During the first half of 2011, The Dayton Foundation awarded more than $14 million in grants from donor funds to a wide variety of charitable organizations in the Greater Dayton Region and beyond. A portion of this amount was made through the Foundation’s discretionary grants program, made possible by donors who have provided unrestricted or largely unrestricted funds to The Dayton Foundation to act on opportunities for the community and address pressing needs throughout the region.

Discretionary grants are approved by the Foundation’s Governing Board to promote efforts in the areas of arts and culture, health, education, human services, philanthropy and other community-building endeavors in Greater Dayton. Recently the Foundation awarded $203,150 in discretionary grants to assist the following organizations in helping Greater Dayton.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Miami Valley ($20,250): To help implement a strategic plan to better address the needs of Dayton area youth by increasing the organization?s donor base and recruiting more volunteers.

Cityfolk ($20,000): To assist in partnering with The Muse Machine to enhance the arts education efforts in five Neighborhood School Centers that are Dayton Public Schools.

Community Health Centers of Greater Dayton ($25,000): To further the Center?s ability to provide affordable health care to individuals in need by offering full dental services to children and adults.

Comprehensive Community Child Care Organization ($22,900): To help improve the quality of early childhood education by providing scholarships to childcare center staff for specialized training.

Dayton Theatre Guild ($10,000): To aid in replacing the roof of the Guild?s Wayne Avenue location.

The Muse Machine ($25,000): To enhance in-school programming for middle school students, including creating radio documentaries with WYSO 91.3FM and various art projects in partnership with Wright State University.

Preble County Historical Society, Inc. ($25,000): To aid in building a multi-purpose outdoor amphitheater for community events and programming.

Sinclair Community College Foundation ($10,000): To help enhance the Project READ adult literacy program by converting a part-time position to full-time status.

Wright Dunbar, Inc. ($25,000): To assist in creating a behavioral health center in partnership with Wright State University's School of Professional Psychology, helping provide cutting-edge treatment for patients with brain disorders.