Best Youth Sports Grants in Kentucky

The California Casualty Thomas R. Brown Athletics Grant aims to support public middle and high school sports programs facing funding challenges due to budget cuts. Established by California Casualty, this grant provides financial assistance for purchasing equipment and covering travel costs for competitions. Eligible applicants must be active employees of public schools and members of affiliated education associations. Awards cannot be used for individual student recognition or fundraising projects.

The Coaching Enhancement Grant - Division II aims to enhance diversity in NCAA coaching by providing financial support for new assistant coaching positions. This grant specifically targets increased representation of ethnic minorities and women in athletics. Selected schools receive funding for three years to cover salaries and benefits, totaling $370,000 annually for up to 21 institutions. Eligible schools must be active NCAA Division II members committed to these diversity efforts.

The Region 4 Small Business Transportation Technical Assistance Center (SBTTAC) aims to empower small businesses by providing essential technical assistance and business development support. Funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, this initiative will facilitate access to capital resources, connect businesses with key transportation agencies, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. The program is dedicated to minimizing barriers for small enterprises while fostering a robust support system in the transportation sector.

The Strategic Alliance Matching Grant - Division II offers financial support to enhance ethnic minority and gender representation in mid- to senior-level athletics administration roles across NCAA Division II institutions. With an annual budget of $860,000, the grant aims to fund up to 20 schools and conferences each year. Eligible applicants must be active Division II members and are encouraged to collaborate with their human resources departments during the proposal process, ensuring compliance with grant requirements.

The Kentucky Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Funds support initiatives that enhance the quality of care for nursing home residents. Managed by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, these funds are reinvested from monetary penalties imposed on nursing homes for non-compliance with federal standards. Eligible organizations, including advocacy groups and nursing home associations, may utilize CMP funds for projects like resident relocation support and facility improvement initiatives, aiming to advance resident welfare.

The XENO PRIZE for Performance Arts, awarded by Franklin Furnace, supports early-career LGBTQ+-identifying performance artists creating new work in 26 states with restrictive gender-affirming laws. This annual prize, established in 2023, offers $5000 to a selected recipient from proposals submitted for the Franklin Furnace FUND for Performance Art. The deadline for submissions is April 1, 2025, encouraging innovative voices in the contemporary performance art landscape.

The Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grants in Kentucky aim to support organizations in facilitating local self-help housing projects. These grants enable very-low- and low-income families to construct their homes collaboratively, with guidance from the grant recipients. Eligible areas can be determined through the USDA Eligibility Site, and funds can be used for technical assistance, recruitment, and related activities that empower families in the construction process.

The Rural Business Development Grants in Kentucky aim to provide essential technical assistance and training to small rural businesses, defined as those with fewer than 50 employees and under $1 million in gross revenue. Funding is prioritized for smaller requests, and grants must support projects that benefit rural communities outside urban areas. Eligible recipients include public entities, nonprofit corporations, and institutions of higher education, among others, focusing on fostering economic development and job training.

This project aims to combat the rapid spread of invasive climbing plants in the southeastern U.S. and Caribbean by creating a comprehensive database on species traits and disturbance locations. The database will enhance understanding of vine expansion and provide predictive maps for future spread, assisting managers in identifying vulnerable areas. This initiative aligns with federal priorities for natural resource stewardship and aims to strengthen community resilience against biological threats.

The Southern SARE: Producer Grant supports farmers in conducting their own research projects to develop sustainable agricultural practices. Established in 1994, the program aims to enhance farmer profitability, promote responsible land use, and improve community quality of life. By focusing on areas like organic agriculture, sustainable marketing, and alternative crops, the grant empowers farmers to address production challenges and share valuable insights with others in the farming community, fostering a culture of sustainability and innovation.

The Southern SARE: On-Farm Research Grant supports agricultural professionals in collaborating with farmers to conduct innovative on-farm research projects focused on sustainable agriculture. This initiative emphasizes building strong relationships between researchers and farmers while addressing agricultural production challenges. By fostering new practices in production and marketing, it aims to enhance sustainability in the agricultural sector, thereby benefiting local communities and the environment.

