The Ross and Ruth Downing Family Foundation believes strongly that the future of this nation depends upon the creation of enhanced education and support for children and their families–using a two-generational approach.
In particular, we are focused on strengthening the breadth of programs for children in the Dayton area although we may also expand these efforts to other communities where the foundation’s Board of Trustee members live or work.
We provide support for groups working on collaborative impact models with clear evaluation designs and the intent to accurately measure progress achieving child, family or community outcomes. We work with groups who involve parents and older youth–including young adults in the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of services.
Collective impact models might measure gains in lowering infant mortality and low birth weight infants. Other measures include increasing school readiness, increasing the numbers of children who read proficiently in third grade and those who proficient in math at eighth grade. Other indicators might include high school graduation, completion of ACT/SAT, attainment of college credits while in high school, college enrollment and completion of a post-secondary degree or certificate within six years of graduation from high school. Other measures that we work with programs to consider include acquisition of developmental assets, social and emotional resiliency, parental involvement, and reduction of juvenile and adult crime.
In supporting these efforts, we help with documents and helping communities increase the financial support for holistic solutions to the issues facing children and families. This has included the development of plans and documents to support these initiatives.