April 22, 2025 --- The African-American Community Fund, a component fund of The Dayton Foundation, announced today that it has received a more than $550,000 gift from the estate of Ellenae Fairhurst, an accomplished businesswoman and entrepreneur, making it AACF’s largest single unrestricted gift to date. The gift establishes the Ellenae Hart Henry-Fairhurst Legacy Fund, which will bolster AACF’s discretionary grantmaking to support a variety of community needs at Dayton-area nonprofit organizations.
“This gift represents a milestone in the history of the African-American Community Fund, which today represents 191 funds with combined assets of $9.3 million,” said Kevin Washington, president of AACF. “AACF is eternally grateful to Ellenae Fairhurst for making this wonderful donation. Countless lives will be impacted by this very generous act of benevolence.”
Fairhurst, a native of Dayton who passed away in 2024, broke barriers to become the first African-American woman to own Infiniti and Lexus car dealerships. After graduating from Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio, she earned a business administration degree in 1965 from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a master’s degree in social and consumer psychology in 1973 from the University of Detroit. She started her career as a secretary, first for Motown Records and then for a Detroit, Michigan, law firm.
In 1968, Fairhurst was accepted into the management training program at Ford Motor Company but had the offer rescinded when she got married between her hired date and her start date. Instead, she worked as a secretary, eventually working her way to a management position. She explored other career options with Ford and heard about the company’s dealer training program but soon learned she wouldn’t be eligible as an African-American woman. In 1986, she left Ford to join a minority dealer training program at Chrysler, where she completed her training in 1988 and was named president and general manager of a dealership in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Several years later, she sold her shares in the business and used her life savings to purchase a Dodge dealership in Huntsville, Alabama. In 1999, Fairhurst purchased her Infiniti dealership and shortly afterwards purchased her Lexus dealership.
Her list of industry recognitions included being ranked several times in Black Enterprise magazine’s Auto Dealer 100 List, receiving the Daimler-Chrysler Five Star Award and achieving Elite of Lexus Status for most of the years her franchises were in operation.
Said Jenell Ross, president of Bob Ross Auto Group and the first African-American woman owner of a Mercedes-Benz dealership, “Ellenae was fearless and didn’t take no for an answer. Her leadership, vision, philanthropy and dedication left an indelible mark. She was much more than a mentor; she was a friend. But most of all Ellenae was authentic, was always there to help others and wanted to see those who came behind her become even more successful than her. This generous gift from her estate will help continue her legacy and pave the way for future generations.”
About the African-American Community Fund:
Established in 1992 as a component fund of The Dayton Foundation, AACF’s mission is to increase organized philanthropy in the African-American community and empower others through giving.