Churchill Downs Incorporated Foundation
Louisville, KY · EIN 61-1380215. Reported 98 grants totalling $833,807 to 73 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Churchill Downs Incorporated Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $2,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $500 and $10,000; the smallest was $41 and the largest $200,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Derby Festival Inc | Louisville, KY | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Backside Learning Center | Louisville, KY | $122,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Kentucky Racetrack Chaplaincy Inc | Lexington, KY | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Retired Racehorse Project | Edgewater, MD | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program | Lexington, KY | $30,452 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Rerun Inc | East Greenbush, NY | $25,150 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Kentucky Equine Adoption Center | Nicholasville, KY | $20,232 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Thoroughbred Charities of America | Lexington, KY | $20,067 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Amplify Horseracing | Lexington, KY | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Second Stride Inc | Crestwood, KY | $15,402 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation | Saratoga Springs, NY | $15,202 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Secretariat Center | Lexington, KY | $15,177 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| The Kentucky Humane Society Animal Rescue | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance | Lexington, KY | $10,212 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Thoroughbred Retirement Network of Louisiana | Covington, LA | $10,100 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Kentucky Humane Society Equine | Simpsonville, KY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Galloping Out | North Riverside, IL | $7,540 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| James River Horse Foundation | Oilville, VA | $6,045 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Old Friends | Georgetown, KY | $5,937 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| After the Races | Elkton, MD | $5,265 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Friends of Ferdinand | Mooresville, IN | $5,241 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Thoroughbred Retirement Rehabilitation and Career | West Chester, PA | $5,230 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Remember Me Rescue | Burleson, TX | $5,180 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Win Place Home | Canyon Country, CA | $5,100 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Horse and Hound Rescue Foundation | Guthrie, OK | $5,090 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Virginia Thoroughbred Project | Montpelier Station, VA | $5,075 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Midatlantic Horse Rescue | Chespaeake City, MD | $5,050 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Racing for Home | Hamden, CT | $5,050 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| United Pegasus Foundation | Tehachapi, CA | $5,050 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Community Foundation of Southern Indiana | New Albany, IN | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Day Spring Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Dress for Success Louisville | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Elevate Louisville | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Feat of Louisville | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Friends of Nicole 5050 Marketing Collaborative | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Have a Heart Foundation Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Imagination Library of Louisville Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Junior League of Louisville Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Kids Cancer Alliance Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Luce Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Mental Health Lou & You Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Pandora Productions | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| St Elizabeth Catholic Charities | New Albany, IN | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| St Vincent De Paul Louisville | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Treeslouisville Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Whitneystrong Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Critically Loved | Louisville, KY | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Kentucky Derby Museum Corporation | Louisville, KY | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Center for Women & Families Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Travel to Hope Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Bright Futures Farm | Cochranton, PA | $1,560 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Equestrian Inc | Tampa, FL | $1,400 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Adventurous Minds Produce Extraordinary Dreams Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Americana Community Center Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Arts Association of Oldham County | La Grange, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Evolve 502 Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Feed Louisville | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| For Lady's Sake | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Hope Scarves Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Jewish Family and Career Services of Louisville Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Kentuckiana Health Collaborative | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Louisville Grows Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| National Parkinson Institute | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Portland Museum Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Queer Kentucky Inc | Covington, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Boys & Girls Club Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| USA Cares Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Wesley House Community Services | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Whas Crusade for Children Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| World Affairs Council of Kentucky & Southern Indiana | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
16 of 73 (22%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 59%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 68 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 | $5,430 | $1,560 |
| 2022 | 7 | $267,000 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 10 | $205,000 | $12,500 |
| 2024 | 27 | $293,595 | $5,265 |
| 2025 | 51 | $62,782 | $500 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
78% of its giving went to organizations in Kentucky. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $2,500. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Kentucky.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Churchill Downs Incorporated Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 600 North Hurstbourne Lane Ste 400, Louisville, KY, 40222. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 61-1380215 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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