When the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) began planning the relaunch of its original podcast series Building Opportunity in late 2024, the country looked very different. Federal budget cuts had not yet upended the nonprofit landscape, immigration enforcement had not dramatically ramped up surveillance, and shifting political dynamics had not rendered certain words controversial.
The DCF debuted season 1 of How to (Not) Kill Your Community as a video podcast in April 2025 — the same week it launched its Meet the Moment initiative, which would ultimately deliver over $600,000 in grants and capacity-building programs to Delaware nonprofits assessing new paths to viability.
Hosted by DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay, the first season brought on guests like U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride and Dogfish Head co-founder Mariah Calagione to talk about sustaining communities for the long haul in an atmosphere of caution and uncertainty. The first nine episodes included a disclaimer: “This podcast was recorded before recent federal policy changes impacted many of the programs discussed and may not reflect the most current information.”
If season 1 approached the shifting cultural and political landscape with restraint, season 2 of How to (Not) Kill Your Community – which dropped its final two episodes on June 9 – dives right in. Episode 1 features an indomitable U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester speaking on everything from the February attacks on Iran to the hard work of loving those you disagree with to praying for the lives of her colleagues on the Capitol balcony on Jan. 6, 2021.
“My good friend Congresswoman Val Demings from Florida … grabbed my arm and I grabbed hers. She said, ‘Lisa, you know there’s only one who can get us out of this,’” Blunt Rochester recalled in the episode. “I could hear the gunshot at one door. I could see the Capitol police holding down the other door on the floor, and I just started to pray.”
Other Season 2 guests include Hook PR & Marketing founder Patricia Rivera talking about Hispanic entrepreneurs; Director of Community Engagement for the Delaware Department of Justice Corie Priest on high recidivism rates; and Rabbi Yair Robinson and Pastor Jeffrey Ross on the role of religion when democracy is under threat.
“The landscape has changed a lot since we recorded Season 1,” Comstock-Gay said. “Communities, along with the people and organizations that serve them, are navigating intersecting crises. Guests this season are stepping up to meet these challenges and generously sharing what they’ve learned.”
Watch season 2 of How to (Not) Kill Your Community from the Delaware Community Foundation on YouTube and listen on Apple and Spotify.
You can also click on the images below to watch them on YouTube right now!
