Crestlea Foundation Grant

The Crestlea Foundation makes grants to 501(c)(3) organizations for capital, program or operating expenses. The average grant is $15,000.

Crestlea prioritises organisations serving children, and organisations applying for their highest unfunded need or to fill a small gap that other funders have left open. Geographic priority runs in this order: (1) New Castle County, Delaware; (2) Pennsylvania organisations within a five-mile radius of Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square and Chadds Ford; (3) Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware. Crestlea is not currently accepting applications from new organisations in Kent and Sussex Counties it has not previously communicated with.

Applicants must hold a current 501(c)(3) determination and be in good standing with the IRS, and must have already applied to other local foundations. Crestlea does not fund large organisations with steady funding streams, large capital projects, early-stage or incubator work, political activity, advocacy or lobbying, churches, synagogues and temples, fundraising events, goodwill advertising, individual needs including scholarships and financial aid, pass-through grants, investment funds, travel, or publications.

Previous grantees must skip a cycle before reapplying, and are capped at two consecutive grants before waiting two full cycles. Priority goes to organisations that have waited longer than the minimum. Declined organisations may reapply in the next cycle.

Email info@crestlea.org to schedule a Zoom or in-person meeting. If the project is a fit, Crestlea provides an access code — the online application cannot be opened without it. Requests for meetings made within 10 days of the deadline may not be honoured, so plan ahead.

Crestlea runs one funding cycle a year. Applications are due by January 15th at midnight, trustees decide by mid-April, applicants are notified within about two weeks of the trustee meeting (usually by the end of April), and awarded organisations receive a cheque shortly afterwards. Applications must be submitted through the online application system.