64 foundations in Kentucky told the IRS on the latest Form 990-PF that giving is not restricted to organizations picked in advance, and each paid at least 5 grants totaling $100K or more that year. Together they paid $136.7M. The largest is Ray and Kay Eckstein Charitable Trust in Paducah, which paid $22.8M across 183 grants in 2024. The ten biggest account for 76% of the state total. 37 of the 64 file a submission deadline. The rest leave that line blank or point to a website. At the median foundation, 19% of the year's grant dollars went to organizations it had not funded before.
Analysis by Matthew Hanauer, PhD, Chief Technology Officer at Civly, from IRS Form 990-PF filings · All states
Foundations are ranked by dollars paid in each one's latest filed year. Click a column heading to sort. Deadlines are shown as filed.
| # | Foundation | City | Latest year | Grants paid | Grants | Median grant | First-time recipients | Deadline as filed | Assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ray and Kay Eckstein Charitable Trust | Paducah | 2024 | $22.8M | 183 | $50K | 23% | APPLICATION DEADLINES AND OTHER RELATED TIMELINES ARE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE: WWW.ECKSTEINCHARITY.ORG | $457.4M |
| 2 | James Graham Brown Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $14.9M | 49 | $205K | 39% | SEE "FOR GRANTSEEKERS" SECTION ON JGBF.ORG | $391.0M |
| 3 | William Lawrence & Blanche Hughes Foundation | Lexington | 2024 | $14.9M | 5 | $1.0M | 41% | ONGOING | $184.1M |
| 4 | Yum Brands Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2025 | $10.3M | 41 | $15K | 9% | Not stated | $20.5M |
| 5 | Brown-forman Foundation | Louisville | 2025 | $9.8M | 56 | $80K | 21% | SUBMISSION DEADLINES FOR MAY 1, 2025 THROUGH APRIL 30, 2026 ARE MAY 1, AUG. 1, NOV. 1, FEB. 1 | $100.1M |
| 6 | Carson-myre Charitable Foundation | Paducah | 2024 | $8.9M | 152 | $25K | 5% | SEE GUIDELINES | $55.9M |
| 7 | Gheens Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $6.3M | 157 | $25K | 19% | SUBMISSION DEADLINES ARE QUARTERLY. SPECIFIC DATES CAN BE FOUND AT GHEENSFOUNDATION.ORG. | $161.4M |
| 8 | Yung Family Foundation the | Crestview Hls | 2024 | $6.2M | 14 | $100K | 61% | THERE ARE NO DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSION | $10.7M |
| 9 | R C Durr Foundation Inc | Crescent Spgs | 2024 | $4.7M | 136 | $15K | 37% | Not stated | $86.2M |
| 10 | C E and S Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $4.5M | 59 | $45K | 18% | Not stated | $77.3M |
| 11 | Lg&e and Ku Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2025 | $4.2M | 472 | $2K | 4% | Not stated | $22.0M |
| 12 | Mildred V Horn Foundation | La Grange | 2024 | $2.3M | 7 | $204K | 0% | NONE UNLESS SPECIAL CONSIDERATION IS NECESSARY OR ANNUAL FUNDS ARE EXPENDED. | $19.7M |
| 13 | Price Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2025 | $2.0M | 8 | $250K | 12% | Not stated | $11.5M |
| 14 | Smith Brothers Family Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $1.9M | 16 | $6K | 2% | Not stated | $89.7M |
| 15 | Delta Dental of Kentucky Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $1.8M | 5 | $21K | 3% | SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED BEGINNING AUGUST THROUGH SEPTEMBER 15TH. | $3.7M |
| 16 | James a and Martha R Brown Charitable Foundation Inc | Lexington | 2024 | $1.8M | 12 | $72K | 29% | NOT AT THIS TIME | $38.6M |
| 17 | Drees Homes Foundation Inc | Ft Mitchell | 2025 | $1.6M | 11 | $100K | 62% | NONE, ROLLING DEADLINE | $18.5M |
