Kentucky Grants for Nonprofits
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.
Funding landscape and 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 until 2021. In contrast with other funders in the Southeast U.S., funding remains slightly higher on average in Kentucky; however, it has been on the decline in more recent years.
Home to roughly 730 foundations, according to Candid and Philanthropy Southeast, Kentucky maintains giving across it’s historic giving areas. in 2021, Kentucky funders made over $364.4 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 economic development, as well as 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.
