Delaware County authority approves multiple grant packages totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars

Delaware County’s Interactive Gaming Revenue Authority voted on Sept. 18 to approve a series of grant packages across several categories, including special grants, security-camera grants, arts-and-culture awards and a new food-and-household-product security grant category.

The authority approved special grants totaling $21,850, security-camera grants totaling $14,867, arts-and-culture recommendations totaling $149,250 of a $150,000 allocation, and a proposal to allocate up to $250,000 for a new food-and-household-product security grant category with a maximum request of $17,500 per grantee. The authority recorded that, after the security-camera approvals, $22,777 remained from an initial $37,644 allocation for that category. All grants are subject to County Council approval.

Why it matters: the authority distributes a portion of gaming-generated revenue to local nonprofits, municipal programs and public-safety projects. The packages approved Sept. 18 cover mental-health youth programming, municipal camera systems, arts organizations across the county and an expanded fund for food and household supply programs.

Key votes and examples (voice votes recorded; roll-call tallies not recorded in minutes): a selection of motions approved at the meeting included:

- A one-time special grant of $7,100 to NAMI (Mainline PA) for youth programming in Delaware County — approved. - A one-time special grant to Darby Borough Police Department for community engagement “challenge coins” (amount and application circumstances noted on the record) — approved. - A one-time special grant of $12,500 to Teachers Teammates to support Delaware County classrooms — approved. - Security-camera grants: $7,367 to the Borough of Sharon Hill and $7,500 to an applicant listed in the minutes as “Yate and Burrow” — both approved. - Arts-and-culture grants (selected approvals from the list presented): CMP Radio Foundation ($10,000), Historic Land Sale and Theater Corporation ($10,000), Media Arts Council ($10,000), Lansdowne Economic Development Corporation (approved after a friendly amendment to $10,000), Delaware County Historical Society ($10,000), CCATC ($10,000), Operation Look Forward ($10,000), Musiocopia Delaware County operations ($10,000), Park Avenue Community Center ($7,500) and multiple other arts organizations at amounts listed in the meeting packet — all approved. - Motion to allocate up to $250,000 for a food-and-household-product security grant category with a per-grantee maximum of $17,500, and to authorize the solicitor to place an announcement for that program in the county paper on or before Oct. 1, 2024 — both approved.

Most motions were taken by voice vote with the chair calling for “aye” or “nay.” The transcript records the board’s approval language but does not include roll-call vote tallies for each motion; County Council approval is required for the awards to be finalized.

Context and next steps: authority members discussed eligibility and whether organizations that received earlier “special” emergency awards should be eligible for the new food-security RFP; the board agreed to evaluate applications and consider leftover funds (if any) for additional allocations. The solicitor was authorized to place the public notice advertising the new food security grant round by Oct. 1. County Council must approve the individual awards before funds are released.

The authority’s full list of grant recommendations and the motion language were recorded in the meeting packet and reviewed on the record; several line items noted that an applicant lacked sufficient information and could be added to the October agenda pending supplemental material.

Ending: The authority adjourned after completing the grant agenda and confirming follow-up work to finalize postings and to bring any outstanding applicants back to the October agenda for action.