Future Home of The Dayton Foundation Moving Forward – New Building to Focus on Community Partnerships

The Dayton Foundation’s offices will be housed on the first floor of the 38,000-square-foot building being planned at 1401 S. Main Street, Dayton.

For the first time in its nearly 100-year history, The Dayton Foundation will have a shingle providing greater visibility on one of the region’s most traveled roads. More importantly, the Foundation will embark on an exciting future to expand its community partnership, leadership initiatives and philanthropic work by aligning with other community leaders, educators and students to address issues at the heart of Greater Dayton.

Earlier this summer the Foundation announced its intentions to move next year into a new two-story building being built on property owned by the University of Dayton in a key development area within the City of Dayton. Joining with the Foundation in this academic and office facility located on South Main Street are the University of Dayton’s Fitz Center for Leadership in Community and the Dayton Development Coalition.

“We couldn’t be more excited for the opportunities and strategic alignment that the Foundation’s relocation will provide, not just to the organizations located within the building, but also with other educational institutions and nonprofit organizations,” said James Pancoast, new chair of The Dayton Foundation’s Governing Board. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”

According to Michael Parks, president of The Dayton Foundation, the goals of moving the Foundation’s office are to provide better access to its charitable giving services and staff, as well as enhance collaborations with community partners who want to do good things for the region.

“The Foundation works with many organizations, including universities and colleges throughout Greater Dayton,” Mike said. “The location of the new building opens the door to developing an even deeper relationship with UD and looking for ways to leverage the collective talents of our many educational institutions to benefit leadership initiatives and other community projects

Plans for the 38,000-square-foot building include offices for the three organizations and a shared meeting/classroom space that also will accommodate community and nonprofit gatherings. The Foundation and the DDC have signed letters of intent to lease space, which is contingent upon the finalization of project details.

Said UD President Eric F. Spina, “These three organizations work on community and economic development from very different perspectives and can apply very different resources to some of the most important issues facing the community. Bringing the organizations under one roof is bound to foster innovative solutions and partnerships to address a variety of issues. We’re especially excited about new opportunities for experiential learning for our students and for the fresh energy and creative thought they can contribute to addressing these challenges.”

While each organization will maintain their separate operations and identities, partnering has the potential to move the needle on racial equity, intergenerational programming for older adults and community leadership initiatives, among other efforts.

The Fitz Center, named after the longest serving president of UD, Brother Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., Ph.D., partners with dozens of nonprofits, neighborhoods and government entities to provide community-based programs. Neighborhood School Centers, a strategic partnership with Dayton Public Schools and other nonprofits to establish public schools as hubs for healthy families, vibrant neighborhoods and powerful learning, and the River Stewards, an interdisciplinary program focused on leadership development and civic engagement, are two recent efforts supported by the Fitz Center and The Dayton Foundation. Both of these programs are having a marked impact on families and on cultivating the next generation of servant leaders.

Dayton Corps, an AmeriCorps program, is one of several community-service programs administered by the Fitz Center.

“We have historically worked together in meaningful ways for Dayton, and the Foundation has been instrumental in supporting and initiating Fitz Center programs,” said Hunter Phillips Goodman, executive director for the Fitz Center. “We have started talking about ways to deepen our partnership with the Foundation and the DDC and are thrilled about the prospects for shared student and community-learning opportunities.”

“Moving the Foundation’s office brings new opportunities to do even more good for the broader community through partnerships and programming,” Mike Parks said. “The timing was perfect, and we couldn’t be more excited at what our new location will mean for Greater Dayton and The Dayton Foundation.” ❧

About the Co-tenants

Fitz Center for Leadership in Community
The Fitz Center, named after the University of Dayton’s longest-serving president, Brother Raymond Fitz, S.M., Ph.D., cultivates servant leaders and creates just communities through reciprocal partnerships, engaged learning and scholarship, and community building. Its programs include the Rivers Institute and River Stewards, Semester of Service, Dayton Civic Scholars and the Dayton Corps.

Dayton Development Coalition
As the leading economic development organization for the 14-county Dayton Region, the DDC works closely with public and private regional partners to recruit, expand and retain jobs. It also focuses on advocating for the critical missions at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and supporting the work of the United States Air Force.

» Next Article