Search Through Grants for 501(c)(3) in Louisville, Kentucky in the U.S.

The C.E. and S. Foundation’s grantmaking is largely focused on Louisville, Kentucky – and a few other communities with connection to the Foundation – to support individuals to become resilient and prepared for opportunities to engage and thrive. We invest in:

Caregiver Engagement

•  to improve the quality and accessibility of early childhood (birth to age 5) learning development opportunities in the home and in professionally managed settings by supporting families and caregivers with practices that increase their effectiveness.

Social Emotional Support (Birth through Grade 12)

• to increase the quality and accessibility of social-emotional support for children (birth through 12th grade) by developing that capacity within providers and programming. 

Academic Support (Kindergarten through Grade 12)

• to increase the quality and accessibility of academic support for children (kindergarten through 12th grade) by developing that capacity within providers and programming.

Family and Household Stability

• to increase the stability of families and households with children in Louisville to provide a solid foundation for social-emotional wellbeing and academic achievement through supportive multi-faceted strategies that reflect the complexity of poverty.

Postsecondary Education Success

• to remove financial barriers to postsecondary attainment for graduates of Jefferson County Public Schools, primarily through the Evolve502 Scholarship Fund, and to provide academic and social-emotional support to those students to increase postsecondary graduation/certification rates.

Within each of our focus areas, the C.E. and S. Foundation looks to invest in leaders, strategies, and programs to have the greatest impact in support of our grantmaking strategy. We are especially interested in projects that emphasize the following dimensions:

Impact: Changes in the quality, capacity, accessibility, or collaboration of programs.

Influence: Changes in policies, regulations, systems, practice, or public opinion.

Leverage: Changes in investments by other public and/or private funders.

Learning: Practices that encourage or advance the field of work and knowledge acquisition to powerfully advance desired outcomes, inform the specifics of a particular impact initiative, or cross-fertilize different initiatives.

Norton Healthcare

Norton Healthcare is a leader in serving adult and pediatric patients from throughout Greater Louisville, Southern Indiana, the commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. The not-for-profit hospital and health care system has six Louisville-based hospitals and three hospitals in Southern Indiana.

Mission

Norton Healthcare’s purpose is to provide quality health care to all those we serve, in a manner that responds to the needs of our communities and honors our faith heritage.

Community Initiatives Funding

Norton Healthcare is a not-for-profit, charitable, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) private corporation. Our mission is to provide quality health care services based on community need and consistent with our faith-based heritage.

To further our mission and maintain our not-for-profit status, we invest resources in other not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organizations in our community through the Norton Healthcare Community Initiatives budget. These organizations must meet one or more specific criteria relative to community benefit and outreach.

The Norton Healthcare Community Initiatives committee meets monthly, and current applications are reviewed at that time. Any requests for sponsorships of special events must be submitted at least 60 days prior to the event.

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Spaces For All Fund

Kentucky Performing Arts strives to deepen and strengthen its commitment to being welcoming and inclusive by removing barriers to the joy and power of the arts. KPA's programming supports artists and artforms that reflect the diverse community it serves.

Kentucky Performing Arts (KPA) offers community-based artists and organizations an opportunity to obtain rental assistance in its family of venues: The Kentucky Center (Whitney Hall, Bomhard Theater and MeX Theater), the Brown Theatre, and Old Forester's Paristown Hall. The KPA Spaces for All Fund has been established to ensure local, qualifying organizations can successfully afford KPA venues at reduced rental rates.

Rental assistance awards may be used toward overall venue expenses, including rental cost, production equipment and labor, venue staffing and security costs. Funds will be applied at settlement and can only be used to support facility expenses.

Funding

In-kind support of between $1,500 and $5,000 may be awarded. No cash is awarded. In-kind support will be applied toward venue expenses with the exception of the deposit. Applicants will be asked to communicate the amount of support they are requesting between $1,500 and $5,000. Award amounts are at the discretion of the review panel. Amounts awarded may be less than requested. Awards are for a single, arts-based project to be presented in a KPA venue.

About Amgen

Amgen is one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies. Amgen is a values-based company, deeply rooted in science and innovation to transform new ideas and discoveries into medicines for patients with serious illnesses.

Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

Our belief—and the core of our strategy—is that innovative, highly differentiated medicines that provide large clinical benefits in addressing serious diseases are medicines that will not only help patients, but also will help reduce the social and economic burden of disease in society today.

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology innovator since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.

Non-Healthcare Donations and Sponsorships

Amgen Charitable Donations and Sponsorships are focused on humanitarian, social, education and community programs.

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

Our Mission

The Tony Robbins Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of people often forgotten.

We’re dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of youth, seniors, the hungry, homeless and the imprisoned population, all who need a boost envisioning a happier and deeply satisfying way of life. Our passionate staff, generous donors and caring group of international volunteers provide the vision, inspiration, and resources needed to empower these important members of our society.

Grants

Dedicated to meeting challenges within the global community, creating solutions and taking action, The Tony Robbins Foundation provides monetary donations to various organizations around the world. Funding requests are evaluated on an ongoing basis. We look for organizations that align with our mission to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of those often forgotten.

The V. V. Cooke foundation was established in 1947 in honor of V. V. Cooke. Thanks to our years of experience, we understand the process that a nonprofit organization has to go through to become successful. For over seven decades, we at V. V. Cooke Foundation have dedicated ourselves to helping our community. Led by our executive director, Carl Thomas, our team is here to ensure that you’ll get the support you need through V. V. Cooke Foundation Grant.

Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation collaborate with a wide range of nonprofit organizations that align with our strategic funding priorities. We prioritize our funding to activities and programs that have a broad reach and support the needs of underserved communities. We aspire to have a positive impact on the communities we serve by using our financial and volunteer resources and business expertise in collaboration with community organizations to help solve complex societal problems.

• Financial health
• Housing affordability
• Small business growth
• Sustainability

We may also support other local needs in eligible communities such as disaster relief, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, human and social services, and workforce development. However, opportunities are limited as our intent is to direct the majority of our giving within our major focus areas.

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Vision

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world.

We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

Brown-Forman Grants

To Brown‑Forman, being a responsible and caring corporate citizen is more than an investment; it embodies our company’s purpose of enriching life. After 150 years in the business of spirits, we understand that our best spirit is the community we call home. As a company and individually as employees, we believe in donating time, talents, and resources to the vitality of the communities that sustain us. Our long history and deep roots in Louisville, Kentucky make our hometown city the focus of our efforts.

Funding Priorities 

The Foundation partners with organizations that are aligned with its strategic focus areas:

Enhance Arts and Cultural Living:

• Increase access to vibrant, diverse, and educational arts & cultural experiences.

Ensure Essential Living Standards

• Support social services that improve well-being and strengthen communities.
• Fund education initiatives that provide opportunities for lifelong success.

Empower Responsible and Sustainable Living

• Invest in initiatives that encourage moderation and reduce alcohol-related harm.
• Protect the environment and conserve natural resources vital to our communities and business.

Types of Requests

Charitable contributions are divided between the Brown‑Forman Foundation and the Corporation. Nonprofit organizations that meet the funding criteria below may apply one time per fiscal year (May 1- April 30). Separate grant applications are required for each entity (corporation/foundation).

The Corporation will consider:

• Unrestricted operating support
• Restricted program support
• Event or performance sponsorship with any material return benefits such as tickets, product promotion, etc.

Our Mission

To fulfill the wishes of Paul Ogle to give back to the community by strategically funding nonprofit organizations, activities and projects that directly improve the lives of the citizens in Southern Indiana.

Our Vision

There are four key areas of interest in grant funding that must be addressed in order to successfully accomplish the Mission:

• Economic: Promote the overall economic prosperity of Southern Indiana by investing in key infrastructural components like commerce, public works, and education along with other special projects that encourage community growth and can be sustained;
• Human Needs: Strengthen the physical and mental well-being of the citizens while assisting those in the greatest of need;
• Regionalism: Foster regional awareness and promote activities that accentuate cross-regional cooperation between the people, organizations and nonprofit entities;
• Preservation: Stress the importance of preserving the artistic, historical and cultural heritage of our community for future generations as long as such projects are manageable and financially sustainable.

