$1.5M available for community groups in northwest Dayton

Deadlines for grant applications come this month and next month
Omega CDC President Vanessa Ward talked to city leaders and community members about the launch of the Northwest Dayton Partnership on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2012. The event was held at the Dayton Metro Library-Northwest Branch. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

Omega CDC President Vanessa Ward talked to city leaders and community members about the launch of the Northwest Dayton Partnership on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2012. The event was held at the Dayton Metro Library-Northwest Branch. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

Community organizations that serve northwest Dayton could be eligible for a piece of nearly $1.5 million in grant funding for projects that seek to solve community challenges.

The Northwest Dayton Partnership, a collaboration between a variety of local organizations, has issued a request for proposals for projects that address one or more of a handful of core goals:

  • Build high-quality early childhood education for kids up to 5 years old;
  • Support high-performing public schools that serve students’ academic and social needs;
  • Align, support and implement place-based community revitalization activities;
  • Increase racial equity and economic mobility in northwest Dayton.

Learn to Earn and Northwest Dayton Partnership have obtained one-time, one-year grant funding to invest in community organizations.

Grant funds to be awarded are part of an $8 million effort to improve economic and racial equity in the northwest part of the city.

The geographic boundaries of the area being targeted for investment by the Northwest Dayton Partnership. CONTRIBUTED

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Grant investments are meant to build the capacity of community organizations, improve the quality of programs and services and produce long-term positive outcomes in the target geography.

“The Northwest Dayton Partnership and Learn to Earn Dayton want to help solve some of our communities’ stickiest problems, and we think the best way to do that is by asking residents to decide which proposals they want to fund,” said Learn to Earn Dayton CEO Kristina Scott in a prepared statement.

The application period began Thursday, and the online application deadline is Feb. 25.

An online informational session will be held on Jan. 21, and eligibility quiz is due by Jan. 28.

Learn to Earn will consider grant proposals of $5,000 or more, and residents and stakeholders helped create the application process and will help determine which projects to fund, officials said.

Key partners with the Northwest Dayton Partnership include Dayton Public Schools, Omega CDC and Preschool Promise.

DPS will receive support benefitting six schools serving northwest Dayton students. Omega CDC will receive support for its new Hope Center for Families.

Preschool Promise will get $2.2 million to help families afford child care for very young children and other initiatives.

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