Delaware Humanities Council
Delaware Humanities Council, based in Claymont, Delaware, is a public charity that provides educational and cultural opportunities through programming and grants for nonprofits. It serves people and communities in all three Delaware counties and is Delaware’s independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Delaware Humanities Council at a glance
In short: Delaware Humanities Council reported $17K in grants paid in 2025 (a total; its filing lists no individual grants). 64% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Grants paid (2025)
- $17,247 — reported as a total on the IRS filing, without an itemized list
- -89.2% vs 2024
- Total assets
- $1,340,909
- +6.4% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $934,244
- -0.6% vs 2024
- Net investment income (2025)
- $26,712
- +11.0% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $782,964
- -23.6% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Delaware Humanities Council
- How to Apply
-
The Action/Innovation process begins with an LOI; organizations invited to proceed submit a full application and required materials. The council encourages applicants to contact its Grant Officer early in the application process.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3301 Green Street Suite 203, Claymont, DE 19703
Phone: (302) 657-0650
Website: https://dehumanities.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Delaware Humanities Council funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
73 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 70 grants of 73 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The council provides opportunities to people and communities in all three Delaware counties. Its reported 2024 grants were all awarded to Delaware recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Is Delaware Humanities Council open to new grantees?
64%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 7 of 11 grantees (64%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $18K. How we count
Medians: $12K first-time, $18K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $17K (2025) to $645K (2022). In 2025 it reported $17K in grants paid, as a total without an itemized list.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| History Book Festival Lewes, DE | Program Support | $18,000 |
| Local Journalism Initiative of Delaware Wilmington, DE | Program Support | $18,000 |
| Eleutherian Mills-Hagley Foundation Wilmington, DE | Program Support | $18,000 |
| Plastic Free Delaware Wilmington, DE | Program Support | $18,000 |
| Berkana Center for Media and Education Inc Wilmington, DE | Program Support | $18,000 |
| Delaware Public Archives Dover, DE | Program Support | $18,000 |
| Network Delaware Wilmington, DE | Program Support | $16,200 |
| Neighborhood House Inc Wilmington, DE | Program Support | $12,000 |
| Department of Human Resources Dover, DE | Program Support | $10,000 |
| Southern Delaware Alliance For Racial Justice Lewes, DE | Program Support | $9,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,340,909 | $934,244 | $782,964 | $17,247 | Total only | $26,712 |
| 2024 | $1,260,575 | $939,663 | $1,024,272 | $160,300 | 11 | $24,065 |
| 2023 | $1,254,892 | $1,041,316 | $1,061,255 | $199,475 | 12 | $18,161 |
| 2022 | $1,224,490 | $911,668 | $1,423,647 | $645,124 | 31 | $47,507 |
| 2021 | $1,987,019 | $1,484,720 | $921,245 | $321,418 | 19 | $56,467 |
| 2020 | $1,113,132 | $1,005,761 | $981,374 | $444,221 | 34 | $5,589 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s mission is to strengthen communities by connecting Delawareans through shared human experiences. It supports humanities projects through Opportunity and Action/Innovation grants, and offers low- or no-cost lectures and discussions through its Speakers/Visiting Scholars programming. Its other stated activities include special-initiative events and a family reading and discussion program administered with public libraries and other eligible nonprofits serving populations with low literacy levels.
Eligible applicants listed by the organization include nonprofits; K–12 schools, colleges, and universities; museums; libraries; historical preservation groups; state and local government agencies; professional or social organizations; social service organizations; community or religious groups; noncommercial media firms; and ad hoc groups.
Examples of grantees include Eleutherian Mills-Hagley Foundation, whose stated mission is to inspire innovation through exploration of historical collections, the original DuPont powder yard, and online resources; Network Delaware, whose mission is to activate change agents; and Neighborhood House, which describes programs in early learning, youth services, crisis alleviation, housing counseling, and community development.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the council reported 11 grants totaling $160,300. The grants ranged from $5,100 to $18,000, with a median of $18,000. Its website says grants range from a few hundred dollars to $18,000 and average $5,500.
