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LG&E and Ku Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

LG&E and Ku Foundation Inc

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$4.3M
Granted FY2025still arriving
497
Grants FY2025still arriving
10
States reached
$749k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Human Services$2.7MPhilanthropy$1.7MArts & Culture$880kEducation$731kHousing & Shelter$314kEnvironment$306kEmployment$303kYouth Development$236kOther$0
02FY2025 · 497 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k417 grants · $1.0M
  • $10k–50k66 grants · $1.1M
  • $50k–250k12 grants · $1.1M
  • $250k+2 grants · $1.1M
$2,500
Median grant
10
States reached
$22M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY MINISTRIES INC$749,000
METRO UNITED WAY INC$336,295
METRO UNITED WAY INC$211,455
WHAS CRUSADE FOR CHILDREN INC$183,308
YOUTHBUILD LOUISVILLE$120,000
METRO UNITED WAY INC$100,000
FUND FOR THE ARTS INC$83,898
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC$65,000
LOUISVILLE ZOO FOUNDATION INC$65,000
KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL FOUNDATION INC$60,000
UNITED WAY OF THE BLUEGRASS INC$56,683
OHIO VALLEY UNITED CHARITIES INC$52,878
AMERICAN RED CROSS$50,000
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY$50,000
LINCOLN FOUNDATION$40,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY24–25, $519k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 92% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $4k → 14%UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY INC: $13k → 13%COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES OF SOUTHERN KENTUCKY INC: $2k → 19%UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY INC: $13k → 13%HOPKINS COUNTY FAMILY YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION INC: $3k → 19%COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES OF SOUTHERN KENTUCKY INC: $2k → 19%REVIVE MINISTRIES INC: $2k → 12%REFUGE FOR WOMEN EMERGENCY HOUSING: $2k → 12%CLEVELAND HOME INC: $2k → 10%CLEVELAND HOME INC: $2k → 10%MOUNTAIN EMPIRE OLDER CITIZENS INC: $5k → 22%KENTUCKY FORUM FOR RIGHTS ECONOMICS AND EDUCATION INC: $13k → 4%MOUNTAIN EMPIRE OLDER CITIZENS INC: $3k → 22%KENTUCKY FORUM FOR RIGHTS ECONOMICS AND EDUCATION INC: $13k → 4%MOUNTAIN EMPIRE OLDER CITIZENS INC: $3k → 22%PAYNE HOLLOW ON THE OHIO: $10k → 4%NEWTON'S ATTIC: $3k → 15%URBAN LEAGUE OF LEXINGTON - FAYETTE COUNTY: $22k → 15%URBAN LEAGUE OF LEXINGTON - FAYETTE COUNTY: $15k → 15%URBAN LEAGUE OF LEXINGTON - FAYETTE COUNTY: $3k → 15%NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE: $5k → 15%NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE: $3k → 15%NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE: $3k → 15%DRESS FOR SUCCESS LOUISVILLE INC: $2k → 15%UNITED WAY OF THE BLUEGRASS INC: $57k → 15%UNITED WAY OF THE BLUEGRASS INC: $50k → 15%UNITED WAY OF THE BLUEGRASS INC: $25k → 15%COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA) OF LEXINGTON: $2k → 15%COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA) OF LEXINGTON: $2k → 15%YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER LOUISVILLE: $3k → 15%THE PRISONER'S HOPE INC: $2k → 15%HOME OF THE INNOCENTS: $3k → 15%HOME OF THE INNOCENTS: $2k → 15%CABBAGE PATCH SETTLEMENT HOUSE INC: $8k → 15%CABBAGE PATCH SETTLEMENT HOUSE INC: $5k → 15%LA CASITA CENTER INC: $5k → 15%CABBAGE PATCH SETTLEMENT HOUSE INC: $3k → 15%SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY MINISTRIES INC: $10k → 15%SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY MINISTRIES INC: $10k → 15%YOUTHBUILD LOUISVILLE: $120k → 15%LOUISVILLE URBAN LEAGUE: $15k → 15%LOUISVILLE URBAN LEAGUE: $15k → 15%FAMILY & CHILDREN'S PLACE: $5k → 15%YOUTHBUILD LOUISVILLE: $5k → 15%FAMILY & CHILDREN'S PLACE: $5k → 15%FAMILY & CHILDREN'S PLACE: $5k → 15%MOLO VILLAGE CDC CO: $4k → 15%MOLO VILLAGE CDC CO: $3k → 15%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

ID
MN
MI
NY
IN
OH
PA
CA
MO
KY
VA
TN
DC
GA
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

27%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$7.5M · 258 repeat orgs$21M to everyone else

258 repeat relationships: 258 still active in FY2025, 0 since wound down; 85 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

258
100

Total granted

$7.5M
$21M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

0%
0%

Still filing today

84%
74%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 95% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $226k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesCommunity ImprovementPhilanthropyHousing & ShelterOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • MU
    METRO UNITED WAY INC
    2× · 2024–2025 · $1.3M · revenue +7%
  • YA
    YOUNG ADULT DEVELOPMENT IN ACTION INC
    2× · 2024–2025 · $273k · revenue +26%
  • KD
    KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL FOUNDATION
    2× · 2024–2025 · $238k · revenue +73%

Funded once

  • 2G
    2022 grants
    one grant, 2022 · $5.7M
  • 2G
    2021 grants
    one grant, 2021 · $5.1M
  • 2G
    2020 grants
    one grant, 2020 · $4.8M
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Commerce Lexington Inc

To represent our members, creating the environment and opportunity for economic prosperity and quality living in central kentucky.

