Dayton Foundation awards $1.2M in grants to 43 charities

The Dayton Foundation has awarded a total of $1,218,506 in grants to various organizations in the Dayton area in the last year as part of an effort to address emerging needs and opportunities throughout the region, the Foundation announced last week.

The over $1.2 million in grants include discretionary and Greenlight Grants. The Dayton Foundation reinstituted its discretionary grant-making and Greenlight Grants processes in fiscal year 2022 after two years of allocating funding to help nonprofit organizations respond to COVID-19. These grants promote efforts in the areas of arts and culture, health, education, human services, philanthropy and other community-building endeavors.

Discretionary grants totaling $1,141,625 were awarded to the following organizations:

Dayton Society of Natural History ($125,000) to create a visual storage exhibition at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, enhancing both its educational impact and research value.

East End Community Services ($125,000) to aid in the renovation of two new warehouse spaces that ultimately will strengthen services to children in families.

YMCA of Greater Dayton ($100,000), in partnership with CountyCorp, CareSource, Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley, The Homeownership Center, Premier Health, United Way of the Greater Dayton Area and Wright State University, to build a one-stop-shop health and wellness center in Northwest Dayton.

Montgomery County Ohio College Promise ($100,000) to support the Extend the Promise campaign to help an additional 500 students, over the next 10 years, attend college at little or no cost to them or their families.

The Foodbank ($75,000) to purchase a new freezer unit to increase the organization’s ability to respond to future emergencies.

Girl Scouts of Western Ohio ($75,000) to construct a Green Program Shelter, including sustainable energy features, a community garden and a green careers learning station at Camp Whip Poor Will.

Good Neighbor House ($75,000) to expand its current space to include six exam rooms, a lab, dispensary, wellness and physical therapy room, and counseling office.

Co-op Dayton-Greater Dayton Union Cooperative Initiative ($75,000) to help launch the Westside Makerspace cooperative located in the West Branch Dayton Metro Library that will offer a range of hands-on, project-based courses.

Dayton Art Institute ($70,000) to assist in creating a life-sized sculpture of Paul Laurence Dunbar to educate and inspire visitors at the West Branch Dayton Metro Library.

Habitat for Humanity Greater Dayton ($62,500) to assist in replacing the roof on its downtown facility.

Beaver Creek Wetlands Association ($50,000) to create a regional trail system connecting the parks and reserves along the Beaver Creek Wetlands corridor.

Miami Valley Meals ($39,000) to purchase a new walk-in freezer for additional meal storage.

WYSO Public Radio ($25,000) to assist in building a satellite location at the Dayton Arcade for broadcasts and educational opportunities. (NOTE: The foundation corrected the amount initially listed in its press release.)

Overfield Tavern Museum ($25,000) to repair and preserve the historic log building to improve its structural integrity, protect irreplaceable artifacts and safely offer historical programming and services.

Agraria Center for Regenerative Practice ($25,000) to support the construction of a bike and walking trail connecting Agraria with the Village of Yellow Springs and the existing network of bike paths in Ohio.

The Co ($25,000) to support construction-related costs at its new location in the Dayton Arcade, which will help the organization double its exhibition space.

Friends of Aullwood ($25,000) to aid in renovations that will make Aullwood more accessible to the public.

Boys & Girls Club of Dayton ($21,250) to hire its first resource development professional to help strengthen the organization and its programming.

Clothes That Work ($12,500) to help construct a vehicle to house an inventory of work-appropriate clothing, two dressing rooms and a client meeting space for its new mobile outreach initiative that seeks to eliminate barriers to employment.

Learning Tree Farm ($11,375) to build an equipment barn so the organization can hold programs and events in the bank barn, thereby increasing accessibility for people with mobility disabilities.

The Foundation’s Greenlight Grants program assists organizations seeking quick, small grants for special projects, program expansions, capital improvements or capacity building. In recent months, $76,881 in Greenlight Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

Places Inc. ($7,500) to purchase appliances and furniture for adults living with mental health challenges.

St. Anne’s Hill Historic Society ($6,844) to purchase disability friendly playground equipment for Bomberger Park.

4C for Children ($5,000) to furnish and equip its new location to offer training and services to childcare providers and to continue helping families find quality childcare.

Senior Resource Connection ($5,000) to purchase insulated food bags that hold temperatures during route delivery.

YES! For Youth ($5,000) to purchase a network server system to securely back up data, access data from remote locations, increase capacity for data storage and virtual training content, as well as provide GED tutorial and IT training certificate programs.

Fisher-Nightingale Houses, Inc. ($4,500) to construct a storage building for supplies and equipment.

Gem City Kitties ($4,239) to replace and upgrade equipment in the Gem City Vet office located in Trotwood, helping the organization to ultimately reduce energy bills.

Dayton Peace Museum ($4,000) to digitize the Peace Heroes Stories in a permanent exhibit and create an interactive experience at the museum’s new location.

First Dayton Little League ($4,000) to aid in upgrading the dugouts, restrooms, parking lot, concession stand and playing field.

Miamisburg Historical Society ($3,500) to help obtain a state-of-the-art scanner to read, scan and print all film styles and convert and digitize old film reels.

The Historical Society of Germantown ($3,000) to help repair and preserve the building’s exterior walls.

Family Violence Prevention Center of Greene County ($3,000) to expand and update the organization’s current phone operating system.

Trinity Community at Miami Township ($3,000) to help decrease isolation and increase social interaction through interactive programming for residents of this senior living community.

Brukner Nature Center ($2,847) to improve fencing that separates visitors and program participants from Wildlife Ambassadors.

Operation 2000 Cherry Trees ($2,580) to purchase and plant cherry trees for a cherry blossom trail spanning from the Dayton Art Institute to Carillon Historical Park.

Rebuilding Together Dayton ($2,500) to purchase a work truck to provide services that help seniors stay in safe, healthy housing.

Yellow Springs Home, Inc. ($2,500) to hire an accounting and consulting firm.

Planned2Give ($2,000) to upgrade its Network for Good subscription, enabling the organization to support more nonprofit fundraising events.

Isaiah’s Place, Inc. ($1,984) to purchase books and sensory items that can help the foster children it serves to self-regulate when in a heightened state of emotion.

ventureLINX ($1,200) to purchase equipment that will help train students to become more employable after graduation.

OneFifteen ($1,195) to provide fitness programs for people recovering from addiction.

League of Women Voters of the Greater Dayton Area ($960) to increase the capacity and efficiency of its data storage system.

Rehabilitation Center for Neurological Development ($532) to support neuroeducational classroom activities for clients with disabilities.

Funding for these two competitive grants programs is made possible by individuals who have established unrestricted or lightly restricted charitable funds. More information about the Dayton Foundation and its competitive grants programs is available at www.daytonfoundation.org or by calling (937) 222-0410.

(NOTE: The total amount awarded overall and the amount awarded to WYSO has been changed to reflect an error the Dayton Foundation made in its initial release.)

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