Types of Grants

In the last decade, The Dayton Foundation and its donors have awarded more than $494 million to worthy causes in Greater Dayton and beyond. These grants help support and promote arts and culture, health, education, human services and other community-building endeavors.

We offer several different grant opportunities to help you help others. Below are the details for each type of grant the Foundation offers. These specifics will help you determine which opportunity is best for your organization.

Greenlight Grants

Greenlight Grants are small, quick grants awarded to local, nonprofit organizations in need of funding for special projects, program expansions, capital improvements or capacity building. Greenlight Grants are not for ongoing operations.

• This competitive grant opportunity is designed to fund qualified grant requests from $500 - $7,500.
• All applicants will be notified within two weeks of the deadline as to whether or not a grant has been awarded.
• The size and number of grant awards are directly related to the amount of money available each year and the restrictions donors have placed upon the uses of certain funds.

Discretionary Grants

We award grants to a full spectrum of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organizations – from social service to the arts to health and the environment – based upon worthy community efforts and the greatest community need. Generally grants are awarded to help launch new projects not addressed by existing organizations or to support special efforts of already-established not-for-profit organizations in the Dayton Region. The programs we consider for discretionary support are located primarily in Montgomery, Miami, Greene, Darke, Preble and Warren (north) counties.

The Dayton Foundation has designed a streamlined process to help you apply for a discretionary grant. Please review the following grant guidelines and application procedures. The size and number of grants awarded varies for each grant cycle. This is directly related to the amount of money available and the restrictions our donors place upon the use of certain funds. Additionally, grant awards typically do not exceed 25 percent of a project’s total budget and/or $75,000.

Foundation Funds that Accept Grant Applications

There are a number of funds established at The Dayton Foundation that not-for-profit organizations may apply to for grants. Brief descriptions and contact information for these funds are listed on the Funds that Accept Grant Requests page.

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