Delaware Atlantis Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $5,565,000 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly available
• Grant Range: $10,000 - $2,225,000
• Geographic Focus: Delaware and Virginia
• Total Assets: $210,865,169

Contact Details

Mailing Address: PO Box 1532 AFT Pennington, NJ 08534

Phone: Not publicly available Email: Not publicly available Website: Not publicly available

Overview

The Delaware Atlantis Foundation is a private foundation based in Pennington, New Jersey, with substantial assets exceeding $210 million. Established as a family foundation, it is led by trustee Charles P. Townsend III. The foundation has a consistent history of grantmaking, with awards ranging from modest grants of $10,000 to substantial grants exceeding $2 million. In 2024, the foundation distributed $5.6 million across 7 awards, focusing primarily on education, healthcare, and philanthropy/voluntarism sectors. The foundation maintains a geographic focus on Delaware and Virginia, making it a significant regional funder in these states.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

The foundation supports organizations in three primary areas:

1. Education - Supporting educational institutions and programs
2. Health Care - Funding healthcare organizations and initiatives
3. Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking - Supporting other philanthropic organizations and volunteer initiatives

Grant Amounts

• Grant Range: $10,000 - $2,225,000
• Recent Giving: $5,565,000 distributed in 2024 across 7 awards
• Historical Activity:
  • 2023: 5 awards
  • 2022: 8 awards
  • 2021: 3 awards
  • 2020: 4 awards totaling $779,000

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented.

Governance and Leadership

Trustee: Charles P. Townsend III

Limited information is publicly available about additional board members or staff.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. As a private foundation with no live grant opportunities advertised, the Delaware Atlantis Foundation appears to make grants through trustee discretion rather than accepting unsolicited applications. The foundation's grantmaking decisions are made by the board of trustees, led by Charles P. Townsend III.

Grants are typically awarded to organizations with which the foundation has pre-existing relationships or that align closely with the trustees' philanthropic interests in education, healthcare, and voluntarism within Delaware and Virginia.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The foundation makes a limited number of grants annually (3-8 grants per year based on recent history).

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly available.

Application Success Factors

Due to the private nature of this foundation and lack of public application process, specific success factors are not documented. However, based on the foundation's profile:

• Geographic alignment is critical - the foundation focuses specifically on Delaware and Virginia
• Sector alignment - organizations should operate in education, healthcare, or philanthropy/voluntarism sectors
• Relationship building appears to be key, as the foundation operates through trustee discretion rather than open applications
• Grant size flexibility - the foundation has demonstrated willingness to make both smaller grants ($10,000) and substantial awards (over $2 million), suggesting they consider projects of varying scales

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• This is a private foundation without a public application process - direct solicitation may not be effective
• Focus on Delaware and Virginia - geographic alignment is essential
• The foundation makes a small number of grants annually (3-8 grants), suggesting highly selective grantmaking
• Grant amounts vary significantly from $10,000 to over $2 million, indicating flexibility based on project scope
• Priority areas are education, healthcare, and philanthropy/voluntarism
• The foundation has substantial assets ($210+ million), indicating long-term financial stability
• Building relationships with trustees or identifying connections to the Townsend family may be necessary for funding consideration

References

1. Delaware Atlantis Foundation - Instrumentl 990 Report - Accessed December 17, 2025
2. Delaware Atlantis Foundation - Cause IQ Profile - Accessed December 17, 2025