Learn about grants for Kentucky by browsing our curated list of top Kentucky funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities using the search tool for Grant Finder. Become a member.
Giving Trends in Kentucky
While grantmaking for nonprofits in Kentucky has decreased in the past decade, funding has held relatively steady for the past four grant cycles. In contrast with other funders in the Southeast U.S., funding remains slightly higher on average in Kentucky.
Home to roughly 640 foundations, according to Candid and Philanthropy Southeast, Kentucky maintains giving across it’s historic giving areas. in 2018, Kentucky funders made over $154 million in grants through a mix of corporate, community, health legacy foundations, private and family foundations.
In contrast with other regions in the U.S., grants for Kentucky nonprofits remain lower than the U.S. average overall, a reflection of the gap in support across the Southeast. However, it’s geographical position, overlapped with Appalachia, suggests a greater need for philanthropic support in lieu of state services that have been further slashed in recent years. Kentucky foundations have worked hard to keep up with need, which grows with every passing year.
In keeping with Southeastern regional giving trends, Kentucky grants tend to prioritize education above all other focus areas. Human services, health, and nonprofit management reflect other major giving areas in Kentucky; however, grants for art and culture in Kentucky have increased as the arts thrive in urban centers like Louisville and near the Ohio River that borders northern Kentucky.
Kentucky’s top funders include a mix of private, public, corporate and community foundations, which invest in Kentuckians. Major funders of Kentucky grants consistently include the Community Foundation of Louisville, the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Ray and Kay Eckstein Charitable Trust, The Gheens Foundation, Inc., and Blue Grass Community Foundation, Inc., among others.
Foundations in Kentucky
ABERCROMBIE FOUNDATION
The Abercrombie Foundation supports education, animal welfare, human services, the environment, health, and arts and culture mostly in Kentucky and Texas.
APPALACHIAN COMMUNITY FUND
The Appalachian Community Fund supports social change organizations that address race, gender, economic status, sexual identity, and disability in the Central Appalachia communities of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia.
MARY REYNOLDS BABCOCK FOUNDATION
The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation supports democracy and civic engagement initiatives, such as community organizing, voter education, and voter registration, in eleven southeastern states.
WILLIAM E. BARTH FOUNDATION
The William E. Barth Foundation supports a wide range of nonprofit causes that promote quality of life in Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky.
BLUE GRASS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
This funder supports early childhood education, cancer and tuberculosis patients, community causes, literacy, and youth enhancement causes in Central and Eastern Kentucky. Grant opportunities vary by county.
JAMES GRAHAM BROWN FOUNDATION
This funder supports causes of health, economic development, and culture in the Louisville metro area and education at all levels throughout Kentucky.
BROWN BADGETT FOUNDATION
The Brown Badgett Foundation supports human services, religion, scientific research, public safety, education, literacy in Kentucky.
OWSLEY BROWN II FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Owsley Brown II Family Foundation supports arts and culture, the environment, religion, health, education, youth and human services in Kentucky.
BUTLER FOUNDATION
The Butler Foundation supports basic needs, education, social services, poverty, and people with disabilities in Northern Kentucky.
CHURCHILL DOWNS INCORPORATED FOUNDATION
Best known for the Kentucky Derby, this corporate funder awards grants in its home state of Kentucky and other communities where the company operates. Funding interests are public health, art, and education.
COMMONWEALTH BANK & TRUST CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
The Commonwealth Bank & Trust Charitable Foundation is a corporate bank funder that supports Human services, libraries, theaters, parks, playgrounds, and other causes in the Louisville, Kentucky area.
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF LOUISVILLE
This funder supports mostly Kentucky-based organizations in the areas of community, environment, education, health, human services, arts & culture, and religious/faith based groups.
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
The Community Foundation of South Central Kentucky supports education, health, human services, arts, public recreation and beautification in Kentucky.
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF WEST KENTUCKY
This funder supports local groups in the Paducah area and elsewhere in Western Kentucky. Funding goes to community arts, social services, children, education, health, and community improvement groups.
V.V. COOKE FOUNDATION
The V.V. Cooke Foundation supports religion, education, civic, and humanitarian needs in and around Louisville, Kentucky.
CRALLE FOUNDATION
The Cralle Foundation prioritizes education and human services causes in and around Louisville, Kentucky.
