Community Investment Fund

As part of our commitment to place-based work and centering community voice, Learn to Earn Dayton has worked with many partners and leveraged multiple investments to launch a grant opportunity for deeply connected, yet historically under-resourced organizations to build their capacity.

The Community Investment Fund (CIF) first launched in 2021, when Learn to Earn Dayton committed $1.45 million of its Blue Meridian Partners investment to improve outcomes in education, community well-being, racial equity, and economic mobility for Northwest Dayton’s children and families. That program empowered 18 residents to use their deep knowledge of the needs and opportunities within their own neighborhoods to provide funding, technical assistance, and professional development to help 28 local nonprofits to build their capacity and ensure sustainability. In 2023, a second round funded by The Dayton Foundation and generous companies, foundations, and individuals, invested more than $630,000 to support eight local organizations as they worked to implement projects aligned with the Power of Place plan.

This trust-based philanthropy is a game-changer in our region, serving as a tangible example of the good that is possible when you put the power of philanthropy in the hands of the neighbors benefiting from the proposed programs.

Thank you to the residents who served on the Review Panels, including:

Rachel Cochran, Angela Collie, La’Keshia Copeland, Emily Gomez, Jerome Haney, Jayceon Harris, Dorinda Hill, Geneva Hinton, Ashton Hood, Marian Horton, Diedre Keith, Audrey Logan, Alisha Mason, Dedra Porter, Christopher Raines, Elexus Renner, John Terrell, and Carlton Williams

Thank you to the following partners who generously donated to center the philanthropic power for decision making to the residents who live in Northwest Dayton.