Arsht-Cannon Fund grants funds to Latino-serving nonprofits

The Arsht-Cannon Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation recently announced $600,000 in grants to Latino-serving nonprofit organizations in Delaware.

With the mission to provide educational opportunities for Delaware’s Latino families, grants were provided in six categories.

“The ACF is proud to support Delaware’s Latino communities with the funding of over 32 program leader and staff positions in 18 Latino-serving nonprofits,” said Dr. Christine Cannon, ACF executive director.

Sussex County and statewide recipients follow.

A language and literacy grant of $30,000 went to Lutheran Church of Our Savior’s English as a Second Language Program, to support expansion and three leadership positions. The innovative program is celebrating 20 years of supporting Sussex County immigrant families. Literacy Delaware was also awarded $30,000 to hire a bilingual learner coordinator to reach, support and retain Spanish-speaking learners throughout Delaware.

For early childhood through college education programs that support developing Latino children and their families, grantees included Read Aloud Delaware’s Bilingual Outreach Program, LENA Start. Read Aloud received $38,000 to support bilingual coordinator position and LENA Start Program costs statewide. Rodel Foundation’s Delaware Readiness Teams received $22,500 for a Hispanic community coordinator position and community event support statewide. Reading Assist’s High Dosage Tutoring Program received funds to explore partnerships with Sussex County schools that have significant Latino populations. Leading Youth Through Empowerment’s College Access for Underserved Youth Program was awarded $40,000 to support employment of a bilingual college access advocate. Delaware Futures: Success, One Student at a Time received $10,000 to hire a bilingual outreach coordinator and support college application and textbook costs, striving to serve students statewide.

Educational advocacy funds in the amount of $40,000 went to Rodel Foundation of Delaware’s English Learner and Funding Systems Community Engagement Project.

For Latino small business development education, $70,000 was awarded to La Plaza Delaware’s Training and Coaching Programs with support for three business and financial coaches/trainers, a business summit and networking events in Sussex County.

For health-related education and coaching, Delaware Art Museum’s Healing Through the Arts, a partnership with Mariposa Arts, received funds for pilot programs statewide. Down Syndrome Association of Delaware’s Outreach to Medical Providers Serving Latino Families in Delaware received $20,000 to support a Spanish outreach coordinator and development of educational materials in Spanish for families statewide. La Esperanza Community Center’s Place-based Opciones/Resource Navigation and Family Coaching 2.0 Program received $50,000 to support two opciones guides, coordinator services and program costs in Sussex County.

Special initiative funds in the amount of $50,000 went to La Esperanza Community Center’s La Colectiva de Delaware, to support the co-executive director’s salary and benefits, communications, affinity group support, meetings and mini-grants in Sussex County. Serviam Media Inc.’s “United We are Dreaming” received $3,000 for editing its award-winning production featuring five Delawareans protected by DACA.