—
2
Ky Access to Justice Commission Inc

To increase access to the courts and high-quality legal representation for people with low and moderate incomes living in kentucky through innovative partnerships with the judiciary, the civil legal aid programs, private bar, law schools,…

Crime & Legal
3
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy Inc

To improve the quality of life for all kentuckians through research, education and advocacy on important policy issues facing the commonwealth.

Public Benefit
4
Kentucky Habitat for Humanity Inc

Kentucky Habitat for Humanity's purpose is to work on a statewide level to create partnerships, financial resources, and educational programs to support the mission of building decent, affordable, and sustainable homes and communities for…

—
5
Middle Kentucky Community Action Partnership Inc

To eliminate barriers, achieve economic security and empower families by partnering with other service providers.

—
6
Endeavor Louisville Inc

Endeavor Louisville is leading the high-impact entrepreneurship movement in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio, catalyzing long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring, and supporting the best high-impact entrepreneurs in our region.…

International
7
Kentucky Association for Economic Development Inc

Our purpose is to educate, advocate and connect with our members on issues that are important to the economic development in the commonwealth of kentucky.

Community Improvement
8
Kentucky Coalition Inc

To support grassroots organizing, leadership development & public education around important public policy. ky coalition seeks to promote active citizen participation in the democratic process.

Public Benefit
9
Civiclex Incorporated

Civiclex strengthens civic health in lexington, kentucky, by helping our community understand and get involved in local issues, connect with their neighbors and make decisions in a better way.

Arts & Culture
10
Kentuckianaworks Foundation Inc

To promote and assist, whether financially or otherwise, the activities of the greater louisville workforce development board, inc. d/b/a kentuckianaworks, and to raise funds and coordinate efforts that encourage louisville area residents…

Education
11
Worksite Wellness Council of Louisville
Health
12
Kentucky Chamber Foundation Inc

The Kentucky Chamber Foundation's purpose is to unlock the power of business, accelerate solutions, and build opportunity in Kentucky.

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Heart of Kentucky United Way Inc; the most unlike its peers is Napoleon Hill Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

365 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 365 of the 446 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

6
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
45
Early backer (in before they grew)
358/365
Grantees still filing
138/365
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

2022 grants: $5,735,154 · Other2022 grants2021 grants: $5,100,322 · Other2021 grants2020 grants: $4,824,688 · Other2020 grants2023 grants: $4,484,643 · Other2023 grants+84 more: $1,971,015 · Other+84 moreASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY MINISTRIES INC: $1,573,000 · Religion+4 more: $25,000 · ReligionMETRO UNITED WAY INC: $1,315,208 · PhilanthropyOHIO VALLEY UNITED CHARITIES INC: $104,131 · PhilanthropyBLUE GRASS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $56,000 · Philanthropy+11 more: $91,696 · PhilanthropyYOUNG ADULT DEVELOPMENT IN ACTION INC: $273,355 · Human ServicesTHE WINTERCARE ENERGY FUND INC: $214,000 · Human ServicesUNITED WAY OF THE BLUEGRASS INC: $131,441 · Human ServicesURBAN LEAGUE OF LEXINGTON-FAYETTE COUNTY: $39,130 · Human ServicesTHE LOUISVILLE URBAN LEAGUE INC: $30,000 · Human Services+15 more: $181,399 · Human ServicesKENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL FOUNDATION: $238,000 · Arts & CultureFUND FOR THE ARTS INC: $188,270 · Arts & CultureSTAGEONE FAMILY THEATRE INC: $30,000 · Arts & CultureTHE LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA INC: $30,000 · Arts & CultureRIVERSIDE THE FARNSLEY-MOREMEN LANDING INC: $30,000 · Arts & Culture+28 more: $317,650 · Arts & CultureHABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF METRO LOUISVILLE: $141,500 · Housing & ShelterENERGY CONSERVATION ASSOCIATES INC: $120,000 · Housing & ShelterCOMMUNITY WINTERHELP INC: $105,646 · Housing & ShelterDOLLAR ENERGY FUND INC: $56,835 · Housing & ShelterLEXINGTON HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC: $38,000 · Housing & Shelter+8 more: $68,000 · Housing & ShelterLINCOLN FOUNDATION: $81,500 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC: $75,000 · EducationLOUISVILLE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATIO: $45,500 · EducationJEFFERSON COMMUNITY TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $45,000 · EducationBELLARMINE UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED: $30,500 · EducationSimmons College of Kentucky Inc: $25,000 · EducationMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $20,195 · EducationCOMMUNITY ACT COUNCIL FOR LEX-FAY BOUR HARR AND NICH COUNTIES INC: $20,000 · EducationCENTRE COLLEGE: $20,000 · EducationCATHOLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 · Education+17 more: $137,500 · Education
Other$22,115,822Religion$1,598,000Philanthropy$1,567,035Human Services$869,325Arts & Culture$833,920Housing & Shelter$529,981Education$520,195

Showing the 200 largest grantees by grant value.

