Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Wilmington is a tale of two cities 69% of residents earn less than $33K yr. Pre-COVID, White household median income was $60,772. Black $30,034 and Latino $32,976 households had income disparity above cnty/ste/ntnl levels. Family poverty rates White 7% Black 26.9% Latino 25.3% - deep life expectancy inequalities. The difference between a resident born and raised on the East Side and one in zip:19806 is 16 yrs. The health crisis exacerbates equity issues. Communities of color are disproportionately impacted and at high risk of employment loss with needs for social services health care and access to food and safety. Wilm’s unemployment rate is 16.5% (July 2020); State is 10.4%. As a result of COVID 86% of small businesses can't withstand 2 mos lost revenue; 1/3 risk shutting down. Fed and State funding helps keep businesses open, but funding limited for new business/entrepreneurship that facilitates recovery. The NY Times speaks to eroding wage tax income, 47% of Wilmington’s revenue.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INCLUSION
This policy level evaluation and continuing work is undergirded and bolstered by our inclusion as the only Delaware cohort in the Reinventing Our Communities (ROC) initiative of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Wilmington has also joined the National League of Cities’ City Innovation Ecosystem Program as a cohort city. The Wilmington work group will identify significant policy and process barriers standing in the way of employment and wealth building among Black and Brown residents. Through 2022, the cohort will continue to develop strategies to mitigate barriers and address policies to drive a more equitable economy for all in Wilmington. The goal is to create strong workforce development initiatives for the City. This will be further solidified by our planned application to the National Fund for Workforce Solutions as part of a collaborative. The Alliance sees itself as the convener and repository for national best practices and resources for this important work. To bring it to successful fruition, in 2021 the Alliance plans to hire a Director of Economic Development and Inclusion.
Wilmington is Working: The Wilmington is Working Workforce Ecosystem Analysis (a workforce landscape environmental scan) will be released and implemented. The Alliance will convene this multi-partner effort and orchestrate collaboration of providers, employers, and seekers of opportunities. Guided by national best practices and the report’s goals and recommendations, we will create a robust pipeline of recruitment, training, placement, support, and follow up for the unemployed/underemployed. Our effort to close the digital divide (the Wilmington is Working Equitable Technology Fund) will continue to meet participants’ needs for devices as nonprofits’ online job training programs continue and expand.
Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Wilmington (E3 Wilmington): A partnership with the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation, E3 Wilmington will create conditions for successful entrepreneurship and business development, building citywide strategic coalitions providing resources and access to funding sources to identify, vet, incubate, and accelerate new business start-ups and small businesses. The program will help level the playing field for entrepreneurs of color by ensuring there is an equity focus.
Wilmington Strong Fund: With partners, this fund has provided grants to help small Black- and Brown-owned businesses recover from Covid-19 and to stabilize communities. If need continues, the Alliance will work in 2021 as required. To continue small business support, Wilmington Made (a shop-local initiative) will build a citywide network promoting local businesses, restaurants, stores, and cafes. It will elevate local businesses through multiple marketing channels, providing marketing and advertising expertise and expanding on our 2019 Market Made and West Side Made campaigns. Designed in partnership with other economic development organizations, the campaign will market, celebrate, and incentivize shopping locally.
SOCIAL INTERVENTION FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION
The Alliance will continue to contribute significantly to the work of the Community Intervention Team’s two program areas: case management as an intervention strategy for those youth most at risk and the M.E.E.T. program, preventative engagement for young adults 17-24. We will be the fiscal sponsor for this work.
NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION THROUGH PLACEMAKING
We work with the community to invest in infrastructure that creates an equitable environment where community members have access to resources and experiences in their own neighborhood. If Wilmington is to thrive, its citizens must have vibrant neighborhoods that reflect equity and authenticity. To date, our successful programs have been undertaken and completed in West Center City (WCC). Using our placemaking experience, we plan to begin similar work in Wilmington’s Northeast section over the next two years. Continuing interlocking WCC work includes:
Art O Mat: This partnership with the City of Wilmington involves reclamation of a former nuisance property at 7th & Washington Streets into a multi-use programs-and pop-up-retail space. Funds are in hand, and we are awaiting final City approval to acquire and renovate this property in 2021. Programming in this space will be overseen by the Creative Placemaking coordinator and an intern position.
Kitchen Incubator. In partnership with Grace United Methodist Church, this project (long in development) is moving forward. We have committed funding for capital improvements and staff resources to lead the project. The Church has secured additional funding; we have hired Breckstone Architects; and BPGS has been added to the project as construction consultants.
This commercial kitchen space will serve culinary entrepreneurs and will support entrepreneurs from the Kitchen Incubator and additional vendors participating in our successful Farmers Market (resumed in 2021) and farm share pick up, a 45-member strong seasonal program located in The Rock Lot and Grace Church. The need for fresh and local produce continues to be intensified by the pandemic.
7th & West Streets Community Garden. The fully subscribed Garden, adjacent to the new 7th & West Community Park (dedicated in 2019), has remained active during COVID. A Farmer in Residence oversees the garden and guides the gardeners. We hope to expand on this model in 2021, bringing more community gardens under the Farmer’s guidance and increasing participation and interest in hyper-local food sources.
Gathering in the Parks: This program has presented weekly free outdoor programs in The Rock Lot and WCC locales since 2017. Its scheduled May 2020 expansion to 7th & West Community Park has been rescheduled to 2021 due to coronavirus restrictions. Since our community engagement via community programming has been postponed, the lack of positive activity and its effects have been felt in the neighborhood. Such programming supports community cohesion and builds the social capacity that will be desperately needed as we emerge from the pandemic.
Where we work
External reviews

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Our Sustainable Development Goals
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Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
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Charting impact
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What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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WILMINGTON RENAISSANCE CORPORATION
Board of directorsas of 1/30/2022
Mr. Joe Westcott
Capital One
Term: 2021 - 2022
Thère du Pont
Longwood Foundation
Glenn Moore
Delmarva Power
Joe Westcott
Capital One
Trevor Koenig
Bank of America
William Mahoney
JP Morgan Chase
Christopher Buccini
Buccini-Pollin Group
Stuart Comstock-Gay
Delaware Community Foundation
Jerry DuPhilly
TSN Media, Inc.
Jed Hatfield
Colonial Parking, Inc.
Nicholas Lambrow
M&T Bank
Rodger Levenson
WSFS Bank
Lolita Lopez
Westside Family Healthcare
Paul McConnell
McConnell Development, Inc
Kenyetta McCurdy-Byrd
REACH Riverside | Kingswood Community Center | The Warehouse
Nicholas Moriello
Highmark Delaware
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
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Disability
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Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/22/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.