Harnessing the power of philanthropic resources through collaborations and leadership initiatives is at the heart of The Dayton Foundation’s mission. In this column, I’d like to focus on how this work, made possible by funding from our generous donors and efforts from our Community Engagement staff and collaborative partners, is making a significant impact on some of our region’s most challenging issues and opportunities. Leading the charge is Barbra Stonerock, vice president of Community Engagement, along with her team, who work hand in hand with nonprofit and community organizations to make Greater Dayton better for all.
In addition to grantmaking, how does The Dayton Foundation help local nonprofits help others?
Barbra: Our nonprofit partners have boots on the ground, working with the underserved and making our community a great place to live. The Community Engagement department is here to help them help others. In addition to working with our nonprofit partners through our new, simplified grantmaking process, we also dedicate one-on-one time to understanding each nonprofit’s needs and how we can connect them to other tools and resources. This can be technical assistance, capacity building, advice or counsel.
Barbra Stonerock (front left) with Learn to Earn Dayton staff at the StriveTogether Conference in 2024
As we deepen and center our relationships with nonprofits, we want to spend less time managing the grantmaking process and more time uncovering how we can partner to deliver impact. Our door is always open for conversation, as that’s where we learn about the community’s needs.
How does The Dayton Foundation foster partnerships and collaborations to make a greater impact on Greater Dayton?
Barbra: Our operating model for accelerating impact is through partnership and collaboration. Partners bring not only financial resources and in-kind services, but also intellectual and social capital. It starts with one meeting, then more meetings, and more and more partners hopping aboard asking, “How can we help?” It’s the power of compounding for the good of our community!
“Our door is always open for conversation, as that’s where we learn about the community’s needs.”
– Barbra Stonerock, vice president of Community Engagement, The Dayton Foundation
Our current initiatives are the Brain Health Collective, Del Mar Encore Fellows, Employers’ Workforce Coalition, Institute for Livable & Equitable Communities, Learn to Earn Dayton and the Nonprofit Capacity- Building Partnership. The Dayton Foundation’s total investment to date for these initiatives is nearly $4.2 million. Additionally, the leveraged partner investment is $21.5 million. Numerous in-kind support includes loaned executives, technical assistance, data services, office space, interns and research. This is remarkable and shows the collective impact that pooling our resources can have on addressing critical community issues.
How are these leadership initiatives inspiring change in Greater Dayton?
Barbra: Let’s discuss a few examples. Five years ago, only 12 communities were listed on the Coalition of Age-Friendly Communities of Ohio map. Today, there are 36 communities, with 15 of those located in southwest Ohio. This represents about 42 percent of all Age-Friendly Communities in Ohio. Dayton Foundation partner Don Ambrose and his Del Mar Healthcare Fund support a grantmaking process to help local cities attain this designation. He also funds a Del Mar Encore Fellow, who supports the effort through the Institute for Livable & Equitable Communities. We are making incredible strides to create livable communities for people of all ages using an age-friendly lens.
Another longtime Dayton Foundation initiative driving change locally is Learn to Earn Dayton. In 2024, eight nonprofits, supported by the organization’s Northwest Dayton Community Investment Fund, offered innovative programming to serve more than 4,800 individuals, thanks to nearly $640,000 in grants. These grants were made possible by the Community Investment Fund, supported in part by The Dayton Foundation. The Fund empowers Northwest Dayton residents, who have knowledge of their neighborhood’s needs and opportunities, to make funding decisions about which nonprofit organizations to support.
The impact from other initiatives includes developing ongoing events and resources for individuals and families impacted by traumatic brain injuries through the Brain Health Collective; bolstering the pipeline of skilled workers in our region through the Employers’ Workforce Coalition; and strengthening local nonprofit organizations that serve our region’s most vulnerable populations through the Nonprofit Capacity-Building Partnership, a collaboration with the Mathile Family Foundation.
What are some ways that individuals can get involved?
Barbra: There are several ways you can support this important work. One, you can contact a member of our development department to establish a Community Impact Endowment or Field-of-Interest Fund. These fund options provide little to no restrictions on how the income may be used in awarding grants to nonprofit organizations and enable the Foundation to lift up leadership initiatives and address pressing community needs and opportunities in Greater Dayton.
If you’re a Donor-Advised Fund holder through The Dayton Foundation, you can contact Jill Koorndyk, vice president of donor services, to become a Partner in Giving and join with the Foundation to bring local projects and initiatives to fruition.
And finally, if you are interested in serving as a Del Mar Encore Fellow or have a particular interest in one of our initiatives, we encourage you to reach out to a member of our Community Engagement department. Your assistance in helping us address Greater Dayton’s most emerging needs and opportunities will help make a better community for all our region’s citizens, not just for today, but for future generations as well.
Interested in supporting our impactful leadership initiatives or competitive grantmaking processes in one of the ways outlined in this column? Contact Barbra Stonerock at bstonerock@daytonfoundation.org or (937) 225-9951.
Michael M. Parks, CFRE
President