As we close out fiscal year 2026 and begin tallying the numbers, I am amazed yet again by how extraordinarily giving our fund holders and this community truly are.
Preliminary figures show that $120 million in grants and distributions were awarded from nearly 4,400 Dayton Foundation charitable funds. This is more than double the grantmaking carried out in fiscal year 2021, just five short years ago. In addition, the Foundation achieved a record this year with 367 new funds and Charitable Checking Accounts℠: established – a nearly 18 percent increase over our previous fiscal year.
These figures represent so much more than numbers. They are a prime example of the ongoing generous spirit ingrained in our fund holders. These caring indi-viduals assist their neighbors in need in good times and bad. While helping others through a crisis is a noble and caring deed, the deliberate act of every-day giving is at the heart of what The Dayton Foundation and its fund
holders represent.
“Every day, we see the collective difference our fund holders and their grantmaking are making in our region and around the world.”
You can read about some of these new donors and their funds, beginning on page 4 and continuing below. You also can find a complete listing of endowment funds on our website at daytonfoundation.org/find-inspiration-our-funds-and-stories. We are honored to be entrusted with stewarding the funds of these individuals, families and organizations, who come from all walks of life and support causes ranging from education, health and human services, the arts, the environment and more.
Every day, we see the collective difference our fund holders and their grantmaking are making in our region and around the world. As we welcome more charitable individuals into The Dayton Foundation family, more youth can afford to go to college, thanks to a growing number of scholarship funds. Our nonprofits are able to address more critical local needs, thanks to an increase in donors who have established unrestricted or lightly restricted funds. More legacy gifts and bequests are coming to fruition, thanks to the thoughtful planning of charitable individuals who want to help others even after they are gone. And the list goes on.
Our donors’ generosity, coupled with a historic transfer-of-wealth opportunity in the coming decade that could result in an estimated $75.6 billion passing from one generation to the next, makes me excited for the future. If only a portion of this wealth goes to local charities – just five percent – it will provide transformative resources to elevate Greater Dayton and all our region’s citizens.
The opportunities before our community are tremendous. When the time is right, The Dayton Foundation can help you help others. Contact us at (937) 222-0410. By investing today, we are changing lives and building a brighter future for our region.
Michael M. Parks, CFRE
President