| 18 | Irvin F and Alice S Etscorn Charitable Foundation | Louisville | 2024 | $1.6M | 47 | $25K | 3% | Sometime in November | $13.1M |
| 19 | Elsa M Heisel Sule Charitable Trust | Ft Mitchell | 2024 | $931K | 97 | $8K | 32% | Not stated | $25.5M |
| 20 | John B and Brownie Young Memorial Fund | Owensboro | 2025 | $892K | 388 | $500 | 78% | ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR. | $13.5M |
| 21 | Norton Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $748K | 30 | $18K | 9% | QUARTERLY | $10.0M |
| 22 | Fred B and Opal S Woosley Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2025 | $742K | 46 | $15K | 7% | NOVEMBER 30TH | $3.3M |
| 23 | Tom Musselman Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $739K | 22 | $8K | 6% | THERE ARE NO GRANT SUBMISSION DEADLINES. | $1.5M |
| 24 | Hayswood Foundation Inc | Maysville | 2025 | $724K | 28 | $10K | 5% | AUGUST 1ST | $12.9M |
| 25 | John H Schnatter Family Foundation Inc | Anchorage | 2025 | $677K | 22 | $5K | 35% | Not stated | $7.4M |
| 26 | Cralle Foundation Inc | Simpsonville | 2024 | $665K | 99 | $5K | 60% | Not stated | $9.4M |
| 27 | Lawrence & Augusta Hager Educational Foundation Inc | Owensboro | 2025 | $543K | 16 | $6K | 19% | NONE ESTABLISHED AT THIS TIME | $6.2M |
| 28 | Copia Foundation Inc | Lexington | 2025 | $473K | 41 | $8K | 26% | Not stated | $4.7M |
| 29 | Marilyn and William Young Charitable Foundation Inc | Owensboro | 2025 | $450K | 53 | $3K | 13% | Not stated | $11.3M |
| 30 | Kentucky Foundation for Women Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $445K | 6 | $50K | 0% | THE DEADLINE FOR THE ARTIST ENRICHMENT GRANT IS TYPICALLY THE FIRST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER AND THE DEADLI | $13.6M |
| 31 | Hearts Path Charitable Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2025 | $444K | 16 | $20K | 20% | Not stated | $12.6M |
| 32 | Chas and Ruth Seligman Family Foundation Inc | Walton | 2024 | $419K | 38 | $10K | 15% | Not stated | $1.9M |
| 33 | V V Cooke Foundation Corporation | Louisville | 2024 | $378K | 91 | $2K | 11% | MID JANUARY, APRIL, JULY, AND OCTOBER | $7.4M |
| 34 | Julia & Isadore Klein Family Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $375K | 64 | $1K | 7% | SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. | $5.5M |
| 35 | Keeneland Foundation Inc | Lexington | 2025 | $346K | 33 | $5K | 30% | 1ST QUARTER - MARCH 1, 2ND QUARTER - JUNE 1, 3RD QUARTER - SEPTEMBER 1, 4TH QUARTER - NOVEMBER 1 | $428K |
| 36 | Dunbar Foundation Incorporated | Louisville | 2025 | $320K | 42 | $5K | 7% | NO DEADLINES | $2.2M |
| 37 | Magee Christian Education Foundation | Simpsonville | 2024 | $318K | 21 | $17K | 0% | OCTOBER 1 | $4.4M |
| 38 | Blessings Overflow Inc | Alvaton | 2024 | $308K | 6 | $22K | 64% | Not stated | $30K |
| 39 | Robert E Frazier Tri-city Area Charitable Foundation Inc | Lexington | 2025 | $303K | 22 | $15K | 22% | BY APRIL 30 AND OCTOBER 31 TO BE CONSIDERED IN SEMI-ANNUAL MEETINGS IN MAY AND NOVEMBER. | $6.7M |
| 40 | Mahan Foundation Inc | Lagrange | 2025 | $290K | 35 | $4K | 3% | Not stated | $5.6M |
| 41 | Kentucky Social Welfare Foundation | Union | 2024 | $280K | 24 | $10K | 79% | GRANT CYCLE IS OPEN ALL YEAR; BOARD REVIEW DEADLINES CAN BE FOUND AT KSWF.ORG. | $2.4M |
| 42 | Lester E Yeager Charitable Trust B | Owensboro | 2025 | $275K | 38 | $5K | 18% | OCTOBER 15TH | $4.8M |
| 43 | Wood and Marie C Hannah Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $257K | 24 | $10K | 31% | APRIL 1 AND OCTOBER 1 | $1.5M |