Southern SARE offers Graduate Student Grants to support Master’s and PhD students engaged in sustainable agriculture research. This initiative encourages impactful research across various topics, including production, marketing, and social sciences. By providing funding opportunities, Southern SARE aims to foster the next generation of researchers committed to advancing sustainable agricultural practices throughout the Southern region.

The Southern SARE: Professional Development Grants support educational initiatives for agricultural professionals, enhancing outreach and training efforts directly benefiting farmers and ranchers. These grants fund diverse training activities, including workshops and farm tours, aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture through effective participatory methods. Projects are encouraged to involve multi-disciplinary partnerships and the participation of land-grant institutions, ensuring a comprehensive approach to agricultural education. Priority is given to projects with budgets under $80,000, fostering a broad array of impactful initiatives.

The Arts Miles Directory Grant connects schools in Kentucky with artistic experiences through approved field trip destinations. Aimed at preschool to 12th-grade students, the grant enhances arts education by providing resources for teachers and fostering student engagement with the arts. Organizations seeking funding must ensure accessibility and demonstrate the ability to provide high-quality artistic experiences. This initiative supports the Kentucky Arts Council's mission to enrich the state's cultural landscape and promote community involvement in the arts.

Community Foundation of Louisville

Founded in 1984, the Community Foundation of Louisville mobilizes people, networks, and capital to spark meaningful change in and beyond Louisville. Just as our name signifies, here, community comes first. With over $874 million in assets, over 2,200 charitable funds, and collaborations with hundreds of local partners, we connect real investments with relevant causes. The Foundation has addressed and continues to address a wide range of community needs. The key priorities of the Foundation’s mission are to remove barriers to accessing capital and resources and to open opportunities for all. Working with neighbors, changemakers, and community investors, we’re inspiring greater generosity to move us all forward.

Scholarships

Since 1984, the Community Foundation of Louisville has provided tens of millions of dollars in scholarships to support students with their educational goals. We assist donors in establishing scholarship funds so that a quality education can be available for everyone.

James W. Hardaway Memorial Scholarship

The James W. Hardaway Memorial Scholarship of First Harrison Bank was established by a bequest made in memory of James W. Hardaway, who served the bank for over 58 years. Specifically, this is designed to provide scholarship assistance in the form of grants to help defray college or university expenses of students graduating from high schools in Bullitt County, KY.

The EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement-Focused Collaborations Program (RII-FEC) aims to enhance research capabilities in eligible jurisdictions by fostering partnerships among government, higher education, and industry. This program supports interdisciplinary teams of researchers to tackle significant challenges in STEM fields, promoting diversity and broadening participation. By integrating Minority-Serving Institutions and early-career faculty from underrepresented backgrounds, RII-FEC seeks to build sustainable STEM capacity and drive impactful discoveries across regions.

The WHAS Crusade for Children Grant supports non-profit agencies, schools, and hospitals in Kentucky and southern Indiana that assist children with special needs. Since 1954, over $217 million has been awarded to improve the lives of these children. The grants focus on direct services and specific programs or equipment, excluding administrative costs and personal items. Eligible organizations must have IRS standing and county financial support before applying.

What does this program do?

It provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) to:

• To help microenterprises startup and growth through a Rural Microloan Revolving Fund.
• Provide training and technical assistance to microloan borrowers and micro entrepreneurs.

Kentucky RHT is investing in expanding access to behavioral health services through a statewide telebehavioral health hub. Nonprofit behavioral health organizations are invited to apply for funding to participate as regional partners, supporting psychiatric consultation, care coordination, and connection to primary care and crisis services. 

Rapid Response to Recovery: Telebehavioral Health Support (Rural Health Transformation Program)

These three core focus areas of the Rapid Response to Recovery Program reflect an opportunity to coordinate a larger system of care strategy for tailoring RHT-funded work to address unique community needs A collaborative, cross-disciplinary network of providers will strengthen the behavioral health crisis continuum by: facilitating a process to plan, coordinate, and oversee elements of a crisis system; coordinating with system partners for community assessment and planning; coordination and interconnectedness of services; and data-driven continuous quality improvement.

