The work of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund is guided by the personal philanthropy of Jessie Ball duPont. Her will frames the Fund’s work in two ways:
Grantees — Though Mrs. duPont gave to many organizations during her life, her will identifies a specific group of organizations as eligible for support from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Today there are 330 eligible organizations.
Places — Though she gave to organizations across the country, Mrs. duPont’s giving was concentrated in specific places: the states of Delaware, Virginia and Florida, particularly the communities of Wilmington, Delaware, Richmond and the Northern Neck of Virginia, and Jacksonville and Port St. Joe, Florida.
Today, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund works within those frames, organizing its philanthropy around three focus areas:
- Building Organizational Capacity
- Expanding Access and Creating Opportunity
- Strengthening the Nonprofit Sector
In its work, the Fund uses a variety of philanthropic strategies, including:
