About Delaware County Foundation
Delaware County Foundation directs most of its giving to Delaware County, Ohio residents and organizations, with 84% of grants landing in the state of its headquarters. Its recent record shows a community funder that moves across basic needs, education, arts, health, and local civic priorities, while also maintaining scholarship and crisis-response support. The largest recent grant in the file, $206,247 to Delaware City School District, was followed by another school-district grant of $156,159 the prior year, signaling sustained support for education. The foundation also backed local safety-net work with $92,428 to People in Need Inc of Delaware County Ohio and $92,706 to Common Ground Free Store in 2025. Beyond human services, it has funded community anchors such as Delaware County Cultural Arts Centerarts Castle, Sourcepoint, and the Delaware County Historical Society. Its grantmaking includes general support, restricted project support, and semi-annual grants, giving it a pattern that combines flexible operating dollars with targeted awards.
What Delaware County Foundation Funds
Education is one of the clearest throughlines in the foundation’s recent awards. Delaware City School District received $206,247 for general support in 2024, and Ohio Northern University received $45,000 in 2023 tied to a nursing scholarship and operating support for the Metzger Nature Center. The foundation also made a $40,000 general-support grant to Ohio Northern University in 2024. In basic needs, People in Need Inc of Delaware County Ohio received $39,900 in 2023 for eviction prevention and utility assistance, then $92,428 in 2025 for general support. Food access appears in the $92,706 grant to Common Ground Free Store in 2025. The foundation also supports arts and culture, including $74,750 to Delaware County Cultural Arts Centerarts Castle and $50,000 to Strand Theatre & Cultural Arts Association Inc, both in 2025.
How Delaware County Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster around modest five-figure awards: p25 is $7,075, median grant size is $10,000, and p75 is $20,000. The recent grants list also shows some much larger outliers, including several awards above $90,000 and one above $200,000. The pattern is not purely one-time; some recipients appear in multiple years, including Delaware City School District, People in Need Inc of Delaware County Ohio, Orange Township, Ohio Northern University, Turning Point, and Village of Ostrander. The foundation uses general support, restricted project support, semi-annual grants, sponsorships, and scholarship awards. Scholarships are Foundation-managed and applicants apply through the scholarship portal; community grants and several area-of-impact funds accept unsolicited applications, while the crisis fund and some area-of-impact funds do not.