Rural Health Transformation has a long-term vision of enabling systems change to increase our ability to serve entire populations through enhanced partner collaboration, as opposed to serving individuals as single providers. We encourage applicants to consider how telebehavioral health capacity, integration, and coordination can support this broader system vision. We encourage applicants to think about the following framework when developing their responses:

• Improving outcomes for the entire crisis system, so that every person receives the right service in the right setting, every time
• Promotion and adoption of enhanced data-sharing technology, agreements, data collection and reporting processes, and real-time information sharing between different system partners as a person moves through the crisis care journey;
• Facilitation of a data-driven quality improvement process, tracking quality outcomes and performance measures and strategizing amongst system partners for improving measures of success, access, and quality;
• Collaboration through shared care planning, policy, protocols, and procedure development; engagement in collaborative structures such as coalitions, committees, workgroups; and moving beyond siloes to ensure people receive the right care at the right time;
• Advancement of clinically effective crisis services across partners, while closing safety net gaps to strengthen prevention, early identification, and access to behavioral, physical, and social supports, through telebehavioral health-enabled care coordination and consultation

The anticipated budget ceiling for applicants supporting the telebehavioral health hub focus area is approximately $500,000. 

The Athey Science Education and Outreach Grant, provided by the Kentucky Academy of Science, supports the development and distribution of science education materials for elementary and secondary schools in Kentucky. Grants, up to $2500, can be used for teaching supplies, travel, and personnel support, encouraging scientific communication and collaboration. This initiative aims to enhance educational resources and engagement in various scientific disciplines across the Commonwealth.

Project Lead The Way is offering a rolling grant for schools to implement the PLTW Biomedical Science program for the 2026-2029 academic years. Eligible schools can receive up to $14,000 to cover participation fees and training costs. This grant encourages public, private, and charter schools across the U.S. to enhance their science curriculum, supporting students with engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Schools must commit to offering specific courses during the grant period to qualify for funding.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3)s, government entities, and public or charter schools in Kentucky near the Norfolk Southern network can seek project-specific funding for sustainability, workforce development, and community resiliency efforts. Norfolk Southern Foundation’s Thriving Communities Grant Program offers US $1,000 - US $50,000 to strengthen local economies, support vibrant community life, and expand access to basic necessities.

The Artist Creative Practice Grant by South Arts supports individual artists in various disciplines by funding professional development opportunities. This grant ensures that artists can access vital experiences that enhance their careers, covering up to 2/3 of the total costs with awards ranging from $500 to $3,000. By promoting artistic growth, South Arts aims to elevate the cultural landscape of the Southern United States and foster meaningful connections within communities.

The WHAS Crusade for Children Grant supports organizations, schools, and hospitals that assist children with special needs up to age 18 in Kentucky and southern Indiana. Grants are aimed at direct services, specific programs, and equipment that benefit these children. Applicants must be in good IRS standing, and grants cannot fund administrative costs or be awarded to individuals. Since 1954, the Crusade has distributed over $217 million to further this mission.

The V. V. Cooke Foundation, established in 1947, provides grants to nonprofit organizations in Metropolitan Louisville, Kentucky. Focused on supporting 501(c)(3) organizations, the foundation prioritizes projects that are religious, educational, civic, or humanitarian in nature. With over seven decades of experience, the foundation, led by executive director Carl Thomas, is dedicated to fostering community success through its grant programs.

Eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits and local government entities in Kentucky that provide safety services or promote safe behavior can apply for Norfolk Southern Foundation’s Safety First Grant, with awards of US $1,000 - US $15,000 for projects, programs, or operations. Youth sports organizations incorporating safety education or practices may be eligible.

African-American graduating high school seniors in Kentucky planning for college or vocational education can receive scholarship support for tuition and related expenses. Focused on higher and vocational education, the Community Foundation of Louisville’s National Lincoln Institute Alumni Scholarship awards about US $3,000, with preference for students who are family members of Lincoln Institute alumni and demonstrate financial need.