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Funding by state · DE

Grantmaking in Delaware

2,519 grantmakers are based in Delaware. Together they granted $3.1B across the 2022 and 2023 filings, the 25th most of any state, and kept 14% of it in Delaware. Most of the money leaves the state.

Delaware's 9,230 nonprofits, by cause, size and age ↓
2,519
grantmakers
19th of 52
$3.1B
granted, FY2022 and FY2023
25th of 52
$1,546
given per resident, per year
2nd of 51
14%
stays in-state
52nd of 52

The short version

  • 2,519 grantmakers are based in Delaware, granting $3.1B across the FY2022 and FY2023 IRS filings, the 25th most of any state.
  • 14% of grant dollars from Delaware funders stayed in Delaware; the rest went to organizations in other states.
  • Delaware's grantmakers give $1,546 a year for every resident of the state.
  • Delaware is a net exporter of grant money, sending $2.2B more to other states than its organizations draw in from them.
  • Grant money reaching Delaware organizations goes to housing at 2.9× the national rate.
  • Delaware has 9,230 organizations registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s, 92 for every 10,000 residents; 91% of its public charities that report revenue or file the e-Postcard take in under $1 million a year.

Where Delaware sits among the states

Each dot is a state, sized by its grant dollars. Delaware is in green.

Given per resident, per year

DE
$103$7,460

Share that stays in-state

DE
0%100%

Net flow with other states

DE
−$4.8B+$3.5B

Delaware and the other states

Delaware's foundations send $2.2B more to other states than its organizations draw from them. Switch direction to see who it funds and who funds it.

Largest destinations
  1. New York$492M
  2. California$348M
  3. Massachusetts$146M
  4. Washington, D.C.$111M
  5. Pennsylvania$109M
  6. Texas$108M

Donor-advised funds, related-party transfers and regrants through intermediaries are left out, so these ties show where the state's own grantmakers reach.

$427M stays in-stateDelawareGRANTMAKING$423Mimported from funders elsewhere$2.7Bexported to orgs elsewhere
Delaware is a net exporter of grant money, $2.2B more leaves than arrives.

Largest funders based in Delaware

Grantmakers headquartered in Delaware, sized by total grants made. Pick one for its dossier.

Organizations in Delaware that draw the most

The nonprofits in Delaware that received the most grant money.

Biggest funders reaching in from elsewhere

Out-of-state funders sending the most money to organizations in Delaware.

What draws money in Delaware, against the country

Each cause by how much of the grant money reaching Delaware's organizations it takes, relative to the national rate. Right of the line is overweight, left underweight. Delaware is most overweight on housing, at 2.9× the national rate. Dot size is the cause's share.

0.25×0.5×national2×4×Education20% · 0.88×Philanthropy16% · 2.41×Arts and culture15% · 1.86×Health10% · 0.76×Human services7% · 0.67×Housing5% · 2.9×

Where the money goes by org size

Grant dollars to organizations in Delaware, by the recipient's size, against the national average (the marker). Delaware sends a larger share to $1M to $10M organizations than the country as a whole, and less to $10M to $100M.

Under $100k1% vs 1% national
$100k to $1M18% vs 10% national
$1M to $10M45% vs 31% national
$10M to $100M18% vs 33% national
$100M and up18% vs 26% national

Find funders by cause in Delaware

Who funds each cause in Delaware, with the largest funders and how to reach them.

The nonprofit sector · DE

Delaware's nonprofits

Delaware has 9,230 organizations registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s: 6,404 public charities, 1,007 of them congregations, and 2,826 private foundations. 91% of the public charities that report revenue or file the e-Postcard take in under $1 million a year, and together they report 2% of the sector's revenue. The largest 1% report 77%.

9,230
registered 501(c)(3)s
40th of 52
92
per 10,000 residents
2nd of 51
$14B
charity revenue, latest returns
41st of 52
25%
file a full Form 990 or 990-EZ
35th of 52

Registered 501(c)(3)s per 10,000 residents

DE
34164

Each dot is a state, sized by its number of 501(c)(3)s. Delaware is in green.

