Longwood Foundation offers $500,000 challenge grant for COVID-19 fund
The Longwood Foundation is offering a new $500,000 challenge grant to the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund, giving donors the opportunity to double the impact of their gift now through Aug. 31.
The fund was launched on March 18 to address the state’s emerging and evolving needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the second $500,000 challenge grant from the Longwood Foundation, bringing its total commitment to the COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to $2 million in the past eight weeks. The fund, managed by the Delaware Community Foundation in partnership with Philanthropy Delaware, was established on March 18 to respond to the state’s evolving and emerging needs arising from the pandemic.
To date, the grants have fed, housed, and provided healthcare for tens of thousands of Delawareans, in addition to providing critical funding for organizations supporting pets, the arts, education, libraries and other areas.
Longwood offered this second challenge grant because of the success of the fundraising effort and the powerful impact the fund has made so far throughout the state, said Longwood President There du Pont.
“Alongside the United Way, the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund is helping to address immediate needs for many Delawareans,” du Pont said. “We are very pleased with the work so far and the DCF’s ability to match our prior grant so quickly. The needs remain great and therefore we’re encouraging further investment in the effort.”
The fund has so far awarded $2.3 million to 94 nonprofit organizations providing services to people throughout the state. Based on the nature of the applications, these early grants focused largely on immediate community needs like housing, food assistance, and healthcare.
The intent of the Longwood Foundation’s challenge grant is to help fund additional grants in July and subsequent months for as long as community needs exist related to COVID-19. Details about future grant opportunities will be available soon.
The fund includes from the Longwood Foundation ($1.5 million), New Castle County ($500,000), Welfare Foundation ($200,000), CSC ($100,000), Crestlea Foundation ($100,000), Fund for Women ($100,000), Highmark ($100,000), Laffey-McHugh ($100,000), Discover ($75,000), DCF ($75,000), DuPont ($75,000), M&T ($50,000), JPMorgan Chase ($30,000), Bank of America ($25,000), TD Bank ($25,000), WSFS Bank ($25,000) and others. The DCF also has waived all administrative fees for this fund so that 100 percent of the funds are going to organizations helping people in need.
The Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund is part of the Delaware COVID-19 Emergency Response Initiative, a nonprofit collaborative response to the coronavirus pandemic. The DCF, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, Philanthropy Delaware and United Way of Delaware are partnering to coordinate charitable resources to maximize impact statewide during this crisis.
June grants will target nonprofit organizations – both large and small – playing key roles in various sectors throughout the state. Deadlines are June 1 and June 15, and nonprofits can apply at delcf.org/covid-grants.
To make a gift that qualifies for the match or for more information, visit delcf.org/covid19-fund or call 302.504.5226.
JPMorgan Chase makes $300,000 tech donation to Delaware Tech
JPMorgan Chase has committed $300,000 to Delaware Tech to support students, staff, and
faculty during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The emergency funds will assist Delaware Tech students who are now learning in an online environment stay enrolled.
While Delaware Tech has quickly and successfully shifted its coursework online in the wake of stay-at-home orders, some challenges have arisen including access to technology for students.
Research from the JPMorgan Chase Institute found that 65 percent of families don’t have the cash buffer to weather a simultaneous income dip and spike in expenditure like the one resulting from the COVID-19 crisis.
Through this new commitment, Delaware Tech will make laptops and Chromebooks available to students in need who are enrolled in credit and short-term certificate programs, allowing them to successfully complete online work.
JPMorgan Chase’s support will also allow for 38 Delaware Tech faculty members to attend a
two-week “virtual boot camp” professional development session with the College’s Center for Creative Instruction and Technology to learn how to develop online master courses.
To help students gain employment during challenging times, the grant will include a virtual
career fair for Delaware Tech students and alumni, with emphasis on the healthcare and
education fields.
JPMorgan Chase’s support for Delaware Tech is part of the firm’s $200 million global business and philanthropic commitment to address the humanitarian and economic impact of COVID-19 on underserved, hard-hit communities, including people of color and low-income households across the U.S.
“JPMorgan Chase has a long-history in Delaware and a standing commitment to supporting our employees, customers and communities across the state,” said Tom Horne, Delaware market leader for JPMorgan Chase. “Investing in our youth and ensuring that students can continue to benefit from high-quality education is key to helping make sure the COVID-19 crisis doesn’t widen the economic opportunity gap for the most vulnerable Delawareans.”
For information on all of Delaware Tech’s programs and training.
Beebe plays it forward after Mountaire donation
Mountaire Farms spent two days on Beebe Healthcare’s campuses last week to provide nearly 30,000 pounds of free chicken to all of the health care system’s team.
In response to the support from the community, as well as the generosity of Mountaire, Beebe Healthcare team members asked for the opportunity to ‘pay it forward” and donate their gift to others less fortunate.
As a result 9,400 pounds of chicken will be donated to 14 food pantries supporting community members.
“This was truly an opportunity for Beebe and Mountaire to say thank you,” said David A. Tam, MD, CEO of Beebe Healthcare. “Not only did Mountaire provide chicken to our hard-working team members and their families on the front lines right before Memorial Day weekend, but Beebe team members came up with the idea to have the ability to donate their portion to those in need. This is another extraordinary example of our team living the Beebe Values and how we are made up of families caring for families, and neighbors caring for neighbors.”
Beebe and Mountaire representatives worked together after 8 p.m. Friday to sort out the donations with these 14 food pantries.
“The commitment of all those involved shows how close-knit this community is when we know there are people in need of food and healthcare services – we always come together in our efforts to provide the services needed for our community,” Blanch said. “Between the Crush Corona Challenge campaign and the nearly $2 million in donations to the Beebe COVID-19 Relief Fund, it was so wonderful: all the smiles, thumbs up and expressions of gratitude from everyone, team members, and food pantries alike.”
Mountaire also recently donated personal protective equipment to Beebe during the pandemic, and Beebe is testing all Mountaire employees this month for the virus. Additional testing is being scheduled at more facilities.
“Beebe has been a great partner and we’re grateful for all their doing to help fight this virus,” said Phillip Plylar, President of Mountaire Farms. “To date, we’ve donated hundreds of thousands of pounds of chicken to those in our community who need it the most, and for our healthcare workers who are doing so much to help.”
