Welfare Foundation Grant Cycle is sponsored by Longwood Gardens Inc.. The Welfare Foundation provides funding primarily for capital projects (approximately 90% of grant dollars), though it also considers requests for program support and capacity building. The foundation supports nonprofit organizations working in the sub-sectors of social services, housing, health/hospitals, education, environment, civic, and arts/humanities.

Geographic focus: Delaware and southern Chester County, Pennsylvania

Focus areas: Social Services, Housing, Health, Education, Environment, Civic, Arts

Welfare Foundation / Applying for a Grant The Welfare Foundation has two application cycles each year - one in the Spring and one in the Fall - with the following deadline dates: Spring Cycle - April 15th Fall Cycle - October 15th Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm EST on the application deadline dates shown above or else they will not be considered for funding.

​ The Trustees meet in early June to review the Spring grant applications and then in early December to review the Fall grant applications. Applicants will typically be notified whether or not they were awarded a grant within two weeks of the Trustee meeting, and those awarded funding will receive a check shortly thereafter.

Grant applications must be submitted via the organization's online application system, which can be found by clicking the blue "Apply for a Grant" button to the right. NEW as of 2025 : A meeting is required with our staff prior to submitting your application. You will not be able to access the application portal without the code that we will provide to you during our meeting.

Due to the extremely high-volume of meeting requests that we receive, we cannot guarantee that requests within one week of the application deadline will be honored. Please plan ahead! ​ The Foundation's primary focus on the State of Delaware, although we do occasionally fund organizations serving southern Chester County as defined by the United Way of Southern Chester County.

In addition, in step with our organizational charter, the majority of our funding goes toward capital projects (approximately 90% of our dollars in any given cycle), although we do consider program and capacity-building requests. Finally, the Welfare Foundation does not provide routine funding. If you have previously received funding from us, you must wait a minimum of three (3) years before submitting another request.

If you have an "emergency need" and it has been less than three years, please contact us to set up a meeting, so we can better understand your situation. The following items are required for your online application: An overview of your organization, including the date you were founded, your mission statement, the services you provide, and the demographics you serve.

Details regarding the organization's financial health and stability, including your annual budget, your prior year's income & expenses and assets & liabilities, and sources of funding (donated and self-generated). The budget specific to the project for which you are requesting funding and a list of other funders you've secured (or are requesting) funding from for the project.

A list of your Board of Directors and Advisory Committees A copy of your organization’s 501(c)(3) tax determination letter from the IRS. An independent audit (or review) from a CPA firm. NEW as of 2025 : A meeting is required prior to submitting your application.

You will not be able to access the application without the code that we will provide to you during our meeting. Due to the extremely high-volume of meeting requests we receive, we cannot guarantee that requests within one week of the application deadline will be honored. Please plan ahead!

If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to co ntact Kristin Sommers at 302-250-4966 any time Monday through Friday between 9am and 5pm EST or send an email to info@welfarefoundationde. org