Delaware Community Foundation

Delaware Public Media featured DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay announcing open applications for scholarships at the Delaware Community Foundation for the 2025-2026 school year. Students can apply for 70 scholarships with hundreds of thousands of dollars in assistance. “Delaware Community Foundation itself has been around not quite 40 years, and we've been giving out scholarships essentially since the very beginning," Comstock-Gay said. Listen to the story: https://lnkd.in/eDdeFxgw Read the 2025-2026 scholarship compendium: https://lnkd.in/gjnzfvdQ

As the year comes to a close, you can still make a meaningful impact and take advantage of tax benefits. The DCF will be closed January 1, but gifts can still be made up until midnight on December 31 to qualify for 2024 tax deductions. Need help with giving options? Contact Maribeth Przywara, CAP® at 302.504.5223. Have questions about fund grants? Reach out to Cassie DiSabatino at 302.504.5230.

The DCF scholarship applications are now open for funds awarded in the 2025-2026 academic year. Available scholarships include:   🔵 Ken Cicerale Memorial Music Scholarship – For a Delaware high school senior pursuing a music major at a 4-year institution.   🔵 Keisha M. Michael Memorial Scholarship – For an African-American graduating senior residing in New Castle County enrolling in a Historically Black College or University.   🔵 John A. & Louise V. Maslin Scholarship – For graduating seniors in the Brandywine School District planning to study art, mathematics, or science at an accredited institution.   The online general application must be completed and submitted by March 15, 2025. Visit the scholarship compendium to learn more about the scholarships rising and current students qualify for and start the application today.   Scholarship compendium: https://lnkd.in/gjnzfvdQ Scholarship portal: https://lnkd.in/eGW9ha8h

Congratulations to DCF Board Member Mariah Calagione! We are grateful for your very giving heart and thrilled you have been honored this way!

As the year comes to a close, you can still make a meaningful impact and take advantage of tax benefits. Don’t worry about office closures—DCF will be closed December 24-25 and January 1—but gifts can still be made up until midnight on December 31 to qualify for 2024 tax deductions.   Need help with giving options? Contact Maribeth Przywara, CAP® at 302.504.5223. Have questions about fund grants? Reach out to Cassie DiSabatino at 302.504.5230.

Our December 2024 newsletter is available to read online. This past month, MERIT (Minority Engineering Regional Incentive Training) marked its 50-year anniversary of impacting youth in Sussex County, the DCF joined 42 community foundations in a “Make More Possible" national branding campaign, DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay was named a Delaware 222 Honoree for 2025 from Delaware Business Times, DCF VP for Philanthropy & Southern Delaware Mike DiPaolo penned an op-ed for the Cape Gazette and scholarship applications opened at the DCF for the 2025-2026 school year. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eKNbHx9P]

We are now accepting scholarship applications for the 2025-26 academic year. "From now until March 15, 2025, both rising and active college students can apply for 70 different scholarships. Arts, pre-med, engineering, economics – these awards range in fields, as well as academic achievement, backgrounds and more, the foundation said in a press release. Last year alone, it allotted over $650,000 to 191 students, with scholarships ranging from $500 to $23,000." Read more from Kelly Powers in The News Journal Media Group: https://lnkd.in/eKrTV8K4

This weekend, on December 15, the DCF will open applications for 70 scholarships to be awarded for the 2025-2026 school year. Scholarships are available for rising and current college students, including those who demonstrate financial need, maintain a record of academic excellence and students from certain racial or ethnic backgrounds. There are also scholarships available for students pursuing academic fields such as arts, pre-med or economics. Students are often eligible for multiple awards and encouraged to apply using the general application. Applications close March 15, 2025. https://lnkd.in/e4ibJV6D Apply on our portal: https://lnkd.in/eGW9ha8h

This week, Governor John Carney presented the Order of the First State - an honor bestowed for meritorious service – to CSC President & CEO Rod Ward, a longtime DCF fund holder and volunteer. We are thrilled to see his contributions to our state recognized at the highest level. Congratulations, Rod!

Every year, the Delaware Community Foundation awards more than $500,000 in scholarships to students across the First State - nearly 200 in 2024. Next week, on December 15, we open applications through our online portal. There is no limit to the number of scholarships students can apply for and win, though we recommend they start working on applications well before the deadline, as many scholarships require letters of recommendation. https://lnkd.in/ebFSBpms   Our generous donors offer students financial support to pursue academic concentrations such as pre-med, the arts, and economics. View the 2025-2026 Scholarship Compendium to discover all available scholarships. https://lnkd.in/gjnzfvdQ