All of these organizations have been researched by our Community Engagement Department, and a summary of their grant proposals is included.
As you may see, for many of these requests, we were able to fund only to a certain level. The organizations may still have needs associated with their specified programs. Or, in some cases, the projects may be complete but the organizations may have more needs that require funding. If you would like additional information about these programs or to support other important work, please feel free to contact the charities directly.
Discretionary Grants
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance | Dayton Ballet Studio
$50,000 Project Budget | $30,000 Granted
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance’s mission is to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to fall in love with the performing arts. Funds will be used establish the Dayton Ballet Studio Company, an apprentice company for dancers who have graduated from high school but are not yet ready for full membership in a professional company. This initiative aims to provide emerging dancers with the opportunity to train, perform and refine their skills, and prepare them for professional careers. The Studio Company will serve as a crucial bridge between the established School Ensemble and the Professional Company.
Patrick J. Nugent, CEO, (937) 224-3521
Dayton Workforce Coalition | Regional Talent Development
$1,500,000 Project Budget | $500,000 Granted
The Dayton Workforce Coalition is a regional talent development leader established to ensure a robust pipeline of human capital to support the demand for jobs in Greater Dayton. Funds will be
used to support this Dayton Foundation initiative, which is working to prepare 20,000 individuals per year across the Dayton Region for local jobs over the next five years. DWC partners
include Air Camp, Engineering and Science Foundation, Entrepreneurs’ Center, General Motors, Learn to Earn and National Aviation Heritage Alliance.
Joe Sciabica, Executive Director, (937) 225-9919
Hannah's Treasure Chest | Home for Good Capital Campaign
$2,000,000 Project Budget | $75,000 Granted
For more than two decades, Hannah's Treasure Chest has provided essential items to tens of thousands of children in need in six southwest Ohio counties. HTC operates as a basic needs bank for 76 community partners, ensuring children can grow up with everything they need for their well-being and dignity. Funds will be used for the purchase and renovation of a permanent facility that will enable HTC to expand its programs, serve more children and provide a safe and efficient home to carry out its mission.
Deanna Murphy, Executive Director, (937) 438-5039
Miami Valley Urban League | 2024 State of Black Dayton Report
$311,875 Project Budget | $40,000 Granted
Miami Valley Urban League’s mission is to help Black people and historically underserved communities achieve their highest true social parity, economic self-reliance, power, civil rights and justice. It provides direct services for individuals such as workforce development, financial empowerment and youth services, and systemic services such as community advocacy and empowerment strategies. Funds will be used to create and release the 2024 State of Black Dayton Report, which will be used as a tool to raise awareness and understanding of issues facing Black communities, help build coalitions around priorities for collective impact and advance policy changes to achieve equity.
Nikol Miller, Executive Director, (937) 226-1513
Preble County Youth Foundation | Preble County YMCA Gym Expansion
$2,300,000 Project Budget | $75,000 Granted
Preble County Youth Foundation’s mission is to invest in programs and facilities that give youth and the community better opportunities and a better future. Funds will be used for the construction of a new gym at the local YMCA in Eaton, Ohio. The YMCA is an invaluable asset to the Preble County community, serving members of all ages and demographics through sporting opportunities for youth, a safe place for teens to go after school and enriching opportunities for adults to improve their health.
Alexa Little, Executive Director, (937) 472-0089
Wright Dunbar | Medal of Honor Memorial Project
$1,500,000 Project Budget | $50,000 Granted
With its partners, Wright Dunbar, Inc., is the catalyst and facilitator of economic revitalization and urban reinvestment in the historic, culturally rich West Third Street Corridor of Dayton, Ohio. Funds will be used to construct a Medal of Honor Memorial at the foot of the Third Street Bridge and Edwin C. Moses Boulevard, which is the gateway to Wright Dunbar. The project pays tribute to the 40 Medal of Honor recipients living in the Dayton area and 100,000 local veterans, with potential to bring hundreds of visitors from the community and around the country to the Memorial each year.
Karla Garrett Harshaw, Development Chair, (937) 402-0529
Yellow Springs Home | The Cascades Phase I: Eight Units of Affordable Senior Housing in Yellow Springs
$2,369,517 Project Budget | $25,000 Granted
The mission of Yellow Springs Home, Inc. is to strengthen community and diversity in Yellow Springs and Miami Township by providing permanently affordable and sustainable housing through a community land trust. More than a decade in the making and informed by extensive resident input, The Cascades Phase I will provide eight units of new, affordable rentals for low-income older adults, in close proximity to numerous amenities that will directly improve residents’ quality of life and well-being. Funds will be used to support the project, which will be stewarded by a community land trust.
Alexandra Scott, Outreach and Fundraising Manager, (937) 767-2790
Greenlight GrantsSM
Dayton Dream Center | Roadmap for Recovery
$80,718 Project Budget | $6,000 Granted
The mission of the Dayton Dream Center is to address immediate and long-term needs in the areas of poverty, addiction, education, abuse, joblessness and community re-entry. To help further this work, the DDC has developed the Roadmap for Recovery program. Funds will assist in launching phase one of the program, which includes a software tool that logs guest visits, frequency of visits and individuals’ participation in connecting with community and other resources, allowing DDC and its highly trained staff to create an optimal “Roadmap for Recovery” for their clients.
Chris Sexton, Executive Director, (937) 212-2197
Felons with a Future | Automotive Training Program/Our Community Garage
$209,750 Project Budget | $5,000 Granted
Felons with a Future is a nonprofit organization that helps offenders assimilate back into the free society and become entrepreneurs. The nonprofit organization is working to prepare these individuals to enter the workforce with a skilled trade while providing the community with quality, affordable automotive care. Funds will be used to pay for the automotive training tuition costs of five participants, as well as necessary supplies for the hands-on portion of the project at the garage.
