The application process to become a beneficiary of the Book Fair Foundation is outlined here, with an application form and guidelines posted below. The amount of the award is $10,000 per beneficiary, though we have been known to offer occasional smaller grants when the situation merits it.
If you have already been a recipient of a Book Fair Foundation grant, you must wait at least three years before applying again.
There are three requirements:
- Your group must be a registered organization in the State of Ohio.
- Your location must be within 25 miles of the city of Dayton
- You must be a 501c3.
The application process for 2026 will open November 15, 2025. Applications must be postmarked by Monday, January 5, 2026 or received at our 2181 Embury Park Rd. office or at Rabbit Hole Books by Friday, January 9, 2026 by close of business.
If you want to improve your chances for a successful application, please read the information below.
When the board meets to discuss the applicants they consider a number of factors:
- What kind of “match” the applicant feels like for us—does this seem like a group whose mission is in concert with our own?
- We also look at the 990-N documents that each organization has filed. Raising tens of thousands of dollars selling second hand books is hard work—we’d like the gift we give to have significant impact on the organizations we choose.
- If your annual budget is over 1.5 million dollars a year, you must specify a purpose for the grant to help us understand why a much larger organization needs our help. This doesn’t mean we won’t consider your application, only that we want to know specifically how we would make a difference to you.
- We really prefer to fund initiatives that are beyond the raising of awareness and funds.
- It’s possible that we may want to schedule an interview with finalists if we cannot agree on three. We get so many applications from wonderful organizations that choosing just three is quite a challenge.
If your organization is chosen, here are some points to be aware of:
- We require 60 volunteer hours from your organization. It can be four people for fifteen hours, two for thirty, one person for sixty hours—the volunteer hours can be at the sale, during the year at the Book Loft, at Rabbit Hole Books or a combination of any of these. Half of the hours should be at the 2026 Book Fair and at least six of those sixty hours must be fulfilled on Monday, November 16th, 2026.
- We would like you to help promote the 55th Annual Dayton Book Fair among your own volunteers, staff and fans—through your newsletter, website, Facebook page, Instagram, emails or tweets. We want the people who love your organization to help support you by supporting the Book Fair.
- We expect that a representative from your organization is present at the announcement of the beneficiaries—it’s a party!—so that you have an opportunity to say a little about what your organization does. And someone from your organization must appear to accept the check in February 2027. (You wouldn’t think we’d have to stipulate that, but one group didn’t bother.)
We will announce the beneficiaries of the 2025 Dayton Book Fair on or around February 2, 2026 on this website and on our Facebook page. Organizations chosen for this year will be contacted prior to that date.
And remember, if we don’t choose you this year, that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t choose you another year, so even if you are disappointed, be sure to apply again.
If you have questions, you’re welcome to call us (937) 999-4491 to talk to us or email us at daytonbookfair@gmail.com.
Please download the application form here:
Dayton Book Fair 