Grants
Do you have a project that will positively affect the lives of children in the Dayton, Ohio area or an organization that enriches the lives of children? Please fill out a grant application. Do you know of an organization that could use our help? Please pass along our information.
Grant Application: download the grant application and email it to grants@markkreusch.com.
Community Service Scholarships
2025
Providing support to even more this year by partnering with more than 15 organizations in the greater Ohio area.
10 organizations in the greater Ohio area received funding from MAK.
2024
Boys and Girls Club Dayton
BGCD offers high-quality after school and summer programming in a safe space for youth in grades K-12. The grant will fund their incentives for Club members, Youth of the Month celebrations, fuel and maintenance costs for transportation vans and gift cards.
Dance Stomp Shake
Dance, Stomp, Shake is committed to empowering young people through arts-based initiatives. They amplify the voices of young artists from diverse backgrounds and inspires them to explore their creative passions. A dance contest is conducted with prior workshop and in-school programs to teach hip-hop to those that do not have access to such classes. This grant provides tickets to this “dance battle” for those students that could not have attended otherwise.
Boundless
Children attending Boundless are autistic with varying levels of the spectrum who may be having struggles in the traditional classroom setting, no verbal communication skills, challenges with regulating emotions, self-harming tendencies, a lack of toilet training, and more. The team of educators and therapists use a mix of art, music, games, outdoor adventures, and more to practice emotional management, increase positive behavior, achieve academic gains, enhance communication skills, and improve self-esteem and confidence. This year the MAK Fund is sponsoring their prom which will enable their students the opportunity to attend and enjoy prom.
Camp Joy
Scholarships will be provided for the Fostering Success and Respite Program which provides foster youth with a wide range of engaging activities, such as archery, arts and crafts, sports, games, swimming, canoeing, fishing, challenge rope courses, wilderness survival skills, map reading and more. Despite campers facing sometimes overwhelming trauma and triggers, Camp Joy provides the safe and consistent environment that they greatly need. Foster campers will attend weekend or weeklong camping experiences.
Girls On The Run
GOTR project, Expanding Access To Girls on the Run Programs, aims to expand sites where their programs are offered. Their goal is to provide financial assistance and ensure that every girl who wants to participate has the opportunity to do so. The grant provides 10 scholarships for girls to participate in the GOTR program in 2025.
Victory Project
The MAK Fund was able to provide funding for the monthly team building activities that are scheduled for these young men at Victory Project. The Victory Project opened a second location in West Dayton in late 2023 and this allowed them to serve twice as many young men as in previous years. Each month the program directors are encouraged to take their team out for a team building activity to encourage comradery and bonding among the students and the staff. Team building outings typically incorporate dinner together, followed by a fun activity.
Coming Soon
A special selection made by the board.
Coming Soon
A special selection made by the board.
Coming Soon
A special selection made by the board.
Mark’s Place
Mark’s Place is a playground at the beach on Shawnee Lake. The Shawnee Hills Boat and Water Ski Club built a playground to honor the memory of Mark after his death. After more than 15 years, the equipment needs to be replaced. The community has raised over half the money for this renovation and our grant provides the remaining funding for the equipment. Now, children will continue to enjoy this beautiful playground!
KIND
Kid In New Directions (KIND) is an after-school program with almost 70 children in attendance, KIND provides these children with the tools, ability, and motivation to break through the generational poverty cycle. With the goal to teach the children that is it possible and achievable to succeed! Before going home for the evening, the children sit down to a warm dinner and are offered as many helping as they need. These same students often go home to a house without enough food for their family. The grant provides the initial funds to start their nutrition program that will extend to the children’s homes and provide healthy meals to their families during the week. With this fund, KIND has secured other grants to fulfill the needs of the 100+ family members!
Crayons to Classroom
C2C mission is to secure and distribute school supplies at no cost to teachers and students in need. Teachers from eligible school are invited to visit C2C’s Teacher Resource Center, a free store for teachers, twice per school year to choose supplies for their students and classrooms. Our grant helps purchase these supplies for the Teacher Resource Center.
Centerville Washington Park District
CWPD is placing Communication Boards at five Community Park playgrounds. A communication board is a valuable tool for inclusive play at playgrounds because it enables nonverbal or speech-impaired children to express themselves, communicate their needs, and engage with others. This will also tie directly to a value of CWPD which is creating positive memories. Our grant provides funding for two communication boards.
United Way of the Greater Dayton Area
The Freedom School is part of the United Way of the Greater Dayton Area. This is s summer school that relies on integrated reading curriculum and the development of positive relationships with their teachers to nurture scholars, improve their academic performance and reading abilities, learn through educational activities and field trips, advocate for themselves and their communities and engage with their peers. All students are welcome to attend regardless of ability to pay. Our grant provides new books for the students.
GEM
(Goal Everyone Matters)
The GEM Art contest for Suicide Prevention offers peer-to-peer suicide prevention. The contest is open to students in grades 6-12 in the greater Miami Valley. GEM encourages conversations about suicide and mental health with students who create the images, and their peers, parents, teachers, and countless other people who see their artwork. The grant is used for prizes for the art contest winners.
Brigid’s Path
As in 2024, our grant aided in the mission to improve the health of newborn babies and mothers impacted by addiction. Brigid’s Path is currently working toward receiving Medicaid reimbursement and anticipates the funding to start in 2026. Our grant helps fill the gap between current operations created by this issue.
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
In 2012, leadership of the Dayton Opera, Dayton Ballet and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra created the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA). This is a one-of-a-kind merger – in no other city can performing arts lovers experience the dramatic collaboration with the range and depth of experience offered here. This grant provides funding to bring the arts to five more classrooms this year!