Greg West, Executive Director, (937) 270-3731
Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers | Strategic Planning
$7,000 Project Budget | $3,000 Granted
The Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project provides innovative opportunities for attorneys to perform pro bono civil legal services to benefit persons with limited financial resources. Funds will be used to support strategic-planning services for its pro bono program, empower the organization to navigate challenges effectively, expand its reach and better serve individuals in need of legal assistance.
Summer Hawks, Executive Director, (937) 461-3857
Greater Edgemont Community Coalition | From Popcorn to Profit Project
$9,389 Project Budget | $5,000 Granted
Formed in 1978 as Dayton’s first community garden, Greater Edgemont Community Coalition/Solar Garden annually provides 600 pounds of fresh produce to neighboring food deserts and educates 2,000 individuals on urban agriculture. In addition, GECC has launched a successful popcorn pilot project and is looking to turn it into a sustainable business model and educational tool for the Edgemont community. Currently, manual processing limits scalability. Funds will be used to automate its popcorn shelling and harvesting processes, making the project more efficient and profitable.
Stephen Ross, Executive Director, (937) 718-7685
Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton | Anschel’s Story Play Adaptation
$5,000 Project Budget | $4,100 Granted
The Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton and its agencies care for those in need, strengthen Jewish life, and create connections among Jews by acting locally, in Israel and around the world. The performing arts have shown to be a powerful educational tool when addressing pressing social issues, such as antisemitism, hate crimes and racist attitudes. Funds will be used to commission playwright Michael London to complete an adaptation of the Holocaust memoir, Anschel's Story, to raise awareness of the dangers of hatred and prejudice. The Jewish Federation plans to hold readings of the script and performances of the play at a variety of venues, such as schools, libraries and community centers.
Cathy Gardner, CEO, (937) 610-1555
Joshua Recovery Ministries | 2024 Housing Initiative
$20,000 Project Budget | $7,500 Granted
Joshua Recovery Ministries is a nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to providing men, women and children with a safe place to find healing and recovery. Funds will be used to purchase two homes, saving the organization rental fees and potentially allowing for additional lodging for its clients. As a result, Joshua Recovery Ministries can continue to provide services without increasing dues for residents and utilize additional funds in ways to better care for the individuals it serves.
Jessica Zwayer, Executive Director, (937) 999-5295
Kids in New Directions (KIND) | Kemp School Expansion Program
$45,000 Project Budget | $5,000 Granted
Kids in New Directions currently serves 62 students, grades K-7, who attend 10 schools in Dayton. KIND focuses on the whole child through the foundational learning program FANS (Faith, Academics, Nutrition and Social impact), connecting children to each of these areas through education and life learning. Funds will be used to purchase a van to serve an additional 12 students from Kemp School in Dayton and expand its services to include more children.
Keith Valiquette, Vice President, (937) 602-6630
Omega Community Development Corporation | Hope Zone Community Garden
$25,500 Project Budget | $7,500 Granted
Omega CDC is breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty by catalyzing change in Northwest Dayton through education, economic stability, health, well-being and community. According to USDA standards, 75 percent of Omega CDC’s food outreach program participants are food insecure. Inaccessibility to affordable, nutrition-dense foods raises the risk for chronic health issues, including diabetes, heart disease, obesity and mental health disorders. To help combat this issue, the Foundation’s grant and other funds will be used to create a community garden project, which is an extension of the Omega CDC Food Outreach program. The garden will have an intergenerational design and structure focusing on seniors, residents and youth.
Vanessa Ward, President, (937) 723-8254
RaiseSTEM! | Outreach Robot Project
$4,573 Project Budget | $2,500 Granted
BONDS (Bringing Opportunities Near Dayton Students) Robotics is an educational community nonprofit located in Dayton, Ohio, that serves between 20 and 40 middle and high school students each year from more than seven surrounding school districts and homeschool groups. The Outreach Robot Project seeks to teach important skills students will need for the next competition season, such as designing, manufacturing, building and programming a 120-pound robot. The robot also will serve as a future tool for community outreach, such as promoting STEM and helping to recruit more interested students from local schools that lack access to robotics programs. Funds will be used to purchase the robot’s primary hardware, important tools and related equipment for outreach and recruiting events.
Ava Goldinger, BONDS Head Coach
Spectrum New Beginnings | Strategic Plan
$5,000 Project Budget | $2,500 Granted
Spectrum New Beginnings is dedicated to helping under-resourced community members throughout Dayton discover and implement well-being practices. The nonprofit organization uses a holistic, restorative, trauma-informed approach to increase emotional intelligence, resilience, belonging and quality of life for community members who may not have access to evidence-based wellness programs and services, such as mindfulness, fitness and massage. Funds will be used to develop a comprehensive strategic plan to guide the organization’s long-term success and help develop best practices, systems, processes and methodologies to enhance operational efficiencies, expand community impact and ensure financial sustainability.
Taylor Johnson, Executive Director, (937) 204-5342
United Rehabilitation Services | Smart Empowerment: Advanced Technology for Adaptive Living
$12,173 Project Budget | $4,000 Granted
United Rehabilitation Services’ mission is to enhance the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities or other special needs. To foster self-sufficiency and integrate smart technologies that streamline daily tasks for its clients, URS has launched the Smart Empowerment: Advanced Technology for Adaptive Living project. Funds will be used for the completion of its Adapted Therapy Apartment, including the purchase and installation of assistive technology, such as smart sensors and communication aids, to help the organization better serve its clients.
Dennis Grant, CEO, (937) 233-1230