Wilmington Alliance

aka Wilmington Alliance   |   Wilmington, DE   |  www.wilmingtonalliance.org

Mission

Our Vision: Wilmington will be a thriving community that offers opportunities and access to all. Our Mission: The Wilmington Alliance brings people together to drive innovative solutions, leverage resources and promote opportunities to empower the city’s residents and businesses. Our Values: Equity: Our work is guided by the belief that social and economic well-being occurs when traditionally underserved individuals and communities both drive and share in the benefits of economic growth. Results-Oriented: Our programs and initiatives produce demonstrable outcomes that directly and indirectly improve the quality of life for Wilmington’s residents and businesses. Inclusion: We recognize, value, and embrace the diversity that is found in our community. This includes diversity of

Ruling year info

1994

CEO

Ms. Renata Kowalczyk

Main address

100 W 10th St Ste 206

Wilmington, DE 19801 USA

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EIN

51-0347680

NTEE code info

Economic Development (S30)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INCLUSION

The Wilmington Alliance was created in August 2019 through the merging of the Wilmington Renaissance Corporation (founded in 1993) and Wilmington Leaders Alliance (founded in 2016). The Wilmington Alliance partners with community, civic, and business leaders to prioritize the City's highest needs to drive economic opportunity and social vitality. Our work is done through an equity lens. All our initiatives involve equitable wealth creation in the traditionally marginalized Wilmington communities of Black and Brown residents. Our strength has always been convening organizations and resources, gathering them around projects. This collaborative model - coupled with decades of experience and successful neighborhood revitalization work - positions us to strategically identify barriers, fill gaps, align organizations, and pull resources from all sectors in Wilmington.

SERVICES
The Alliance, led by the CEO, works to make Wilmington a more beautiful, safer, and thriving city that provides opp

Population(s) Served
Adults

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of organizational partners

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Other - describing something else

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We partner with many community organizations, public agencies, private partners and employer partners through our work in workforce development, creative placemaking and entrepreneurship programs.

Number of community events held in West Center City, Wilmington, DE.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION THROUGH PLACEMAKING

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Events held in the Rock Lot and 7th & West Park in West Center City in Wilmington DE. Open and free to the public.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Our work is done through an equity lens. All our initiatives involve equitable wealth creation in the traditionally marginalized Wilmington communities of Black and Brown residents.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Community meetings/Town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,

Financials

Wilmington Alliance
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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Wilmington Alliance

Board of directors
as of 07/01/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

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

Paul McConnell

McConnell Development, Inc

Nicholas Moriello

Highmark Delaware

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/21/2022

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 10/22/2020

GuideStar 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

Data
  • 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.
Policies and processes
  • 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.