Welfare Foundation Grant

The Welfare Foundation Grant focuses on supporting nonprofits in Delaware and southern Chester County, emphasizing capital grants. With an annual budget of around $5 million, the Foundation has contributed approximately $130 million over 25 years. Eligible organizations must hold 501(c)(3) status and comply with non-discrimination policies. The Foundation prioritizes sectors such as social services, housing, health, education, environment, civic engagement, and the arts, while excluding annual support and political activities.

Note: As of 2025: A meeting is required with our staff prior to submitting your application. You will not be able to access the application portal without the code that we will provide to you during our meeting. Due to the extremely high-volume of meeting requests that we receive, we cannot guarantee that requests within one week of the application deadline will be honored.
Focus Areas
Grantmaking is the primary strategy used by Welfare Foundation in its philanthropic work. Depending on the performance of its investments, the Foundation will typically award approximately $5 million in grants each year and has made grants to nonprofits totaling approximately $130 million in the past 25 years.
The primary focus area for the Foundation is the State of Delaware, although some grants are made to organizations in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. Regarding the latter, Welfare has adopted the United Way of Southern Chester County's map, which specifically identifies the included townships and zip codes that are eligible to apply.
Traditionally, the Welfare Foundation has primarily focused on capital grants (but not endowments) in the following seven nonprofit sub-sectors:

• Social Services
• HousingHealth/HospitalsEducationEnvironmentCivicArts/Humanities

Eligibility

Please note that the Foundation's geographic area is the State of Delaware and southern Chester County as defined by the United Way of Southern Chester County. In addition, its primary focus is on capital grants.In addition to being in our geographic focus area, as defined above, the following list details the other criteria for our charitable contributions (all must be met prior to submitting request):Organization must be 501(c)(3) status
Organization must not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, national origin, disability, handicap, age, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, martial status, veteran status or any other basis prohibited by law

Ineligibility

Also, the Welfare Foundation does not provide annual support. As such, if you have previously received funding from us, we kindly ask that you wait a minimum of three (3) years before submitting another requestFunds must not benefit:Political candidates, causes, organizations, or campaigns
Churches, synagogues, and temples
Fundraising activities, such as galas, benefits, dinners, and sporting events
Goodwill advertising, souvenir journals, or event programs
Individual needs, including scholarships, sponsorships, and other forms of financial aid