All 11 reported 2024 grants went to recipients in Delaware. Recipients included History Book Festival ($18,000), Local Journalism Initiative of Delaware ($18,000), Eleutherian Mills-Hagley Foundation ($18,000), Plastic Free Delaware ($18,000), Berkana Center for Media and Education ($18,000), Delaware Public Archives ($18,000), Network Delaware ($16,200), and Neighborhood House ($12,000). The listed purposes were program support.
For Action/Innovation grants, the published requirements include submitting a letter of inquiry (LOI); an organization may or may not be invited to submit a full application. Nonprofit applicants must have current tax-exempt status and be in good standing, provide their most recent Form 990, and have a Unique Entity ID. The published Action/Innovation grant description sets a maximum award of $18,000 and requires a 1:1 cost-share match. Applications are assessed for financial and organizational stability before external committee review and final board approval.
The council says it cannot fund projects focused on personal rather than public concerns; events not open to the public; existing organizations’ operating expenses; construction, restoration, equipment, property, or capital purchases; certain acquisitions not directly tied to humanities programming; lobbying or direct social action; one-sided treatments of issues; fundraising for for-profit or commercial purposes; alcoholic beverages or entertainment costs; or candidates for public office. It identifies insufficient humanities content as the most common reason for rejection and advises applicants to establish the humanities role clearly and use humanities experts as project speakers or leaders.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Michele Anstine as Executive Director; Adenike Davidson as Chair; Amy Ferrer as Vice-Chair; Sara Jatcko as Secretary; and Jim Purcell as Treasurer. Listed board members are Ruthi Adams Joseph, Clay Athey, Kimeu Boynton, Harry Blake, and Stephanie Brown.
Delaware Humanities Council is led by Michele Anstine, Executive Director since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 19 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michele Anstine
Executive Director
Executive Di → Executive Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$86K (2020) → $97K (2025)
Adenike Davidson
Chair
Board Member → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → Chair, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alana Dionne King
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Trembanis
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stan Divorski
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Devon Filicicchia
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gregory Campbell
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Harry Brake
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heidi Nasstrom Evans
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jianguo Chen
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kimeu Boynton
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Abigail Fischer
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Clay Athey
Vice Chair
Board Member → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mike Jackson
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sara Jatkco
Secretary
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jessica Redmond
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jim Purcell
Treasurer
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julia Dominguez
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tim Slavin
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (27)
- Former: Amy Ferrer (2020–2024) — Vice Chair
- Former: Donna Henderson (2020–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Dennis Coker (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Ilona Holland (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Iva Hairston (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Ruthi Adams Joseph (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Tom Powers (2023–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Shane Cannon (2024) — Board Member
- Former: Stephanie Brown (2024) — Board Member
- Former: Akash Dania (2022–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Lucas Clawson (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Mark Murowany (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Peter Zoll (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Justin Richards (2022) — Board Member
- Former: Sara Jatcko (2022) — Board Member
- Former: Tom Williams (2022) — Chair
- Former: Andrew Marshall III (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Brandon Harper (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: David Teague (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: George Tzanis (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Jennifer Epler (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Joan Hoge-North (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Matthew Kinservik (2020–2021) — Chairman
- Former: Richard Claypoole (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Robert McKennett (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Rony Baltazar-Lopez (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Thomas William (2020–2021) — Vice Chairman
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $97K, to Michele Anstine (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Delaware Humanities Council
How much does Delaware Humanities Council give each year?
Delaware Humanities Council reported $17K in grants paid in 2025 on its 2025 IRS Form 990, as a total without an itemized list of grants. In 2024 it gave $160K across 11 grants.
How large is Delaware Humanities Council?
Delaware Humanities Council reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $934K.
What does Delaware Humanities Council fund?
The organization’s mission is to strengthen communities by connecting Delawareans through shared human experiences. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Delaware Humanities Council?
The Action/Innovation process begins with an LOI; organizations invited to proceed submit a full application and required materials. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does Delaware Humanities Council make grants?
The council provides opportunities to people and communities in all three Delaware counties. Its reported 2024 grants were all awarded to Delaware recipients.
What is Delaware Humanities Council's EIN?
Delaware Humanities Council's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 51-0212681. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 10, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 31, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 11, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Total Given
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Figures come from Delaware Humanities Council's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Delaware Humanities Council down — hundreds of funders to go?