Kentucky Business and Commerce Grants

This grant provides financial support and mentorship to early-stage cleantech entrepreneurs in the Midwest who are developing innovative solutions to promote economic growth and environmental sustainability.

This grant provides funding to support programs that help individuals and families in Louisville, Kentucky, build resilience and thrive through caregiver engagement, social-emotional support, academic assistance, and postsecondary education success.

This funding initiative provides financial support to local communities in the Appalachian Region for projects that enhance critical infrastructure and promote business and workforce development.

This initiative provides funding to support large-scale economic development projects across the Appalachian region, focusing on workforce development, business growth, infrastructure improvements, and community capacity building.

This program provides financial assistance to Russell County businesses for improving their storefronts and signage, enhancing their visual appeal and promoting local economic activity.

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky's Shaping a Healthy and Inclusive Future Together (SHIFT) Grant Program aims to transform fragmented communities in Kentucky into inclusive environments for individuals engaging in substance use or experiencing chemical dependence. This program directly aligns with the foundation's mission to build a healthy, inclusive, and connected Kentucky by addressing the critical need for harm reduction and racial equity. The foundation seeks to foster a culture of acceptance and support, moving away from punitive approaches and integrating more compassionate, effective strategies into mainstream services. The SHIFT program targets community-based organizations that primarily serve under-resourced communities of color. These organizations must demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through BIPOC leadership within their staff and board. A crucial eligibility criterion is that applicants must not mandate sobriety for individuals to receive services, emphasizing an inclusive approach. The primary impact goal is to shift communities towards greater inclusion and better support for individuals with substance use challenges, particularly those who have experienced systemic oppression due to the War on Drugs. The grant program prioritizes the integration of harm reduction programming into communities. This includes a variety of project examples such as distributing naloxone, safe use kits, syringe exchanges, and testing strips, as well as community organizing and advocacy that empower individuals with lived experiences. Stigma reduction trainings are also a focus, aimed at helping the public understand and articulate the importance of harm reduction models. Other priorities include developing coalitions of local businesses to provide harm reduction supplies, building partnerships with medication-assisted treatment providers, and integrating peer support professionals into staff positions. Expected outcomes of the grant program include the introduction of new harm reduction service modalities into mainstream services and the increased inclusion of people who use substances into these services. The program offers 10-15 grants, ranging from $10,000 for piloting new programming to $50,000 for supporting ongoing harm reduction and racial equity work. This funding structure supports both innovative new initiatives and the sustained growth of existing effective programs, demonstrating the foundation's strategic commitment to long-term impact and systemic change within Kentucky's communities.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is inviting proposals for its Cumberland Plateau Stewardship Fund, aiming to restore and enhance critical forest, grassland, and freshwater habitats within the Cumberland Plateau region. This initiative aligns with NFWF's broader mission to sustain, restore, and enhance the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. The program's core strategy involves increasing the voluntary adoption of conservation practices on working agricultural lands, which contributes to NFWF’s strategic priority of supporting wildlife and improving ecological health through sustainable land management. The target beneficiaries of this grant program are the diverse habitats and species within the Cumberland Plateau, as well as landowners and communities in the region who will adopt conservation practices. The impact goals are multifaceted, seeking to improve soil health, water quantity and quality, and carbon sequestration. Ultimately, the program aims to foster resilient ecosystems that support both wildlife and sustainable human activities. The foundation's theory of change is predicated on the idea that by providing financial and technical assistance, they can incentivize conservation practices that lead to measurable environmental improvements and long-term ecological benefits. The program's priorities and focuses are clearly outlined through its program strategies. These include restoring previously mined lands, increasing the adoption of conservation practices on grazing and croplands, establishing, enhancing, and maintaining forest habitats, and restoring instream habitats to support aquatic species. A significant focus is also placed on expanding and coordinating technical assistance and outreach to landowners, recognizing the importance of local engagement and support for successful implementation of conservation efforts. Expected outcomes and measurable results include an increase in acres of restored habitats, improved water quality metrics, enhanced soil health, and greater carbon sequestration. The program anticipates awarding approximately $2.8 million in grants in 2024, with individual grant awards ranging from $250,000 to $750,000. Projects are expected to have a completion time of 24-48 months. Eligibility extends to non-profit organizations, state and local governments, Tribal Governments, and educational institutions, with a preference for projects within identified focal areas of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The program’s success will be measured by the extent to which these conservation practices are adopted and the subsequent environmental benefits realized across the Cumberland Plateau.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is offering the 2024 Monarch Butterfly and Pollinators Conservation Fund (Pollinator Fund) to advance pollinator conservation. The core mission of this fund is to protect, conserve, and increase habitat for the monarch butterfly and other native insect pollinators. This aligns with NFWF’s broader Monarch Butterfly Business Plan, indicating a strategic, long-term commitment to these species. The fund aims to support both technical assistance for private working lands and direct habitat improvement projects. The target beneficiaries of this grant program include monarch butterflies and other at-risk native insect pollinator species, such as the rusty patched bumble bee, Franklin’s bumble bee, Karner blue butterfly, Dakota skipper, Poweshiek skipperling, and Mitchell’s satyr. The program also indirectly benefits private landowners, farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners, especially those in Historically Underserved and Special Emphasis categories, by providing resources and incentives for conservation practices on their lands. The overall impact goal is to significantly enhance the quality, quantity, and connectivity of pollinator habitat across eligible states. The Pollinator Fund has two main categories of focus. The first is Technical Assistance for Private Working Lands, which prioritizes increasing voluntary engagement of private landowners in conservation practices through staff resources and targeted outreach for Farm Bill programs like CSP and EQIP. The second category, Habitat Improvement, focuses on on-the-ground restoration and enhancement of pollinator habitat, emphasizing regionally appropriate milkweed and diverse native nectar plants, as well as increasing the supply of native seeds and seedlings. These priorities align with NFWF's strategic goal of fostering sustainable ecosystems through direct habitat restoration and incentivizing private land stewardship. Expected outcomes and measurable results are central to this program. All proposals must demonstrate how they will directly and measurably contribute to the Pollinator Fund's goals, specifically by providing the number of acres restored or enhanced. A minimum of 100 acres in California or 500 acres in all other eligible states must be restored or enhanced. Historically, successful projects have averaged 2,120 acres, indicating a substantial scale for expected impact. The program's theory of change posits that by providing financial assistance and technical support, and by focusing on key geographical areas and species, NFWF can effectively reverse declines in monarch and other native pollinator populations, thereby contributing to broader ecosystem health and biodiversity. The total funding of up to $5.1 million in 2024, contributed by a diverse group of partners, underscores the collaborative and impactful nature of this strategic initiative.

