Priority Needs Fund

The Priority Needs Fund is an initiative of The Troy Foundation, established by its Governing Board in response to the results of a 2020 Community Needs Assessment conducted by Measurement Resources Company. In 2021, the Foundation allocated $260,000 to the fund, followed by an additional $385,189 in December 2022. As of 2025, more than $330,000 has already been awarded to support programs addressing the most urgent community needs in Troy, Ohio. The fund is managed by the Foundation’s Distribution Committee, which is responsible for evaluating and approving grant applications aligned with the fund's goals. The fund’s purpose is to provide financial support to organizations tackling critical issues in Troy, as identified in the 2020 needs assessment. The four priority areas are public transportation, childcare, behavioral and mental health, and affordable housing. These focus areas were chosen based on significant community input and survey data, where 65% of respondents cited transportation as a need, 63% pointed to childcare, 56% to affordable housing, and 42% to behavioral and mental health services. The fund aims to help overcome systemic barriers in these areas through collaborative and inclusive programming that incorporates diversity, equity, and inclusion principles. Applicants are encouraged to submit projects that use collaborative methods and demonstrate how they address barriers faced by diverse populations. The Foundation seeks applications that detail how the project will serve residents of different income levels, racial backgrounds, disabilities, education levels, ages, and language groups. Programs should aim to make Troy more equitable by reducing disparities in access and service provision. The Priority Needs Fund follows the same application deadlines and review process as The Troy Foundation’s General Fund. Grant deadlines are quarterly, with applications due on February 18, May 15, August 15, and November 17 by 11:59 PM. Applications are reviewed in the month following each deadline. Written notification of funding decisions will be provided within ten days of the grant review meeting. Approved applicants must complete a Grant Acceptance Form before receiving funds and submit a Final Report Narrative within 90 days of receiving the grant or at the project’s conclusion. Applications can be submitted alongside regular applications for the Foundation’s quarterly funding cycles. All submissions should include clear breakdowns of the demographics served and a plan for evaluating project impact. Recipients are required to submit impact statements and photographs suitable for use in the Foundation’s social media and annual reports. Collaborative proposals that include more than one organization working together to address a need are especially encouraged and may receive preference during the evaluation process. Interested applicants seeking clarification should contact the Foundation’s Grants Manager. As of the latest update, the listed contact is Nathan Kleptz, reachable by phone at 937-339-8935 or by email at nkleptz@thetroyfoundation.org. In some documentation, Lucas Keller is also listed as Grants Manager with the same phone number and the email lkeller@thetroyfoundation.org, indicating a potential staff transition or shared role. For full eligibility requirements and detailed submission guidelines, applicants should refer to the Priority Needs Fund Grant Information and Guidelines document.

Include collaborative approaches; apply a DEI lens throughout proposal