The Dayton Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 316027287
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Dayton, Ohio, United States
- Phone
- (937) 222-0410
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Community Foundations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $131,240,042
- Expenses
- $51,461,325
- Assets
- $771,164,625
- Liabilities
- $169,771,057
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
23 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MICHAEL M PARKS (PRESIDENT/SECRETARY)
Highest reported compensation
- MICHAEL M PARKS (PRESIDENT/SECRETARY): $953,481 total reported compensation
- MICHELLE LOVELY (VP DEVELOPMENT AND DONOR SERVICES): $244,926 total reported compensation
- AMY WAGNER (SENIOR VP OF OPERATIONS): $218,568 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To help position our region for a stronger future, we help create and fund strategic initiatives and special efforts focused on improving the quality of life for Greater Dayton residents.
What it reported doing in 2024
Program expenses such as personnel costs, brochures, website services, mailing costs, appraisals and other costs associated with contributions to a fund, and similar expenses directly related to the charitable purpose of the fund.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 64% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 86% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 65
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 84
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 48.1%; rating input score 48
- Program expense ratio: 84.3%; rating input score 84
- Fundraising efficiency: $220.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 95%; rating input score 95; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 87.6%; rating input score 88; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 60.8%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 14.99; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.9%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
- Where the money goes: 48.1% of revenue deployed · 84.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $43.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $953K · 23 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $782K reported
- Consistency: 40 of 41 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 597 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 601 filed related-organization links
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 48/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.