Fundraising, pt. 2
Philanthropy in Delaware is strong especially for programs directed to helping women and children. We highlighted 100 Women Who Care in a previous article. Today we are featuring two additional fundraising groups – The Fund for Women in Delaware and Lunch with a purpose.
The Fund for Women (FFW) launched in 1993 via the efforts of sixteen women philanthropists who were concerned about a lack of support for women and girls in poverty in Delaware.
They gathered a group of women “Founders” and created the Fund for Women at the Delaware Community Foundation. The goal was to attract 1,000 women who would contribute $1,000 each to establish a $1 million endowment, Today, the endowment totals more than $5 million dollars.
“There are about 2,600 Founders (AKA members) throughout Delaware of which 800-900 are in Sussex County”, said Kelly Sheridan, treasurer for The Fund’s Sussex County Development Committee. Her “day job” Grants and Scholarship Director for the Delaware Community Foundation.
“The Fund has a grants committee that reads and scores all applications for money and meets twice a year to decide on the final awards,” she added. “The committee is made up of Founders from all over the state.” Amazingly, the entire operation is handled by volunteers, so all funds are pumped back into the community.
Since 1994, The Fund has awarded 439 grants totaling over $4 million dollars to nonprofits serving women and girls in Delaware. The one-year grants offer organizations an opportunity to obtain seed money for innovative, creative programming or funding to continue or expand programs where effectiveness has been demonstrated. During the 2024 grant cycle, The Fund awarded $243,070.00 to 18 nonprofits including La Esperanza (Sussex County), People’s Place II, Inc (Kent and Sussex Counties) and Read Aloud Delaware. (New Castle and Sussex Counties). This year’s recipients include What is Your Voice; ($15,000-Sussex County) for Breaking the Silence: Confronting Elder Abuse in Sussex County and the YMCA of Delaware; ($15,000-Sussex County)
for: NextGen Girls: Sussex YMCA Workforce Readiness and Mentorship
YMCA of Delaware; $15,000-Sussex County
Like FFW, Lunch with a Purpose (LWAP) relies on volunteers to get things done while keeping costs to a minimum. Helen Phillips of the Sawgrass community is one of them. She knew that LWAP was looking for volunteers and she was looking for community service opportunities, so she volunteered.
“I was going to the lunches and thought this was a fabulous group supporting local charities and bringing people together to learn about what these groups are doing to support Sussex County,” she said. She has been serving on the board for five years.
Cheryl Mitchel founded Lunch with a Purpose 16 years ago. “I saw such a need affecting communities in Sussex County,” she said. “While many of us live comfortably along the coastal areas, many of our neighbors struggle for everyday necessities”.
From September through May, about 200 people gather for lunch, and to support the charity, the Food Bank, and a chance to win prizes. Lunch and raffle ticket proceeds go directly to the charity less the costs of the venue. Mitchel says that the lunches average about $10,000 in revenue from September through May. They typically attract 200-225 people and often sell out. Her mailing list totals 1,500 individuals.
LWAP makes grant applications available in February and March and the group announces in April recipients for the for the next season. Most grant recipients service Sussex County.
“We try to get a wide variety of charitable groups: homeless, foster children, children’s mental health, community action, early learning are examples of the 2024-2025 groups,” said Phillips.
By Mary Jo Tarallo, Resident Journalist
Mary Jo Tarallo spent much of her career in public relations with various non-profits and spent 40 years involved with the ski industry as a journalist, public relations director for a national trade association and as executive director of the Learn to Ski and Snowboard initiative. Prior to her ski industry involvement she worked for the Maryland International Center in Baltimore and United Way of Central Maryland. She won a Gold Award for TV programming for a United Way simulcast that starred Oprah Winfrey. She has been cited for her work by numerous organizations. Mary Jo grew up in Baltimore, attended the University of Maryland and Towson University, lived in Washington, DC for 21 years and has been a full time resident of Rehoboth Beach and Milton since May 2019.
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