Leap Funding, provided by Main Street Ventures, offers equity-free funding ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to promising, revenue-generating businesses. The primary goal of this program is to help these businesses scale their community impact and enhance their long-term survival prospects. Main Street Ventures' mission, as evidenced by this grant, is to foster economic growth and community development by supporting local enterprises, particularly within the Greater Cincinnati region. This aligns with a strategic priority to strengthen local economies through direct investment in businesses that demonstrate strong potential and customer demand. The target beneficiaries of Leap Funding are established business entities, specifically C-Corps, S-Corps, or LLCs, that possess a Federal Tax ID (EIN). The program focuses on businesses within key industry areas, including retail storefronts (restaurants, coffee shops, retail shops), manufactured goods (consumer packaged goods, clothing, sporting goods), and technology companies (hardware, software). A critical geographical focus is the Greater Cincinnati region, encompassing specific counties in Ohio (Hamilton, Butler, Clermont, Warren), Kentucky (Boone, Campbell), and Indiana (Dearborn). Grant requests from outside this region are explicitly not considered. The program prioritizes funding for specific growth projects rather than general operating expenses. Main Street Ventures defines a growth project as a step that will accelerate business expansion. Suitable direct expenses include key equipment, packaging support, and technology product development. Conversely, general operating expenses such as existing payroll, rent, insurance, marketing, and legal fees are not eligible for grant funds. Businesses are also required to demonstrate customer demand and consistent progression since their founding, ensuring that the funding supports businesses with a proven track record and clear growth trajectory. Expected outcomes include accelerated business growth, increased community impact, and improved long-term survival rates for the funded enterprises. Measurable results would likely include job creation, increased revenue for the businesses, expansion into new markets, or enhanced product development. Special consideration is given to women and minority-owned businesses, as well as those that can secure matching funds from other sources, reflecting a strategic priority to promote diversity and leverage additional investment. The foundation's theory of change appears to be that by providing targeted, equity-free capital for specific growth initiatives, they can empower local businesses to expand, thereby creating a ripple effect of economic benefit and community resilience within the Greater Cincinnati area.

