Recent discretionary grants help build a better community.
The Dayton Foundation recently awarded $329,438 in discretionary grants that were approved by the Foundation’s Governing Board to assist Greater Dayton charities. Additionally, grants totaling $101,161 were awarded through the Foundation’s Greenlight Grants℠ program to benefit area nonprofits.
The Foundation’s discretionary and Greenlight Grants programs are made possible by donors who have provided unrestricted or lightly restricted funds. These funds enable the Foundation to act on opportunities for the
community and address pressing needs throughout the region.
Athletes in Action Sports Complex & Retreat Center ($9,552) to replace mattresses and mattress covers to maintain a high-quality and comfortable environment for overnight guests
Dayton Dream Center ($25,000) to transition the Adopt-A-Block program, which addresses addiction, homelessness and more in East Dayton, into a permanent initiative that creates lasting community impact
Learn to Earn Dayton
Learn to Earn Dayton ($70,000) to expand the Access to Counsel program citywide to address housing instability and the impact it has on student attendance and success
Mission of Mary Cooperative ($60,000) to purchase and renovate a home in Dayton’s Twin Towers neighborhood to provide affordable, high-quality housing for interns and seasonal staff
Northeast Churches Emergency Center ($13,986) to assist with building improvements, including exterior enhancements and restroom renovations
OH Taste Foundation
OH Taste Foundation ($60,000) to support Phase 2 of the 6888 Kitchen Incubator that helps food industry entrepreneurs grow their businesses
Pink Ribbon Good, Inc. ($50,000) to purchase a renovated office building in Troy, which will serve as the organization’s national headquarters
We Care Arts, Inc.
We Care Arts, Inc. ($40,900) to enhance the organization’s capacity to meet the rising demand for trauma-informed arts programming for adults with developmental disabilities, mental health conditions and substance use disorders
Greenlight Grant Awards
Darke County Historical Society, Inc. ($4,300) to repair a handicap-accessible ramp and safety railings at the museum
Dayton Society of Artists ($7,500) to replace windows and upgrade the air conditioning system
Dignity Exchange ($1,500) to purchase shelving units and office equipment
Eastmont United Methodist Church ($3,197) to design and implement a new website that will assist with fundraising for the construction of three new duplexes for women, children and pets
Eastway Corporation ($7,500) to assist with a commercial kitchen renovation
Emerge Recovery & Trade Initiative
Emerge Recovery & Trade Initiative ($7,400) to equip the Automotive Service Technician Program on the Emerge campus to prepare up to 24 students annually for automotive careers
Flourishing Under Distress Given Encouragement, Inc. ($7,500) to create a full-service resource center that supports programming and technology for the community
4 Paws for Ability, Inc. ($5,000) to resurface and upgrade the parking lot to ensure safe, accessible and equitable access
Greater Dayton Union Cooperative Initiative DBA Co-op Dayton ($5,000) to support The Co-op Games, an interactive training model that teaches cooperative governance, democratic decision-making and business financial literacy
Kids Read Now ($5,500) to develop, translate and pilot four financial literacy training modules for bilingual families
Muse Museum
Muse Machine ($7,500) to support the 2026 Summer Institute, a free professional development program for educators focused on integrating documentary filmmaking into the classroom
Piqua Arts Council
Piqua Arts Council ($4,000) to engage experienced consultants to help the organization through a period of growth and transition, supporting the expansion of programming and increasing access to the arts for Miami County residents
Rehabilitation Center for Neurological Development ($896) to purchase an innovative, light-based reaction training system that enhances neurodevelopmental therapy and educational interventions for individuals with neurological conditions
St. Vincent de Paul Society ($7,500) to improve the accessibility and efficiency of the kitchens at the DePaul Center supportive housing facility
A Special Wish Foundation of Southwest Ohio ($6,000) to create a professional, user-friendly website
StoryChain ($4,000) to launch a new literacy program that allows children to record stories for their incarcerated parents, adapting the successful model long used to connect incarcerated mothers and fathers with their children
United Missionary Baptist Church
United Missionary Baptist Church ($6,368) to purchase, deliver and install two commercial-grade deep freezers
Valor Therapeutics, Inc. ($3,000) to implement Soul Recovery, an innovative, trauma-informed therapeutic program for justice-involved veterans participating in veterans treatment courts
Violence Free Futures ($5,000) to replace the existing residential-grade toilets in its domestic violence shelter with commercial-grade, high-pressure flushing toilets
With God’s Grace Mobile Food Pantry ($2,500) to purchase refrigerators and shelving units for the pantry
These grants were made possible thanks to the following Unrestricted or Field-of-Interest funds of The Dayton Foundation.
Fred and Joy Bartenstein Fund
Joyce M. Bowden and Adam M. Lutynski Fund
Coen Family Fund for the Arts
Martha J. DeBold Legacy Fund
The Eckstein Community Fund
Dr. Sylvan Eller Legacy Fund
Gretchen W. “Jinx” Fensel Fund
Mr. and Mrs. John B. Greene Fund
James P. Hudson Legacy Fund
Edward L. and Esther B. Kohnle Fund
Ray Loughman Fund
The Robert and Jean Penny Endowment Fund
The Mary and Richard Pryor Fund
Nancy and Neal Reichelt Community Endowment
Hyde E. Ruble and Eleanor F. Ruble Fund
Delphin T. and Marilyn K. Shannon Fund
Caroline Patterson Shaw Memorial Fund
James W. Simovart Charitable Fund
Marianna F. Slanker Family Fund
Edith Slutzker Fund
Donald M. and Dorothea Hunt Spindler Endowment Fund
The Mark C. Thompson Legacy Fund
Harry A. Toulmin, Jr., and Virginia B. Toulmin Fund
Werner C. and Juliet V. Triftshouser Fund
Woodhull Family Fund