Paul Ogle Foundation Grant

Four Common Decision Criteria for Successful Grant Requests

Over the years, we have observed some common decision criteria within many of the grants made by the Ogle Foundation. The following items are probably Ogle’s top characteristics that we have found in a successful grant request and of the organizations that apply for them:

• Fit & Focus – The very first thing that the Ogle Foundation looks at is the type of an organization applying, the purpose of the grant request and how its mission fits within our own mission, vision and core strategic values as set by our donor. Organizations must fit within Ogle’s Grantmaking Guidelines as an organization foremost as well as show how our funds are to be specifically used if given a grant. It must have a focus or impact upon Southern Indiana in some way or at least upon a minimum percentage of its overall clients from there. The Foundation’s Board does alter its priorities and direction from time to time as needs in the community change or if an opportunity to promote a specific issue takes precedent over others in their opinion. That’s why we always require an organization to call or email us first before going through a lot of effort in putting a proposal together, particularly if they are having a hard time decerning this crucial criteria and where you fit within it.
• Sound Financials – Organizations that clearly demonstrate they are good stewards of the funds they raise and spend are always the next key decision factor to the Foundation. We expect that a nonprofit’s request are not creating undue burdens or putting them at risk financially overall, to the point that a grant is the difference between keeping the doors open or not. The Ogle Foundation utilizes Guidestar.com to review an organization’s annual IRS 990 tax filings for overall health as well as request budgets and/or expense-revenue breakdowns for the specific programs or projects that are seeking grants. If your organization is currently in a state of severe financial distress, it is probably best to not apply for a grant as this is a key indicator to us on your ability to successfully implement your grant’s vision and still keep the lights on for years to come, serving your clients and end-users.
• Executive Leadership – We view an organization’s top personnel as very important to the success of its mission and their ability to do what they say they are doing. Executive Directors, Presidents or CEO’s along with their leadership teams should be professional in their works, show expertise in the areas in which their nonprofit operates and a clear vision on how to improve themselves and the community they serve. While longevity in a position(s) is not always indicative of success, it is always good to see a track record from these individuals or their teams, as this gives us a level of confidence in their ability to execute the plans for which they seek our funds.
• Board Oversight – Lastly, Ogle’s Board takes a close look at an organization’s board of directors because we believe that nonprofits need to must have the proper organizational structure and oversight in which survive long-term. A board needs to have the right mix of people with key professional backgrounds and/or expertise in which to help guide the strategic direction of the nonprofit. Professional backgrounds can consist of expertise in professional fields like legal, health, accounting or marketing to name a few along with possessing a strong common interest in the areas in which the nonprofit operates. Also, if you are a Kentucky 501c3, how many of your board reside in Southern Indiana, an area that makes up at least 20% of the Louisville MSA? Ogle believes that the best nonprofits are those that reflect the community in which is serves, with active and engaged boards, ones that have a strong working relationship in its supervisory role with the organizational leadership versus none whatsoever.

While we are sure your organization or cause is worthy of funding, the question for you is “How does it compare in light of what you’ve just read above?”   

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Cultural Pass Partner

Cultural Pass provides free access to many of Greater Louisville’s arts and culture institutions for youth ages 0-21. Cultural Pass is valid for a one-time general admission for each of the Partners and is valid through the specified date range. The Cultural Pass is a collaboration of Louisville Metro Government, Fund for the Arts, Arts & Culture Alliance (ACA), Kentuckiana Cultural Consortium, and participating libraries including Bullitt County Public Library, Charlestown-Clark County Public Library, Floyd County Public Library, Harrison County Public Library, Jeffersonville Township Public Library, and Louisville Free Public Library.

Reimbursement grant funding awarded through Cultural Pass is restricted to arts and culture programming.  

Ameriprise Financial Grantmaking

At Ameriprise Financial, giving back is deeply rooted in our culture. We’ve initiated positive change in the communities where we live and work for more than 120 years. We believe our community involvement enables us to actively live our values. Through grant making, volunteerism and employee and financial advisor gift matching programs, we support a diverse group of over 6,000 nonprofits across the country.

Focus Areas

Awarding grant dollars to nonprofits is one way we strengthen our communities and help individuals on a path to financial independence. To ensure we're meeting the needs of our communities and making an even greater collective impact, we focus on three key giving areas when awarding grants.