The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) Education Grants program is designed to fund education and outreach activities that benefit the sustainable agriculture community. This grant directly aligns with SSARE's mission to promote efforts in farmer innovations, community resilience, business success, agricultural diversification, and best management practices. The core objective is to support projects that develop sustainable agriculture systems or move existing systems towards sustainability. The primary beneficiaries of these grants are farmers and farming communities, including those involved in indigenous agriculture producing for community food systems. Academic institutions, non-profits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), 1890 land-grant university faculty/extension cooperators, 1862 land-grant universities, other colleges and universities, and government agencies are eligible to apply, acting as facilitators for these educational initiatives. The impact goals are centered on fostering a more sustainable, resilient, and economically viable agricultural sector through knowledge dissemination and practical application. Education Grants prioritize projects that clearly articulate what is being taught, to whom, and how the goals will be accomplished. Focus areas include experiential learning (demonstrations, on-farm tours, field days, workshops), integrative approaches (conferences, seminars, course curriculum), and reinforcement methods (fact sheets, bulletins, videos, online technologies). SSARE also encourages proposals on quality of life topics, such as heirs property, farmers’ markets, food hubs, local/regional processing, and urban agriculture systems, emphasizing the social health of farming systems. Expected outcomes include the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices, enhanced farmer innovation, increased community resilience, improved business success for agricultural enterprises, and greater agricultural diversification. Projects should yield results that are realistic, acceptable to farmers, logical, and capable of leading to tangible actions and benefits described in the proposal. The grant projects are strictly focused on education and outreach, with no research component, and are paid by reimbursement of allowable expenses. The foundation's strategic priorities are evident in the grant requirements, which mandate that project outcomes focus on sustainable agriculture systems and clearly demonstrate how education and outreach efforts will be implemented and evaluated. The theory of change underpinning this program is that by providing targeted education and outreach, knowledge and best practices will be transferred to farmers and communities, leading to the development and widespread adoption of sustainable agricultural methods and improved quality of life within farming systems. Project maximums are $50,000, with a duration limited to two years. Applicants from the Southern region, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are eligible. Farmers involved in these projects must have farming/ranching as their primary occupation or part-time farming with at least $1,000 of documented annual income from their operation, with exceptions for indigenous agriculture.

The United Way of Southern Kentucky is seeking proposals for grants aimed at implementing community impact strategies in the areas of Education, Income, Health, and Safety Net, inviting tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations that align with these strategies to apply before the deadline on 09/30/2024.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to Kentucky's career and technical education programs and schools to foster innovation and improve student outcomes in alignment with workforce needs.

This grant provides funding for Kentucky teachers and schools to cover transportation costs for students traveling to high-quality arts programs.

This program provides funding to small businesses and commercial property owners in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, for improving their storefronts and interiors to boost economic growth and community revitalization.

This grant provides funding to support a collaborative workforce development program aimed at equipping middle and high school students, particularly young men of color in Fayette County, Kentucky, with essential skills and experiences for high-wage career opportunities.

The 2024 States’ Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP), announced by the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), seeks applications for grants to target federal resources toward communities in the Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions. With a focus on economically distressed counties and parishes, SEDAP aims to invest in community-based and regional projects across four congressionally mandated funding categories: basic public infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, business development with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, and workforce development. The program is designed to encourage job creation, regional collaboration, and funding partnerships, leveraging a total of $16,930,642, allocated across the eight-state DRA region with awards ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 depending on project type and application score.

