Atlantic Arts encourages projects that cross state/territory borders, as well as projects that support or engage underserved or underrepresented artists, practitioners, traditions, or constituents.

Grant support range: $1,000 – $7,000

Delaware Community Foundation

The Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) is a nonprofit organization focused on partnering with donors to build opportunity and advance equity in Delaware.

Our mission is to strengthen Delaware by maximizing community-based philanthropy.

Our vision is a Delaware where generosity expands opportunities for all.

Call for Interest in Multi-Year Collaboration for Thriving Communities in Kent and Sussex Counties

Healthy Communities Delaware (HCD) is pleased to announce this Call for Interest in Multi-Year Collaboration for Thriving Communities in Kent and Sussex Counties. We are currently working with fourteen communities and are looking for new community partnerships. We are seeking partners that are committed to collaboratively strengthening the vital conditions/social determinants of health that all people and communities need to thrive—humane housing, lifelong learning, a thriving natural environment, meaningful work and wealth, basic needs for health and safety, reliable transportation, a sense of belonging and civic muscle. This long-term support and investment are intended to foster new or support existing place-based collaborations in the Delaware communities experiencing the greatest inequities, with the long-term goal that all people and places in Delaware are thriving—no exceptions.

Our guiding principles for this work are: 

• collaborate with communities
• embed equity in everything we do
• mobilize across sectors
• increase prosperity to improve health
• commit over the long term

What is Different About Healthy Communities Delaware and this Call for Interest?

• We collaborate with communities to strengthen the vital conditions/social determinants of health.
• We will support the work that your community decides is most important.
• We are committed to long-term work to enable meaningful community change, not short cycles like typical grants.
  • After the initial 12-month investment period, applicants may consider a longer-term collaboration and will have the opportunity to apply for additional investment for this or other work identified in a new or existing community plan.
• In addition to funding, we provide or connect you with support tailored to your community’s needs (e.g., resources on best practices, evaluation support, storytelling support, professional development support, support accessing funds from other sources, and other community capacity building opportunities and resources).

Focus Areas

Applications must focus on strengthening one or more of the vital conditions/social determinants of health. Preference will be given to applications using best-practice or evidence-based strategies. Increasing equity is a foundational goal of this effort and should be at the core of the proposed work.

• Thriving Natural World
  • Sustainable resources, contact with nature, freedom from hazards
    • Clean air, water, soil; healthy ecosystems able to sustainably provide necessary resources; accessible natural spaces; freedom from extreme heat, flooding, wind, radiation, earthquakes, pathogens
• Basic Needs for Health & Safety
  • Basic requirements for health and safety
    • Nutritious food, safe drinking water; fresh air; sufficient sleep; routine physical activity; safe, satisfying sexuality and reproduction; freedom from trauma, violence, addiction, and crime; routine care for physical and mental health
• Humane Housing
  • Humane, consistent housing
    • Adequate space per person; safe structures; affordable costs; diverse neighborhoods (without gentrification, segregation, concentrated poverty); close to work, school, food, recreation and nature
• Meaningful Work & Wealth
  • Rewarding work, careers, and standards of living
    • Job training/retraining; good-paying and fulfilling jobs; family and community wealth; savings and limited debt
• Lifelong Learning
  • Continuous learning, education, and literacy
    • Continuous development of cognitive, social, emotional abilities; early childhood experiences; elementary, high school, and higher education; career and adult education
• Reliable Transportation
  • Reliable, safe, and accessible transportation
    • Close to work, school, food, leisure; safe transport; active transport; efficient energy use; few environmental hazards
• Belonging & Civic Muscle
  • Sense of belonging and power to shape a common world
    • Social support; civic associations; freedom from stigma, discrimination, oppression; support for civil rights, human rights; civic agency; collective efficacy; vibrant arts, culture, and spiritual life; equitable access to information; many opportunities for civic engagement (voting, volunteer, public work)

Available Funding

Up to a total of $350,000 will be available from the HCD Community Collaborations Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation. All or part of a request may be funded. Funded proposals will be shared with public and private investors with the goal of providing additional resources through co- funding. Because co-funding from other sources is a possible outcome, there is no limit on individual funding requests. Please consider the resources required to carry out your project in an impactful way and align your request with those needs.

Welcoming both those organizations with little to no experience presenting jazz and seasoned jazz presenters seeking to strengthen programming, application occurs annually through an open, competitive process. Once selected, membership is ongoing upon meeting annual requirements.

