"The Dayton Foundation has designed a streamlined process to apply for a grant. Please review the following discretionary grant guidelines and grant application procedure.

"We encourage those organizations planning to apply for a grant to attend our discretionary grants program orientation. Click here to register for the next orientation scheduled for June 25, 2008."

– Diane Timmons, vice president, Grants and Programs

The Foundation gives priority to projects that meet one or more of the following criteria:

• provide for more efficient use of community resources, promote coordination, cooperation and sharing among organizations and reduce the duplication of services in our community;
• test or demonstrate new approaches and techniques for solving important community problems;
• promote volunteer participation and citizen involvement in community affairs; and
• strengthen not-for-profit agencies and institutions by reducing operating costs, increasing public financial support and/or improving internal management.

The programs we consider for discretionary support are located primarily in Montgomery, Miami, Greene, Darke, Preble and Warren (north) counties.

To be eligible for a grant, your organization must:

• be recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization, according to the Internal Revenue Code,
• benefit the citizens in the Dayton/Greater Miami Valley region,
• have a diversity/inclusion policy, and
• address needs that are not met fully by existing organizational or community resources.

We generally do not award discretionary grants for:

• general organizational operations
• individuals
• scientific, medical or academic research
• operational deficits
• religious/sectarian causes
• scholarships or travel
• fundraising drives
• special events
• political activities
• public or private schools
• endowment funds

Also, multi-year commitments rarely are considered.

To register for the next scheduled orientation, click here.

Only one LOI per grant cycle may be submitted for consideration so that we can help as many not-for-profit organizations as possible. If your organization has received a discretionary grant from The Dayton Foundation, you must submit a final report on how the grant was used and have it approved by the Foundation's Grants Department before you are eligible to apply for a new grant.

Click here to access the Letter of Intent system.