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community benefit

ensuring children’s health beyond the hospital walls

Dayton Children’s was built on the hopes and dreams of some very dedicated community leaders who wanted a children’s hospital in this region so children did not have to travel far for specialized health care. With this founding spirit, Dayton Children’s continues to deliver on its mission to improve the health status of all children in our region.

As the region’s only pediatric hospital, we:

  • Serve as the community's safety net hospital by caring for all children regardless of their ability to pay, while providing and subsidizing hospital and community-based services that are either limited or unavailable elsewhere in our community.
  • Serve as a voice for children through public policy advocacy to change laws, policies or systems leading to the improvement of health and safety for children and families.
  • Join with community partners and lend support throughout our region to improve the lives of children and their families.
  • Train future doctors and health care professionals to become the next generation of high quality, professional pediatric experts.

At Dayton Children’s we are committed to living our mission of the relentless pursuit of optimal health for every child within our reach. Our community benefit activities demonstrate this commitment to our community’s children. We make these investments in the community through programs and partnerships that impact children’s health where they live, grow and play!

Based on our Community Health Needs Assessment, Dayton Children’s identifies the region’s most pressing child health and safety issues and creates an implementation plan in which we build our community benefit activities.

community benefit report 

Our most recent Community Benefit Report shows a $63 million investment in the community. Discover more about this investment and read about our community impact in the 2022-2023 Community Benefit Report.

See our most recent 990’s for a full listing of our community benefit activities.

FY2021-2022

FY2020-2021

FY2019-2020

FY 2018-2019

FY 2017-2018

FY 2016-2017

FY 2015-2016

FY 2014-2015

FY 2013-2014

FY 2012-2014

FY 2011-2012

community benefit contributions

Dayton Children’s community benefit contributions support organizations in our 20-County service region that help us realize our mission of relentlessly pursuing optimal health for all children within our reach. It takes a community working together to ensure children are healthy and safe where they live, learn, and play. As part of our commitment to the community, Dayton Children’s allocates our “community benefit” funding to organizations that are working to improve the lives of children and families in our service region.

who is eligible to apply for a grant? 

Organizations that received an FY24 (July 1, 2023- June 30, 2024) community benefit contributions grant are ineligible to submit an application for the FY25 application window. 

how to apply for a grant:

Organizations can learn more about this funding opportunity by reading our community benefit contributions guidelines. The FY25 (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025) application window opens on  April 15, 2024, and will close on June 30, 2024. Organizations who wish to apply for a Dayton Children's community benefit contributions grant can do so by completing the community benefit contributions application.

 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 

community benefit contributions F.A.Q.

How are funding decisions made for the grants? 

Funding decisions are made by the Community Benefits Subcommittee of the Board of Trustees of Dayton Children’s Hospital (or designees). The amount and number of contribution awards vary year to year. Awards are typically in the range of $2,500 to $12,000. The Community Benefits Subcommittee reserves the right to make exceptions to the application process. 

Who should apply for the grants? 

To be eligible for funds your organization must: 

  • Be legally organized to be a not-for-profit organization.
    • An organization without 501(c)3 status can apply if it finds a 501(c)3 organization willing to sponsor its application by serving as a fiscal agent. A fiscal agent agreement must be established between the two parties before submission of a grant application.
  • Benefit the health of children and families in the Dayton Children’s 20-county service area

We generally do not fund: 

  • Individuals 
  • Organizations that only serve adults 
  • General organizational operations 
  • Organizations that discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, veteran status or any applicable federal, state or local laws 
  • Operational deficits or reduced or lost funding 
  • Endowment funds 
  • Affiliates of labor organizations 
  • Golf tournaments and/or outings 
  • Hospitals and universities for internal programs 
  • Matching grants (unless local dollars are needed to fulfill a condition for a state or federal grant) 
  • Publications, including books, reports, research papers 
  • National and or state health organizations 
  • Organizations that only benefit a few people 
  • Organizations raising money for second party giving for community purposes 
  • Political organizations, candidates for political office and organizations whose primary purpose is to influence legislation. With certain, limited exceptions, we do not support campaigns for which we have to create employee teams to raise additional funds for an organization. 
  • Scholarships and travel grants 

What are the funding categories? 

community health improvement services

These activities are carried out to improve community health, extend beyond patient care activities, and are subsidized by the organization. Such services do not generate patient care bills although they may involve a nominal fee.  

Specific community health programs and activities to quantify include: 

  • Community health education. 
  • Community-based clinical services, such as health services and screenings for underinsured and uninsured persons. 
  • Support groups. 
  • Health care support services, such as enrollment assistance in public programs and transportation efforts. 
  • Self-help programs, such as smoking cessation and weight loss programs. 

community building activities 

Community-building activities improve the community’s health and safety by addressing the root causes of health problems, such as poverty, homelessness, and environmental hazards. These activities strengthen the community’s capacity to promote the health and well-being of its residents by offering the expertise and resources of the health care organization. Costs for these activities include cash and in-kind donations and expenses for the development of a variety of community-building programs and partnerships. 

How can my organization apply for the community benefit contributions grants? 

The proposal must answer the following: 

  • Describe your organization’s qualifications, history and experience serving families and children. 
  • Summary of your proposed project or program. 
  • What data and evidence are there to suggest this project or program will address the recognized need? 
  • Describe your organization's history and capacity to execute this program. 
  • What is the program or project timeline for implementation? 
  • What are the specific quantifiable benefits of the program? (Number of children served, etc.) 
  • How does the project or program address health disparities? 
  • How will this program help your organization address a community health need identified in Dayton Children's Community Health Needs Assessment and/or other key community benefits we look for in a project or program? 

Good example of alignment: Program X will address mental health concerns for children. 

Great example of alignment: During the afterschool program, Program X will deliver an evidenced-based curriculum aimed at reducing mental health stigma and building resiliency which aligns with the Dayton Children’s CHNA priority area of improving mental health and addiction outcomes. 

 

 
 
 
 
 

contact us

If you have additional questions about our community benefit please contact Jessica Salem at salemj@childrensdayton.org

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