WILMINGTON – The Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) awarded $570,000 in grants to 25 nonprofits through its Arsht-Cannon Fund (ACF), which marks 20 years of supporting opportunities for Hispanic communities in Delaware.
“For two decades the Arsht-Cannon Fund has supported families who have chosen Delaware as their home through granting to Hispanic-serving nonprofits,” DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay said. “From literacy and education efforts to small business development, we’re proud to support local leaders working to build a community where all of us thrive.”
Since 2004, the ACF has awarded over $12 million to 150 organizations, focusing on areas such as language learning, youth and arts programs, leadership development, Hispanic small business support, health education, and special initiatives.
“I have seen the dramatic, life-changing effects of educational opportunities provided to the growing Hispanic community by many dedicated nonprofits statewide,” Dr. Christine Cannon, the ACF’s retiring executive director, said.
La Esperanza, which builds empowerment among Hispanic and immigrant families in southern Delaware, is a long-time ACF grant recipient and received $30,000 from the Arsht-Cannon Fund this round.
“We are deeply grateful to the Arsht-Cannon Fund,” Bryant Garcia, executive director of La Esperanza, said. “For many nonprofits, securing support for immigrant communities is a challenge. We appreciate the ACF’s commitment to Hispanic-serving nonprofits and their communities.”
The Arsht-Cannon Fund was endowed by the Honorable Roxana Cannon Arsht, appointed as Delaware’s first female judge, and her husband, S. Samuel Arsht, a prominent corporate attorney and founding partner of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell. Their mission for the ACF was to preserve, support, and defend the best interests of a civil society. Adrienne Arsht, their daughter, helped shape the Arsht-Cannon Fund’s early focus on serving Hispanic communities in Delaware through educational opportunities.
The 25 ACF grantees for 2025 divided into six impact areas:
Language Learning and Family Literacy
Developmental, Academic and Arts Programming, Infancy to Adulthood
Advocacy and Leadership Development
- Network Delaware – $20,000 for the Luisa Capetillo Hispanic Community Leadership Program statewide
- Nuestras Raíces – $12,500 for the Emerging Leadership Development Program (ELDP) in New Castle County
- Rodel Foundation of Delaware – $20,000 for support for MLL advocacy, engagement and materials statewide
Latino Small Business Development/Economic Development Programs
Health-related Education, Coaching, and Support
Special Initiatives
- La Esperanza – $40,000 for La Colectiva de Delaware (LCD) Initiative statewide