JTN expands the presentation of jazz throughout the mid-Atlantic region while ensuring regional programming reflects the vibrancy and diversity of the current field of jazz. Members take part in professional development activities and work together to block-book a series of jazz tours each year.

About the Presser Foundation

The Presser Foundation was formally established in 1939 under various deeds of trust of the late Theodore Presser. In the charter of incorporation, The Foundation’s purposes are set forth to promote primarily the cause of musical education and musical philanthropy as follows: to provide scholarships for promising students; to increase the value of music education by erecting suitable buildings; and to administer aid to worthy teachers of music in distress.

While The Foundation’s priorities have evolved over time, it has provided much needed funding to further the cause of music for over 75 years. It has been said that Theodore Presser wanted to give back to music what he had made from it. When he died in 1925, he left no children. He had been widowed twice, and the bulk of his fortune was left to The Foundation.

The small staff and Board of Trustees continue to oversee the work of The Foundation. The Foundation is fortunate to have had a founder who clearly stated the purpose which he desired to achieve. The Board of Trustees includes prominent local and national leaders in music. All Trustees share a passion for music and all are committed to carrying out the intentions of the benefactor.

Special Projects Grants

Introduction & Purpose

The Trustees of The Presser Foundation created the Special Projects Committee to consider grant requests that fall outside the Foundation’s core grantmaking programs. Grant amounts typically range from $5,000 to $25,000 annually for music organizations operating in a broad range of music traditions, genres, and styles. In 2024-25, 9% of The Presser Foundation’s distributed funds ($320,230/$3.73 million) went to Special Project grants. This fiscal year (2025-26), the Special Projects Committee will consider applications for:

• General Operating Support for newly established music organizations (up to 5 years in existence).
• Resilience Grants for small music organizations impacted by government funding or policy changes. These grant requests of up to $7,500 are for organizations with operating budgets under $150,000. Organizations seeking support for the following are encouraged to apply:
  • Artistic and/or organizational development (e.g. workforce programming) projects that have been impacted by government funding cuts;
  • Organizations seeking legal, financial, fundraising, or communications guidance to navigate government funding or policy changes;
  • Efforts to share costs and collaborate* with another nonprofit organization to maintain financial stability for the organization; and
  • Other efforts to maintain your organization’s core mission and/or financial viability in response to the changing arts funding landscape will be considered.
  • *Not intended for one-time creative collaborations.

What is The Next Generation North of the Delaware Community Foundation?

The Next Generation (Next Gen) North is a philanthropic organization that was created and is directed by young professionals living and working in Delaware. Next Gen North works in conjunction with the Delaware Community Foundation, but members have established their own structure to raise funds and support the community. Through the charitable fund they established in 2004, The Next Generation has awarded more than $375,000 in support of initiatives that address underlying social challenges faced by vulnerable Delawareans.

Next Gen North is currently raising money to support programs in New Castle County that utilize the Arts to support and inspire social change and innovation. The merits and execution of each program will determine grant selection. Preference is given to those organizations and programs that provide help to an underserved community

What is the policy of Next Gen North in making grants?

Proposals for competitive grants are considered on the basis of how they enhance the quality of life for Delawareans. Next Gen North is particularly interested in proactive, preventative and future-thinking proposals. Next Gen North's Grants Committee oversees all grant-making, subject to approval of all Next Gen North board members and the DCF Board of Directors. 

What we support. . .

Next Generation North supports programs across New Castle County that utilize the Arts to support and inspire social change and innovation. Fine arts, visual, performing, creative, and folk arts that can be delivered across a broad spectrum of programming (school programs, summer camps, therapeutic arts, and traditional arts organizations like museums and theaters), fall within the scope of our funding area. Programs may be focused on adults, children and/or both. Ultimately, we are looking for arts activities and programs that will have a long-term social impact.

Social impact can most nearly be defined by:

• Issues historically fundamental to humanity;
• Art expressing values, empathy & character;
• Art that builds bridges between cultures and brings people together despite differences;
• Art that inspires through creativity, innovation & beauty.
• Art that encourages problem-solving and a diversity of perspectives

We are interested in initiatives that. . .

• Demonstrate vision, effectiveness, good management and action for positive change.
• Encourage collaboration between agencies and reduce duplication of services.
• Leverage funds from other sources.
• Create a sense of community through neighborhood involvement and outreach.
• Include an evaluation component.