Nemours Community Investments Improve Health Well Beyond Medicine
WILMINGTON, Del. – August 27, 2025 – Healthy Communities Delaware (HCD), an initiative of the Delaware Community Foundation, University of Delaware Partnership for Healthy Communities and the Delaware Division of Public Health, today announced that in collaboration with funding partner Nemours, it is investing over $1.6 million in nine of Delaware’s most underserved neighborhoods.
Funding supports community-driven priorities that strengthen the Vital Conditions — the essential factors that shape communal well-being from birth through adulthood — through a collaborative, place-based approach aimed at achieving collective impact. Vital Conditions include reliable transportation, lifelong learning, thriving natural world, basic need for health and safety, humane housing, belonging and civic muscle, and meaningful work and wealth.
“We believe that sustained, strategic funding around the Vital Conditions can help build a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive,” said HCD Executive Director Kate Dupont Phillips. “This investment directly empowers resident-led solutions organized by nine communities laying the foundation for lasting, generational change in Delaware.”
As a member of a broader investment network, HCD advances shared goals — such as Nemours’ commitment to addressing the social, economic, behavioral and environmental factors that affect children every day.
“By forging strategic partnerships, we enable impactful and sustainable transformations in community health, aligning with the evolving and dynamic needs of our local communities. Through collaboration and collective funding, HCD enhances our efforts to tackle the intricate conditions influencing children’s lives and empowering future generations to reach their full potential, creating the healthiest generations of children,” said Yvette Santiago, Nemours Regional Director for Community Engagement and Impact in the Delaware Valley.
These investments support projects such as community revitalization plans, economic development initiatives, and the creation of neighborhood resource hubs.
The nine HCD grantee communities for summer 2025 divided into three counties are:
New Castle County
- Eastside and Northeast Neighborhoods of Wilmington via the Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County – $87,791 for a full-time project manager to lead Eastside Thrive’s Roundtable and coordinate the Eastside Neighborhood Revitalization Plan; $88,825 to complete 10 critical repairs for low-income homeowners in Eastside Wilmington; $124,489.50 for 15 critical repairs for low-income homeowners in Northeast Wilmington
- West Side Neighborhood of Wilmington via the Cornerstone West Community Development Corporation – $218,518.40 to work the updated West Side Revitalization Plan and strengthen internal capacity
- Northeast Neighborhood of Wilmington via the Jefferson Street Center – $166,586 to facilitate resident-led planning efforts to create an updated 10-year community partnership plan and the implementation of a cross-corridor strategy to support the Vital Conditions and economic development on North Market Street
- West Side Neighborhood of Wilmington via the Be Ready Community Development Corporation – $158,630 for rebuilding the physical and social infrastructure of Wilmington’s Hilltop neighborhood through resident-led implementation of West Side Plan recommendations
- Southbridge Neighborhood of Wilmington via the Southbridge Community Development Corporation – $195,500 for beautification efforts, including vacant lot revitalization and planter installation, as part of the Southbridge Neighborhood Action plan
- West Center City Neighborhood of Wilmington via the Willington Alliance – $151,000 for community-driven initiatives, such as the creation of a Youth Resource Hub and a new community revitalization plan in West Center City Wilmington
Kent County
- Dover via the Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity– $147,743 to complete five critical exterior home repairs for low-income homeowners in Central Dover and to advance community beautification and revitalization through Rock the Block events
Sussex County
- Laurel via End Community Violence Now – $93,000 to support Operation West Laurel in leading a resident-driven safety and placemaking initiative to transform neglected public spaces
- Milford via the Milford Housing and Development Corporation – $212,750 to revitalize Milford’s Mispillion Riverwalk by creating healthy homes, safe streets, and thriving natural habitats
In addition to new grantees, HCD continues to support NeighborGood Partners, Northeast Community Development Corporation, Rt. 9 Community Development Corporation, the Springboard Collaborative and Central Baptist CDC from its 2024 grant cycle to help facilitate their long-term transformational work.
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 15 communities and 21 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: www.HealthyCommunitiesDE.org.
Source: Healthy Communities Delaware
