Legislative session and the 153rd General Assembly came to an end early Wednesday morning, marked with the passage of several important pieces of legislation for the nonprofit sector. In addition to the $1.25 billion Bond Bill, Grant-In-Aid was on the docket.
Delaware’s fiscal 2027 Grant-in-Aid bill – which provides vital funding to many nonprofits – is modestly larger overall compared to fiscal 2026, increasing from $98.3 million to $99.4 million, about 1.1%. However, several nonprofit service categories saw more meaningful increases, while others maintained funding.
Funding for Arts, Historical, or Recreation organizations increased by 16.9%, rising from $2.1 million to $2.47 million. Economic, Housing, or Labor Services also saw a notable increase of 14.8%, growing from $3.91 million to $4.49 million. These investments support organizations working on community development, housing stability, workforce connections, and local economic opportunity.
Other human service categories also increased, such as Health or Disability Services, which rose by about 10%, while Neighborhood and Community Services increased by 8.4%. Family and Youth Services increased by around 9%, reaching $11.6 million.
At the same time, the bill shifts the structure of GIA. One-time funding decreased significantly, and the Aging category appears lower on paper partly because Senior Center Transportation was separated into its own line in the bill.
Overall, the Grant-in-Aid bill shows targeted increases across several nonprofit service areas, even as the total bill remains relatively flat.
Another bill of note was HB 190, Speaker Minor-Brown’s Grant-In-Aid Subcommittee bill, and a DANA policy priority.
This bill was tabled last year on June 30th and hadn’t seen movement until Senate Amendment 1 was introduced a couple of weeks ago, which introduced several harmful provisions. Thanks in part to DANA’s advocacy, a second Senate amendment was introduced, which removed a few of the more harmful provisions. The General Assembly passed this amended version early July 1st, which eliminated the proposed Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee but revises eligibility requirements and oversight, codifies protections and accountability, and improves the Grant-in-Aid process.