| 44 | Alex G Campbell Jr Foundation Inc | Lexington | 2025 | $254K | 29 | $5K | 0% | Not stated | $3.0M |
| 45 | Barr Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2025 | $249K | 6 | $50K | 40% | DECEMBER 1 EACH YEAR FOR PAYMENT OF GRANTS BEFORE YEAR END. | $2.0M |
| 46 | Nicklies Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2025 | $232K | 48 | $3K | 31% | Not stated | $4.9M |
| 47 | Le Foundation | Elizabethtown | 2024 | $223K | 27 | $1K | 9% | Not stated | $1.4M |
| 48 | C F Pollard Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2025 | $218K | 19 | $5K | 11% | Not stated | $2.7M |
| 49 | Barbara and Albert Horton Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $208K | 37 | $1K | 5% | Not stated | $4.1M |
| 50 | Paradis Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $176K | 11 | $10K | 71% | Not stated | $3.6M |
| 51 | Robert & Evelyn Hewlett Morgan Family Foundation Inc | Princeton | 2024 | $176K | 20 | $5K | 11% | MARCH 31ST | $3.6M |
| 52 | Lexington Orphan Society | Lexington | 2025 | $172K | 26 | $8K | 2% | MARCH 15 & SEPTEMBER 15 | $3.3M |
| 53 | Bavarian Foundation | Walton | 2024 | $165K | 25 | $2K | 100% | Not stated | $290K |
| 54 | Lewis and Gladys Bass Family Charitable Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2025 | $164K | 21 | $5K | 24% | Not stated | $292K |
| 55 | Where He Leads Me Inc | Columbia | 2023 | $157K | 6 | $24K | 50% | Not stated | $2K |
| 56 | Jamie Parsley Family Foundation Inc | Prospect | 2025 | $150K | 25 | $5K | 23% | SCHOLARSHIPS: FEBRUARY 1 FOR AN APRIL AWARD. GRANTS: OCTOBER 1 FOR A DECEMBER AWARD. | $2.2M |
| 57 | Hereturns | Winchester | 2025 | $136K | 36 | $867 | 46% | end of tax year 12 31 2025 | $11K |
| 58 | Butler Foundation | Covington | 2024 | $135K | 22 | $2K | 4% | OCTOBER 1, AND MARCH 1. | $13.5M |
| 59 | Fred E & Thelma V Boze Foundation | Louisville | 2024 | $132K | 8 | $12K | 59% | Not stated | $2.5M |
| 60 | Amazing Grace Foundation Ltd | Prestonsburg | 2025 | $130K | 13 | $5K | 33% | Not stated | $357K |
| 61 | Brereton and Elizabeth Jones Charitable Family Foundation | Midway | 2024 | $128K | 13 | $10K | 24% | Not stated | $126K |
| 62 | Cory Foundation Inc | Louisville | 2024 | $115K | 10 | $10K | 4% | SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MAY 1. | $2.2M |
| 63 | Kathryn J Hodges Charitable Tr | Louisville | 2025 | $110K | 13 | $8K | 0% | NOVEMBER 30 | $1.1M |
| 64 | Gardner Foundation Incorporated | Louisville | 2024 | $108K | 82 | $1K | 3% | May 1 | $1.6M |
26 of them, led by the largest by dollars paid, have their own page with the application terms as filed, every recipient, and the trustees. The rest are listed here in full. Where a cell says n/a the filing does not carry that figure: a first-time recipient share needs more than one year of grants on record, and the asset figure comes from the IRS business master file, which does not cover every foundation.
Each figure comes from each foundation's latest filed year, 2022 or later. A foundation is listed when its Form 990-PF says giving is not restricted to preselected organizations and it paid at least 5 grants totaling $100K or more that year. Grants and application terms come from each foundation's latest IRS 990-PF e-file return. The newest tax year is partial until the IRS finishes releasing it. Grants are de-duplicated on funder, year, recipient and amount, so identical repeat grants count once and totals can run low. Full method.
Source: IRS Form 990-PF e-file releases (public domain). Analysis: Civly.
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