Volunteer engagement is a priority across all focus areas:

The engagement of Ameriprise employees and financial advisors is a critical component of our philanthropy. Whether it’s serving on a nonprofit board, engaging friends, clients and community members in volunteering or providing skills-based support, our relationships with nonprofits go deep. For this reason, we give priority across all focus areas to applications where there is active volunteer engagement of Ameriprise advisors and employees. 

Meeting Basic Needs

At Ameriprise Financial, we help clients achieve financial security and peace of mind. That’s satisfying, meaningful work. We also help the people in our neighborhoods who struggle to meet basic needs such as where their next meal comes from, where they’ll sleep tonight or how they’ll find a higher wage job. We’re here to help them through the three platforms of our Meeting Basic Needs focus area.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Hunger
• Food banks, food shelves and food pantries, daily meal programs or meal services for the homebound
• Hunger-relief programs targeted to meet the special needs of children, ethnic populations or veterans
• Food programs run by nonprofits where hunger is not their sole focus, for example a youth meal program at the YWCA or a backpack program run by a Boys & Girls Club
• Shelter
• Emergency shelter, including youth homelessness
• Transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and efforts to end chronic homelessness
• Housing-first models (programs quickly providing housing and then addressing needed services)
• Achieving and maintaining home ownership, repair and maintenance efforts helping keep seniors, veterans and other populations in their homes 
• Adult Self-Sufficiency: Programs serving adults age 21 and older that help address the following areas:
• Basic hard and soft skills that help adults achieve economic and family stability
• Basic financial and budgeting skills
• Increase employability and wages, including work readiness and job transitions
• Employment of disabled adults

Supporting Community Vitality

We believe communities should be strong, healthy and resilient. We want livable places for all, where neighbors look out for one another, cultural events are well-attended and people pull together in times of crisis and joy. We work to create economic vitality and cultural enrichment through the following areas of focus.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Community Development
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Economic development
• Strengthening and supporting small businesses and nonprofits through technical expertise
• Cultural Enrichment
• Arts education
• Access for underserved populations
• Diverse artists and performances that spark topical community conversations 

Volunteer Driven Causes: Ameriprise employees and financial advisors are outstanding volunteers who serve in teams and also as individuals bringing personal skill-sets to nonprofits. Volunteering is part of the culture at Ameriprise and we are proud to support communities through contributions of both service and financial resources. 

Funding for Volunteer-Driven Causes is determined by current Ameriprise volunteerism. In general, funding is in proportion to the size of the Ameriprise volunteer team supporting a nonprofit. A team may include employees, financial advisors and/or staff or a combination of any Ameriprise volunteers. 

The Artemis Fund is administered entirely by high school students who are enrolled in a philanthropy course at Kentucky Country Day School. The Artemis Fund is a donor-advised fund with the Community Foundation of Louisville. The Fund awards grants to local organizations that support youth development in the community. Students in the course comprise the Board of Trustees and learn about effective philanthropy by experiencing firsthand the responsibility and challenges of making a grant. The course is offered each spring, so there is a new Board of Trustees every year. Students learn about the history of philanthropy, review grant requests, organize site visits, and conduct interviews before making their final decisions.

The Artemis Fund started in 2002 with a $10,000 grant from KCD parent Judith Miller through the Miller Family Foundation. Since then, the KCD philanthropy class has built a charitable trust of more than $248,000 and has dispersed over $108,000 in grants to local community organizations.

The Artemis Fund was named the 2005 Youth Philanthropist of the Year by the Greater Louisville Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and received the 2004 Leading Edge Award for curriculum innovation from the National Association of Independent Schools.

Norton Foundation Grant

We believe that education is the force that reorganizes imagination into inventiveness and that transforms desire into action. 

We believe that to be effective, education must be based on a spirit of hands-on learning and creative participation.

We believe that education in Louisville must be nourished if it is to flourish, and that it requires leadership if it is to be embraced as a community value.

The Norton Foundation is committed to supporting those who share this vision, and in joining with those who believe that education should inspire, guide, and above all, position our city for a more prosperous future and a richer quality of life.

Funding

Grants range from $5,000 to $100,000.

External Agency Fund: Resilience and Community Services

External Agency Fund Applications Being Accepted

On Friday, January 31, 2025, Louisville Metro Government (LMG) will begin accepting applications from local non-profit organizations for programs or activities that align with the mayor’s strategic goals. These grants, which are funded through the city’s General Fund, are awarded to non-governmental or "external” agencies through External Agency Funds (EAF) for LMG fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026).

