Healthy Communities Delaware and Partners Invest $1.4 Million in 17 Organizations Serving 13 Communities

DHSS, Nemours, and the Delaware Community Foundation Support Priorities that Strengthen the “Vital Conditions”

Healthy Communities Delaware (HCD), an initiative of the Delaware Community Foundation, the University of Delaware Partnership for Healthy Communities, and the Delaware Division of Public Health, today announced that, in partnership with funding organizations Nemours and the Delaware Community Foundation, it is investing $1,491,163 in 17 organizations serving 13 of Delaware’s most underserved neighborhoods. 

"These investments help to build thriving communities through a collaborative, place-based, and community-driven approach,” said Kate Dupont Phillips, Executive Director of Healthy Communities Delaware. “We support our community-based partners to improve the Vital Conditions that all people need to thrive and reach their full potential – reliable transportation, lifelong learning, a thriving natural world, basic needs for health and safety, humane housing, belonging and civic muscle, and meaningful work and wealth.”

As a member of a broader investment network, HCD advances shared goals around improving the Vital Conditions that are helpful across sectors.

“Many of the foundations of health are built outside of the healthcare system – in communities,” said Yvette Santiago, Nemours Regional Director for Community Engagement and Impact in the Delaware Valley. “Through strategic investments with HCD, we are improving the social and environmental factors that influence health and creating opportunities for every child to thrive. We appreciate the partnerships with community-based organizations whose work helps us to achieve our goal of Whole Child Health.”

The Milford Housing Development Corporation received $150,000 for the Kent County Resilient and Healthy Homes Coalition in this round.

“We appreciate the opportunity for collaborative investment that Healthy Communities Delaware offers," said David Moore, President/CEO Milford Housing Development Corporation. "At Milford Housing, we build housing that are not only affordable, but energy-efficient and healthy. Energy efficiency is very important to our partnered clients and to the environment. This is a great example of aligning investments to reach goals that matter for all of us."

These collaborative investments support projects such as community home repair, economic development initiatives, and housing for seniors.

The 17 HCD grantees for 2026 by county are:

New Castle County

• Wilmington Alliance – for leading collaborative implementation of the West Center City Neighborhood Plan, focused on improving public safety

• REACH Riverside Development Corporation – for creating a mixed-use, community-serving development that links Imani Village to the Northeast Blvd commercial corridor

• Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County – for critical home repairs for low-income community members

• Northeast Community Development Corporation – for N. Market Street (Wilmington) revitalization including facade improvements

• Be Ready CDC – for completion of two affordable housing projects

• Cornerstone West CDC – for leading collaborative implementation of the West Side Neighborhood Plan, and improving parks and walkability

• Southbridge Community Development Corporation – to further affordable housing and home repair projects, and lead collaborative implementation of the Southbridge Neighborhood Action Plan

• Mayor and Council of the City of New Castle – for the Delaware River Trail

• Claymont Renaissance Development Corporation (CRDC) – for creating a comprehensive plan integrating community priorities

  
  

Kent County

• Green Beret Project – for a community-based automotive workforce development hub in Dover

• Milford Housing Development Corp. – for the Kent County Resilient and Healthy Homes Coalition

• NeighborGood Partners, Inc. – for advancing affordable housing and green space goals of the Restoring Central Dover Phase III community plan

• HDC MidAtlantic – for development of an affordable apartment housing complex in Smyrna

  
  

Sussex County

• Little Living – for development of a cottage community in Georgetown that will increase affordable workforce housing

• Town of Millsboro – for the development of a park in Millsboro

• Roofs from the Heart – for housing rehabilitation in Laurel

• End Community Violence Now – for a resident-led safety and placemaking initiative in Laurel

  
  

About Healthy Communities Delaware

Healthy Communities Delaware (HCD) is a network of community and investment partners working to improve health, well-being and equity across the state. HCD is managed as a collaboration between the Delaware Community Foundation, University of Delaware Partnership for Healthy Communities and the Delaware Division of Public Health. A public/private partnership, we connect investors who want to make a difference with a network of communities, community-based organizations, and coalition partners. Our collective goal: improve the Vital Conditions for Health & Wellbeing so that all people and places in Delaware have the opportunity to thrive – no exceptions. Learn more at www.HealthyCommunitiesDE.org.