The Funk Hall of Fame &amp; Exhibition Center is a labor of love for volunteers in Dayton, Ohio, across the United States, and around the world – reflecting the worldwide reach and love for this iconic art form. Why Dayton?  Dayton holds a special place in the history of Funk music.  A wealth of exemplary Funk musicians hailed from Dayton.  The chart-topping bands with roots in Dayton include The Ohio Players, Slave, Roger Troutman and the Human Body, Zapp, Heatwave, Lakeside, Faze-O, Shirley Murdock, Van Hunt, Dayton, Sun, The Majestics, Overnight Low, New Horizons, Aurra, Deja, Junie Morrison, and more. Ohio has produced other stellar performers including Vesta, The Isley Brothers, Bootsie Collins, The O’Jays, The Deele, Cab Calloway, House Guest, The Pacemakers, The Dazz Band, and the incomparable Nancy Wilson.  This wealth of outstanding talent makes it clear that Ohio is the heartbeat of the nation’s Funk music revolution, and Dayton is its nerve center. TheFunkCenter got its first physical start as a nine-month exhibit at the Northwest Branch of the Dayton Metro Library – located just blocks away from the famed Troutman Recording Studio and in the same neighborhood where members of the original Ohio Players practiced in their garage.  This sneak peek of just a sampling of the memorabilia garnered support and attention to help ensure that these musicians not be forgotten and these gems remain hidden no longer. From December 2017 until March 2019, TheFunkCenter operated a museum in Downtown Dayton featuring an impressive and growing collection of memorabilia viewed by about 6,000 visitors.  These included youth groups as well as Funk fans from as far away as England, Japan, and Germany. TheFunkCenter greatly appreciates the time in that space, but the landlords are renovating the building to market rate space that just isn’t in the budget of our fledgling organization.  And, so many musicians and their family members came through the space that the collection has grown.  Only a fraction of the 1,000 artifacts could be displayed in the 7,000 square foot space. So now it is time to find our permanent home.  And we need your help. Want to join me in making a difference? We are raising money to benefit The Funk Music Hall of Fame &amp; Exhibition Center (TheFunkCenter), and any donation will help make an impact. Our goal for this campaign is to raise the $50,000 match required to leverage a $100,000 state grant for capital improvements.  That means for every dollar you donate leverages $2 more.  That’s a great return on your charitable investment.  No gift is too large or too small. So we are calling on all music lovers … not just Funk fans … to help us reach our goal.  Our need is urgent.  The dollars are needed now.  We will be good stewards of the funding to secure a home where we can honor the Funk legends and encourage youth to continue and build on the Funk tradition.  With your help, we can light the Funk music scene on FIRE! Thank you in advance for your contribution and support.

Fred Williams

Anonymous

Joan Eisenstodt

Ric Frank 

Varinia E.

Lisa Tedesco-Metzger

Imani Donald

George Darden

Scot Brown

Jewel Gray

Lauren Landes

B Crittenden Freeman 

Evan Ginzburg

Nicholas Bandura

Matthew  Blair

Anita Finney

R.J. Johnson

Help the Funk Center Secure a Home

Help the Funk Center Secure a Home

Still $47,579 to go. Help us build momentum.