Main Street Ventures offers Launch Funding to emerging, pre-revenue businesses that have a prototype or product. This grant program aims to support the growth and scaling of businesses within the Greater Cincinnati region, aligning with the foundation's mission to foster economic development and innovation in the area. The funding is specifically designed to cover key direct costs associated with growth projects, rather than general operating expenses, reflecting a strategic priority to provide tangible support for business acceleration. The primary target beneficiaries are business entities (C-Corp, S-Corp, or LLC) with a Federal Tax ID (EIN) located in the Greater Cincinnati region, which includes specific counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Businesses must demonstrate customer demand and strong progression since their founding. The program focuses on specific growth projects that will accelerate business growth, with examples of suitable direct expenses including key equipment, packaging support, and technology product development. This targeted approach ensures that the grant funds directly contribute to measurable business expansion. Special consideration is given to women and minority-owned businesses, as well as businesses that can show matching funds from other sources. This reflects the foundation's strategic priorities to promote inclusivity and leverage additional investment, thereby maximizing the overall impact on the regional economy. The expected outcomes include the scaling of businesses, job creation, and increased economic vitality within the Greater Cincinnati region, with successful applicants demonstrating a clear impact of the grant funds on their business or the region. The Main Street Ventures' theory of change is rooted in providing early-stage, direct financial assistance to promising businesses to help them overcome critical growth hurdles. By focusing on direct costs and specific growth projects, the program aims to create a ripple effect, enabling these businesses to achieve significant milestones that would otherwise be out of reach. The emphasis on local businesses and underrepresented founders further amplifies the foundation's commitment to building a robust and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Greater Cincinnati area. The grant duration of three years allows for sustained support and monitoring of the businesses' progress.

This grant provides a $6,000 honorarium to a Kentucky writer selected as poet laureate, supporting their efforts to promote the literary arts in the state over a two-year term.

The Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) Fiscal Year 2025 Art Bank Program is a grant initiative designed to support local visual artists, District art galleries, and art nonprofit organizations by acquiring fine art. This ongoing annual acquisition program contributes to the Art Bank Collection, which began in 1986 and currently holds nearly 3,000 artworks. The mission of this program aligns with CAH's overall goal to foster artistic and cultural development within the District of Columbia and its metropolitan region. The acquired artwork is then loaned to District Government agencies for public display, thereby enhancing public spaces and offices within government buildings. The primary target beneficiaries of this program are qualified artists and District nonprofit art galleries or organizations representing metropolitan artists. The impact goals are multi-faceted: to grow the District's art collection to reflect the diverse artistic history and communities of the region, to provide support, exposure, and professional benefits for visual artists, and to enhance the aesthetic experience for District employees and visitors in government buildings. CAH seeks to achieve these goals through the acquisition of original two- and three-dimensional artwork, including ceramics, drawings, fabric arts, mixed media works, paintings, photographs, prints, and sculptures. The program's priorities and focuses are clearly defined. For individual artists, eligibility requires being aged 18 or older, a legal resident of Washington, DC, or within a 50-mile radius for at least one year, maintaining primary residency during the funding period (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025), having a permanent DC, MD, or VA address, and being in good standing with CAH. Nonprofit galleries and organizations must be 501(c)(3) incorporated, represent metropolitan artists, have a principal business office in DC, be registered to do business in the District, ensure at least 51% of activities occur in DC, have an active Board of Directors, obtain "Citywide Clean Hands" certification, and also be in good standing with CAH. Expected outcomes and measurable results include the expansion of the Art Bank Collection with diverse artworks, an increase in professional opportunities and visibility for local artists, and an improved aesthetic environment in District government buildings and public spaces. Award amounts vary, with individual applicants potentially receiving up to $15,000 and nonprofit art galleries or organizations up to $20,000, for a grant duration of one year. This structured funding approach, combined with stringent eligibility, is central to CAH's strategic priorities of enriching the District's cultural landscape and supporting its artistic community, operating under a theory of change that direct investment in art acquisition and artist support will yield significant cultural and public benefits.

This grant provides financial support ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to small businesses owned by minorities, women, and veterans in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Northern Kentucky, helping them with various business improvement expenses.