CHARLES H. DATER FOUNDATION
The Charles H. Dater Foundation supports arts and culture, education, healthcare, social services, and community needs in the Greater Cincinnati, including the Kentucky counties of Boone, Kenton, and Campbell.
R.C. DURR FOUNDATION
This foundation supports Northern Kentucky groups working in education, social services, community development, and occasionally healthcare. Unsolicited applications are accepted throughout the year.
DUKE ENERGY FOUNDATION
This funder supports programs for education, the environment, economic and workforce development, and community impact in select counties in the Southeastern states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Florida.
RAY & KAY ECKSTEIN CHARITABLE TRUST
The Ray & Kay Eckstein Charitable Trust supports faith, human needs, family, education and vibrant communities in Kentucky.
FARM INCOME IMPROVEMENT FOUNDATION
The Farm Income Improvement Foundation supports practical research on improvements in farming techniques and practices in Kentucky.
FOUNDATION FOR APPALACHIAN KENTUCKY
The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky supports arts, culture, recreation, civic engagement, education, health and wellness, housing and family assets, youth development and the environment in southeastern Kentucky.
FOUNDATION FOR A HEALTHY KENTUCKY
This health legacy funder awards grants to promote access to healthcare, local public health, children’s health, and a smoke-free lifestyle for Kentuckians. It also supports disease prevention for children.
GHEENS FOUNDATION
This funder supports public education, economic development, medicine, the arts, and social/health services in the Louisville, Kentucky, area and in two Louisiana parishes. Unsolicited applications are accepted four times per year.
LOUISE HEAD DUNCAN TRUST
The Louise Head Duncan Trust supports community development, education, and human services in Oldham County, Kentucky.
HORIZON COMMUNITY FUNDS OF NORTHERN KENTUCKY
This relatively new community funder focuses efforts on three Kentucky counties. Interests are poverty, arts, education, health, and community development.
MILDRED V. HORN FOUNDATION
This funder supports public charities that work with historic home renovation, education in Oldham County, and homeless shelters. Most grants stay in Kentucky. Grant applications are accepted throughout the year.
HUMANA FOUNDATION
This Louisville, Kentucky-based funder supports programs about healthy behaviors, health education, and access to health services. It supports many cities in the Southeast and nationwide.
JEWISH HERITAGE FUND
The Jewish Heritage Fund supports Medical research, health, education and the Jewish community in Kentucky.
KEENELAND FOUNDATION
This funder supports health, human services, education, arts and culture, and community needs in Central Kentucky.
KENTUCKY FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN
This feminist funder supports artist enrichment and art and activism for women in Kentucky.
W.L. LYONS BROWN FOUNDATION
The W.L. Lyons Brown Foundation prioritizes the city of Louisville, Kentucky through grantmaking that serves quality of life, museums, parks, education, and the arts.
NORTON FOUNDATION
This funder focuses on holistic education in the Louisville, Kentucky, area. Teacher professional development and integrating the arts into education are also important to Norton.
E.O. ROBINSON MOUNTAIN FUND
The E.O. Robinson Mountain Fund supports education, healthcare, and community programs in eastern Kentucky.
MICHAEL AND CHANDRA RUDD FOUNDATION
The Michael and Chandra Rudd Foundation supports human services, education, and children and youth causes in Kentucky and other places where the family company operates.
ELSA HEISEL SULE FOUNDATION
The Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation supports the tri-state area of Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana with grants in the areas of education, health, medical research, children’s welfare and competitive sports, arts and culture, civic public affairs, animal welfare and preservation, and environmental and community stewardship.
LESTER E. YEAGER CHARITABLE TRUST B
The Lester E. Yeager Charitable Trust B supports health, human services, education, religion, and youth in and around Owensboro, Kentucky.
WHAS Crusade for Children
This group runs the most successful telethon in America and awards grants to Kentucky and Southern Indiana nonprofits. Children with special needs are the sole focus here.
WOMEN’S FUND OF SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
The Women’s Fund of South Central Kentucky supports women and children’s needs in Kentucky.
YUM! BRANDS FOUNDATION
This corporate funder prioritizes hunger relief causes in and around Louisville, Kentucky. Other topics of interest are the arts, youth, education, community, and disaster relief.
