AES Ohio Foundation awards $1.4 million in grants to area non-profits

January 29, 2025

The AES Ohio Foundation Board of Directors announced the approval of more than $1.4 million in grants to 54 organizations in the 2024 application cycle. These grants, representing investments in West Central Ohio communities, have been awarded to local organizations in the 24-county AES Ohio service territory.

To strengthen our alignment and recognize the emerging challenges facing our communities, the Board evaluated and revised its priorities for the first time in several years to better address current needs. Rooted in three longstanding priorities—Education and Employment Readiness, Health and Human Services, and The Arts—the Board introduced Urgent Community Needs as a fourth priority for 2024. This new category acknowledges growing concerns like rising eviction rates and the shortage of affordable workforce housing, ensuring the Foundation’s resources are directed where they are most needed.

“Our communities are at a crossroads, facing significant challenges that require innovative solutions and immediate support,” said David Crusey, AES Ohio Foundation Board Chair. “The new Urgent Community Needs category is our way of adapting to those realities to align with our local partners and business leaders. Whether it’s removing barriers to opportunity, improving access to health care, or strengthening our cultural fabric, these grants represent investments in building a brighter future for West Central Ohio.”

Since 1985, the AES Ohio Foundation has awarded over $46.7 million in grants to area non-profits making a lasting positive impact in the communities where we live, work and serve. The Foundation is intentional to keep every grant dollar local and we are pleased to continue the longstanding tradition of helping deliver innovative programs and services.

Fourteen of the grants are significant awards known as Power Grants totaling $822,000. These grants support partners in implementing strategic programs within the community, fostering sustainability and engaging AES Ohio people in their organizations.

The AES Ohio Foundation Power Grant recipients are:

  • $120,000 Dayton Performing Art Alliance
  • $75,000 Dayton Children’s Hospital
  • $75,000 Greater Dayton Public Television, ThinkTV
  • $52,000 University of Dayton
  • $50,000 American Red Cross Miami Valley Chapter
  • $50,000 Boys and Girls Club of Dayton
  • $50,000 Clothes That Work
  • $50,000 Dayton Art Institute
  • $50,000 Dayton Live
  • $50,000 East End Community Services
  • $50,000 The Foodbank Dayton
  • $50,000 United Way of Greater Dayton
  • $50,000 Wright State University Foundation
  • $50,000 WYSO Public Radio

 

Additional awards were granted to multiple organizations, including 12 new non-profits, whose purposes range from supporting employment readiness to eviction advocacy. These include:

  • Agape for Youth
  • Bottom Line
  • County Corp
  • Darke County Economic Development
  • House of Bread
  • Learn to Earn
  • Lifecare Alliance (Diabetes Dayton)
  • Mission of Mary Cooperative
  • Preble County Art Association
  • Shoes 4 the Shoeless
  • Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE)
  • Wilberforce University

 

At AES Ohio, we encourage our people to be active participants in the communities we serve and recognize that fostering a spirit of engagement builds stronger, more resilient communities. Learn more on our AES Ohio Community Engagement website.

 

AES Ohio does not pass on the cost of its community investments or advertising to customers.

 

About The AES Ohio Foundation
The AES Ohio Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation established in 1985 to invest in our communities and contribute to the improvement of the overall quality of life. The AES Ohio Foundation focuses its grants on the following strategic areas: Education and Workforce readiness, Health and Human Services, The Arts and Urgent Community Needs. Since its inception, The AES Ohio Foundation has gifted over $46.7 million in grants to the community. To learn more, visit aes-ohio.com/community.

About AES Ohio
AES Ohio is a subsidiary of The AES Corporation and provides regulated electric utility service to more than 539,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 6,000-square-mile service area in West Central Ohio. Our people operate and maintain more than 1,600 miles of transmission lines, 13,000 miles of overhead distribution lines, 4,500 miles of underground distribution lines and 160 substations feeding 490 distribution circuits. Learn more about how AES Ohio is accelerating the future of energy, visit aes-ohio.com. Connect with AES Ohio on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn.