2025 Anne S. Leonhardt Award Winner: Barbara Dalio

As a mother of four boys, Barbara Dalio knows how much effort it takes to raise a child.

Dalio became immersed in philanthropy by engaging with young adults at an alternative Connecticut public high school over the course of a couple of years, and learned how challenged the young adults were due to a lack of resources and the difficult circumstances in their lives. Dalio also visited other schools in Connecticut, meeting with teachers, superintendents and principals to hear and understand their perspectives around the students’ challenges.  Those visits inspired her to concentrate her efforts on helping the off-track, disconnected and disengaged high school students.

More than a decade ago, Barbara founded Dalio Education, beginning with two signature initiatives: the Connecticut RISE Network and the Connecticut Opportunity Project (CTOP).  The RISE Network supports high school students and teachers by ensuring all students graduate from high school with a plan and skills to achieve college or career success. CTOP supports 7 youth serving organizations across Connecticut, focusing on support for off-track, disconnected and disengaged youth. Both programs provide young women support in their education and paths to independence.

Dalio Education also supports programs and various resources for teachers through Fund for Teachers and Donors Choose.

Dalio said: “Every time a young person loses their path, I always ask myself, ‘How did we fail them?’ This is what drives my passion to do this important work every day.”

In 2022, Dalio Education commissioned a report, Connecticut’s Unspoken Crisis, which found that 119,000 young people in CT have either dropped out of high school or are at-risk of dropping out, and for those ages 18-26, are disconnected from the workforce.

On May 6, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation will honor Dalio with its 2025 Anne S. Leonhardt Award – which recognizes philanthropic visionaries who work to promote women’s economic progress and equity.

“I am very honored,” Dalio says. “I really appreciate being recognized, and I admire what Fairfield County’s Community Foundation is doing – especially their commitment to supporting girls and young women. It’s powerful, it’s impactful, and I feel very grateful to be part of that work.”

The Anne S. Leonhardt Award honors the life and legacy of Anne Leonhardt, a dedicated local philanthropist whose life’s work focused on empowering women and children, and helped pave the way toward a better future for women and girls in Fairfield County.

Leonhardt’s seed funding helped launch FCCF’s Fund for Women & Girls, a community impact fund that invests in sustainable solutions to support the safety, health, and economic security of women and girls across Fairfield County.

This is an issue area Dalio also cares deeply about and looks to support through her work. “As a woman and mother, I deeply admire the strength of other women. It’s hard enough raising a child with resources; without them, it’s nearly impossible. That’s why this work matters.”

Although the work is far from over, Dalio remains committed to doing what she can.