Joanne Craig, Chief Impact Officer for The Foundation for Delaware County, received two honors in October.

She has been awarded the Health Equity in Public Service award from the March of Dimes. She has also been named one of Main Line Today’s 2023 Power Women.

Craig has nearly 30 years of experience administering family health programs in Delaware County. Her leadership has impacted tens of thousands of mothers and families in Delaware County.

She is considered a thought leader and actively advocates for maternal and child health services, racial equity, policy changes, and funding across Pennsylvania.

Craig is currently serving a second term on Pennsylvania’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee, where she has recently been appointed a co-chair.

Craig founded the women and children’s services for the Crozer-Keystone Health System nearly 30 years ago. Through this initiative, she was able to acquire a highly competitive and prestigious federal Healthy Start grant and renew this grant consecutively every 4-5 years since 1997.

Since the Healthy Start program in Delaware County first received funding 26 years ago, the infant mortality and morbidity (IMMR) rate in the service area of Chester and the eight municipalities that surround the city has declined from 23 infant deaths per 1000 live births to the current rate of 14/1000.

As a result of Joanne Craig’s success in delivering supportive services toward reducing the disparity in Black infant mortality and morbidity rates and improving maternal and birth outcomes in the Chester community, she was invited to establish the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) in Delaware County.

This program is now considered one of the most effective NFP programs in the state. Craig has built on this mission by adding numerous programs such as the Medical-Legal Partnership, the Housing Opportunities Program for Equity (HOPE), Cribs for Kids, Storks Nest, and El Centro, which meets the needs of Spanish-speaking people in the Chester area.

The Foundation for Delaware County is the largest philanthropy in Delaware County and one of 780 community foundations across the U.S.

The Foundation offers support and resources for nonprofits of every size, helps generous people give with more impact, brings together funders, nonprofits, and elected officials to address critical community problems, and responds to major challenges and crises as they arise.

In addition to grant funding, the Foundation operates the Center for Nonprofit Excellence to strengthen Delaware County’s nonprofit community through training workshops and peer learning opportunities.

The Foundation encourages philanthropy by connecting donors to worthy causes through efficient charitable giving vehicles like donor-advised and scholarship funds and will launch the first 24-hour online giving Delco Gives Day on May 8-9, 2024.

The Foundation operates the prestigious public health programs Healthy Start, the WIC nutrition program, and the Nurse-Family Partnership.

In addition to the Housing Opportunities Program for Equity (HOPE), other programs include El Centro (a Hispanic resource center) and a health resource center for students in the Chester Upland School District.

Find out more about The Foundation for Delaware County.

You can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @DelcoFdn.