Overview

• RCS Mission: “To promote stability and advance equity by leveraging relationships with partners and connecting residents with essential resources.”
• RCS FY26 EAF priorities: RCS priorities align with Mayor Greenberg’s commitment to safe and healthy streets and equitable access to essential services for underserved populations.
• RCS Strategic Goals: Housing and support services for homeless community members in the following groups:
  • Senior population (age 55+)
  • Diagnosed with a physical or mental disability
  • Re-entry from a carceral, treatment setting including those convicted of serious crimes
  • Young adults (age 18-25)
  • Families that include children

Support services is further defined to include case management, transitional housing, skillbuilding, or technical training that leads to new or increased employment, and results-driven financial education for the identified populations.

RCS employs a competitive granting strategy and strives to award funding to agencies that demonstrate a measurable positive impact in the community and are good stewards of taxpayer dollars. Our goal is to invest in programs that achieve the most effective and efficient results. Successful grantees will be required to report on their success in meeting goals and outcomes on a quarterly basis.

Background

Louisville Metro Government is a catalyst for creating a world-class city that provides all its citizens with safe and vibrant neighborhoods, great jobs, a strong system of education and innovation, and a high quality of life. As Louisville Metro’s Designated Local Arts Agency, the Office of Arts + Creative Industries leads strategic initiatives to elevate the quality of life, economy, and authenticity of the city by supporting artists, creative businesses, and cultural nonprofits. To ensure arts and culture experiences are accessible to all citizens, Metro’s Office of Arts + Creative Industries partners with community organizations, schools, and individual artists to initiate and support city-wide cultural programming that inspires and reflects the vibrancy of Louisville.

Purpose of External Agency Fund Grants

External Agency Fund Grants for Arts + Creative Industries support the important work of Louisville/Jefferson County’s arts and culture nonprofit organizations that are essential to sustaining healthy, innovative, and thriving communities. Operational Support funding is provided to maintain and develop programs, services, and facilities.

Goals of External Agency Fund Grants

• Activate Louisville through the arts and creative industries by providing direct support for organizations that advance the following focus areas:
  • Providing meaningful arts experiences for everyone
  • Growing a creative workforce
  • Cultivating vibrant community spaces and neighborhoods
• Provide support for established and emerging arts and culture organizations to ensure stability, adaptability, and resiliency of Louisville’s creative sector.
• Increase visibility and opportunities for compensation for cultural professional’s and artists’ contributions to the local community.
• Facilitate and encourage all residents of Louisville to increase participation in arts and culture experiences.

Funding

Organizations with budgets of $500,000 or below may apply for $25,000 awards. Organizations with budgets exceeding $500,000 may apply for either $25,000 or $50,000 awards. Budget size refers to total expenses from the organization’s most recently completed fiscal year. In- kind expenses and pass-through funds should not be included in the budget level calculation.

Our Mission

Our mission: Impact100 Louisville empowers women to transform lives through collective giving.

What we do: We award large grants to Louisville and Jefferson County non-profits that work to transform lives.

Background

Impact100 Louisville is a community of women transforming lives through collective giving. We award grants in amounts of at least $100,000, possibly more. The exact amount of funds available for award in any given year depends upon the number of women who join the organization and will be announced at the end of our membership drive.

By providing high impact grants to local nonprofit organizations, Impact100 Louisville is able to expose our membership and our community to valuable services provided by different organizations. Because Impact100 Louisville selects its grant recipients through a collaborative process among its members, its grant process might differ from those of other organizations. Impact100 Louisville believes its grant process benefits nonprofits including the non-grant recipients by increasing the visibility in the community for all finalists, not just the recipients, by exposing their important work to a large and diverse group of charitable minded women, as well as to our community overall.