What they do, by count and by money

Religion is the largest group by number, 20% of Delaware's public charities and 0.1% of their revenue. Health is 6% of the charities and 46% of the revenue. Delaware has 1.63× the national share of international charities.

Share of charitiesShare of revenue

The thin mark on the left is the national share of charities in the same cause.

Many small, a few very large

Public charities by the revenue on their latest return. Each band is drawn twice: by its share of the charities on top, and by its share of the revenue underneath.

Charities5,273 reporting revenue or filing the e-Postcard
Revenue
  • Under $50k
    73% of charities · under 0.1% of revenue
  • $50k to $250k
    11% of charities · 0.5% of revenue
  • $250k to $1M
    7% of charities · 1% of revenue
  • $1M to $10M
    7% of charities · 9% of revenue
  • $10M to $100M
    1% of charities · 15% of revenue
  • $100M and up
    0.2% of charities · 74% of revenue

What the IRS sees

Only charities filing a Form 990 or 990-EZ report their finances. Financial figures about nonprofits, here and in any study built on 990s, describe 25% of Delaware's public charities.

  • 25% file a Form 990 or 990-EZ
    1,603 charities · 26% nationally
  • 59% file only the e-Postcard (990-N)
    3,756 charities · 54% nationally
  • 16% file no return of their own (mostly congregations)
    1,045 charities · 20% nationally

How new they are

Half of Delaware's public charities were recognized by the IRS in 2019 or later, and 47% since 2020 (32% nationally). The register lists only organizations still recognized, so the older decades count survivors.

6%
Before 1970
4%
1970s
4%
1980s
7%
1990s
11%
2000s
21%
2010s
47%
2020s

The line across each bar is the national share for that decade. The 2020s are a partial decade.

How they are doing

Financial health of the charities that file full returns, against every state.

40%
ran a deficit
42% nationally · 42nd highest of 52
6.2
months of cash, median
5.4 nationally · 4th highest of 52
15%
in deficit on under three months of cash
18% nationally · 51st highest of 52

FY2023 returns from 1,558 Delaware charities filing a Form 990 or 990-EZ and spending $50k or more; cash figures are from the 1,199 full 990 filers among them. The national health report.

Counts, causes, revenue and recognition dates are from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, which records recognitions through May 2026. A charity is placed by its mailing address. Causes are NTEE major groups, with health's sub-groups folded in; a congregation the IRS has given no NTEE code counts under religion. Revenue is each organization's own latest return, summed, so payments between related organizations are counted on both sides.

Questions and answers

What does it mean for grant money to stay in-state?
It is the share of grants made by funders based in Delaware that reached organizations also located in Delaware, rather than organizations in other states. A high share means local funders mostly back local causes; a low one means the money largely leaves.
Is Delaware a major grantmaking state?
Delaware ranks 25th of the 52 states and territories by grant dollars from resident funders. The largest grantmaking states are California and New York; the most outward, where money mostly leaves, are domiciles like Delaware.
How can a nonprofit find funders in Delaware?
Start with the largest grantmakers based in Delaware, currently Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund Inc and The Kendeda Fund. Out-of-state funders also reach in, led by William R Kenan Jr Charitable Trust Xxxxx2004. Grant money reaching Delaware favors housing above the national rate, so funders active there are worth approaching.
How many nonprofits are there in Delaware?
9,230 organizations in Delaware are registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s: 6,404 public charities, 1,007 of them congregations, and 2,826 private foundations. Only 25% of the public charities file a full Form 990 or 990-EZ; 59% file only the e-Postcard, for organizations normally taking in $50,000 or less, and the rest, mostly congregations, file no return of their own. The count is from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File.
How recent is this Delaware grant data?
It is read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file filings for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the two years with complete coverage. US charity filings lag 12 to 24 months, so this is the most recent complete picture.

More from the funding graph

Read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file XML for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. A funder is placed by the state on its most recent filing. Grants only: payments into and out of donor-advised fund sponsors, transfers to related organizations, regrants through intermediaries, non-philanthropic payments and grants to individuals are left out. In-state share is among grants whose recipient state is known; ties with other states and the net flow count only grants placed at both ends. Residents are Census ACS 5-year estimates (2019 to 2023). Source: IRS Form 990 downloads.