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY MINISTRIES INC: $1,573,000 over 2y, 59% of budgetMETRO UNITED WAY INC: $1,315,208 over 2y, 4.1% of budgetTHE WHAS CRUSADE FOR CHILDREN INC: $385,691 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetYOUNG ADULT DEVELOPMENT IN ACTION INC: $273,355 over 2y, 3.7% of budgetKENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL FOUNDATION: $238,000 over 2y, 20% of budgetTHE WINTERCARE ENERGY FUND INC: $214,000 over 2y, 32% of budgetFUND FOR THE ARTS INC: $188,270 over 2y, 1.7% of budgetHABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF METRO LOUISVILLE: $141,500 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetLOUISVILLE ZOO FOUNDATION INC: $137,000 over 2y, 2.7% of budgetUNITED WAY OF THE BLUEGRASS INC: $131,441 over 2y, 2.4% of budgetENERGY CONSERVATION ASSOCIATES INC: $120,000 over 1y, 56% of budgetCOMMUNITY WINTERHELP INC: $105,646 over 1y, 39% of budgetOHIO VALLEY UNITED CHARITIES INC: $104,131 over 2y, 21% of budgetLINCOLN FOUNDATION: $81,500 over 2y, 2.1% of budgetKENTUCKY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL: $79,000 over 2y, 16% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC: $75,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetLEADERSHIP KENTUCKY FOUNDATION INC: $60,000 over 2y, 2.6% of budgetLEADERSHIP LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC: $59,500 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetDOLLAR ENERGY FUND INC: $56,835 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBLUE GRASS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $56,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHerrington Lake Conservation League Inc: $55,400 over 2y, 28% of budgetLOUISVILLE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATIO: $45,500 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetJEFFERSON COMMUNITY TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $45,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetURBAN LEAGUE OF LEXINGTON-FAYETTE COUNTY: $39,130 over 2y, 4.4% of budgetLEXINGTON HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC: $38,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetHEART OF KENTUCKY UNITED WAY INC: $36,127 over 2y, 4.3% of budgetBIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF KENTUCKIANA INC: $35,500 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetCASA OF THE RIVER REGION: $33,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetBELLARMINE UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED: $30,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSTAGEONE FAMILY THEATRE INC: $30,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetTHE LOUISVILLE URBAN LEAGUE INC: $30,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA INC: $30,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetRIVERSIDE THE FARNSLEY-MOREMEN LANDING INC: $30,000 over 2y, 4.3% of budgetGOD'S PANTRY FOOD BANK INC: $28,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $26,050 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetUNITED WAY OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY INC: $25,201 over 2y, 1.8% of budgetKENTUCKY FORUM FOR RIGHTS ECONOMICS AND EDUCATION: $25,000 over 2y, 7.8% of budgetSimmons College of Kentucky Inc: $25,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSouthwest Community Ministries: $25,000 over 2y, 2.9% of budgetACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetTHE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF LOUISVILLE INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPARKS ALLIANCE OF LOUISVILLE INC: $22,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetCENTER FOR WOMEN CHILDREN AND FAMILIES INC: $22,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetLINCOLN HERITAGE COUNCIL OF BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA INC: $22,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetKENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE INC: $21,500 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetMUHAMMAD ALI MUSEUM AND EDUCATION CENTER: $20,350 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $20,195 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetYouth Golf Coalition Inc dba The First Tee of Louisivlle: $20,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Gheens Foundation…Honorable Order of Ke…The Community Foundat…The Community Foundat…Cralle Foundation IncSnowy Owl Foundation …Republic Bank Foundat…James Graham Brown Fo…The Community Foundat…Kosair Charities Comm…Brown-Forman Foundati…Metro United Way Inc
The Gheens Foundation IncKY195.2× affinity112 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Gheens Foundation Inc · Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels Inc · The Community Foundation of Louisville Corporate Depository Inc · The Community Foundation of Louisville Inc · Cralle Foundation Inc · Snowy Owl Foundation Inc · Republic Bank Foundation Inc · James Graham Brown Foundation Inc · The Community Foundation of Louisville Depository Inc · Kosair Charities Committee Inc · Brown-Forman Foundation · Metro United Way Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization LG&E and Ku Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from LG&E and Ku Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 4%
  • Best Buddies International Inc: 4% of income from government
  • Shriners Hospitals for Children: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
67report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 446 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on LG&E and Ku’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home