Focus Areas

Grants must be applied in one of the following Focus Areas:

• Arts & Culture:
  • Initiatives that cultivate, develop, and enhance the cultural and/or artistic climate of Jefferson County, Kentucky.
• Education:
  • Initiatives that further the educational process or improve access to education for children and/or adults in Jefferson County, Kentucky.
• Environmental, Preservation or Recreation:
  • Initiatives that will restore, preserve, revitalize or enhance the facilities, surroundings and/or recreational opportunities of Jefferson County, Kentucky.
  • This category includes housing, urban planning, and community spaces.
• Family:
  • Initiatives that strengthen and enhance the lives of children and families living in Jefferson County, Kentucky.
• Health & Wellness:
  • Initiatives that improve the mental and/or physical well-being of people living in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

Types of Grants

Grants funding will be considered for any of the following:

• Capacity Building:
  • Funding is typically a one-time expense that assists the mission of the organization.
    • Examples: technology upgrades, strategic planning
• Program Support:
  • Funding is given to expand or improve existing activities that support the organization's mission.
• Innovation:
  • Funding for a new idea, method, or improvement.

Community Foundation of Louisville

We are a financial institution with a social mission.

At our core, the Community Foundation of Louisville is a financial institution that provides trustworthy and personalized service to help donors achieve their charitable goals.

We mobilize capital to address our community’s inequities – especially racial ones – by serving as a connector, convener, funder, and data analyst, developing innovative solutions that move us all forward.

Alden Fellows

The Community Foundation of Louisville believes that Louisville’s nonprofit organizations are strengthened when more nonprofit leaders have access to high-quality professional development opportunities. The Alden Fellows is an open application opportunity for Louisville's inspirational nonprofit executives in pursuit of professional development or certifications. Selected executive directors, presidents, and CEOs are asked to develop a plan for their personal and professional growth which will elevate their work as a leader, benefit their organization, and impact the community.

Fellowship grants up to $10,000 are awarded to individuals who exhibit a unique curiosity, a commitment to the Louisville community, and a sincere interest in exploring their full leadership potential.

Event Artist

The application’s goal is to create a living roster of artists and organizations interested in being part of community events where they will represent themselves and the Fund for the Arts.

Events may vary. Some will be large, free community events like the St. James Court Art Show in Old Louisville, while others will be private performances and activations done as part of Fund for the Arts workplace campaign presentations throughout the year.

Funding

All artists and organizations contracted to participate in an event will be compensated. In the past, compensation has ranged between $100 – $500. Length of engagement has ranged from 10 minutes to an hour. Compensation will be based on the type and length of the event in which they are participating. Compensation is designated to the primary applicant only, and each offering can include only one primary applicant. If compensation is to be shared between multiple artists or organizations, that designation will fall to the artists/organizations themselves.   

Background

Every community faces unique barriers that require collaborative solutions to thrive. The Dow Promise Program supports educational and economic challenges Black youth and adults face in the United States by addressing community-identified needs and advancing equitable opportunities. Through grants of up to $10,000 towards social, economic or environmental initiatives, Dow Promise not only fosters a thriving community, but a shared future.

Since 2000, this annual competitive program has committed to uplifting communities in which Dow operates by supporting their needs and investing in positive social change for long-term success.

About Us

The Community Foundation of Louisville mobilizes people, networks and capital to provide everyone with opportunities for success. We partner with people who want to use their dollars and and resources to support real change in Metro Louisville by investing in emerging and established solutions. Our grant process is one tool that we use to learn about solutions being used by community changemakers

Community Safety & Healing Fund

The Community Safety & Healing Fund was established in 2022 at the Community Foundation of Louisville together with Cities United, Louisville Metro Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, and other partners. Funding from this grant supports organizations that disrupt the cycle of community violence with a focus on serving Black males ages 15-24, prioritizing those who are not currently enrolled in school or employed. 

For purposes of this Fund, “violence intervention” is defined as:

Disrupting cycles of violence by focusing on individuals already engaged in behaviors that place them at greatest risk for being a victim and/or perpetrator of violence. This includes young people who are between the ages of 15 to 24 years old and are disconnected from school and work– or any other antisocial groups, direct victims of gun violence, and/or individuals in close relationship with someone who has been victimized by gun violence. The work of community violence intervention looks like:

• Mentorship through a case management model to those at greatest risk of becoming a victim or a perpetrator of violence
• High-risk intervention to mediate ongoing disputes and prevent retaliatory violence
• Safe Passage to schools to reduce school violence and improve attendance
• Support to survivors of community violence who are not supported by traditional victim services agencies