James Graham Brown Foundation Inc
Louisville, KY · EIN 61-0724060. Reported 252 grants totalling $66.2M to 143 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. 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. James Graham Brown Foundation Inc 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 $150,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $15,000 and $500,000; the smallest was $450 and the largest $2,500,000. 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. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Louisville Foundation | Louisville, KY | $5,115,445 | 10 | 4 | 2024 |
| Centre College | Danville, KY | $4,544,082 | 10 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education | Frankfort, KY | $3,100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Community Ventures Corporation | Lexington, KY | $2,500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Waterfront Park Foundation Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky Inc | Hazard, KY | $1,651,100 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Rita June Foundation | Louisville, KY | $1,500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wellspring Inc | Louisville, KY | $1,500,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Parks Alliance of Louisville | Louisville, KY | $1,450,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Community Foundation of Louisville | Louisville, KY | $1,316,350 | 11 | 4 | 2024 |
| Simmons College of Kentucky | Louisville, KY | $1,290,225 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| EVOLVE502 | Louisville, KY | $1,261,822 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Onewest Corp | Louisville, KY | $1,206,666 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Housing Partnership Inc | Louisville, KY | $1,091,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Teach Kentucky Inc | Louisville, KY | $1,075,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Kentucky Derby Museum | Louisville, KY | $1,025,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| J B Speed Art Museum | Louisville, KY | $1,003,000 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Berea College | Berea, KY | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Goodwill Industries of Kentucky Inc | Louisville, KY | $1,000,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Louisville Metro Housing Authority Development Corporation | Louisville, KY | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises | Berea, KY | $880,625 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Center for Nonprofit Excellence | Louisville, KY | $862,500 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Louisville Free Public Library Foundation | Louisville, KY | $755,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Amped | Louisville, KY | $750,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Riverside Farnsley-Moreman Landing Inc | Louisville, KY | $750,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Isaac W Bernheim Foundation Inc | Clermont, KY | $746,180 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Family Scholar House Inc | Louisville, KY | $600,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Greater Louisville Workforce Investment Board Inc | Louisville, KY | $600,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| National Center for Families Learning | Louisville, KY | $600,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Alabama Forest Land Trust Inc | Mobile, AL | $595,244 | 3 | 1 | 2022 |
| Center for Neighborhoods | Louisville, KY | $550,000 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kentucky Community and Technological College System Foundation Inc | Versailles, KY | $550,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy Inc | Louisville, KY | $508,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Academy of Music Production Education and Development | Louisville, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Americana Community Center | Louisville, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hosparus Inc | Louisville, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana Inc | Louisville, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kentucky Community & Technical College System Foundation Inc | Versailles, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kentucky Educational Television Foundation | Lexington, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Kentucky Natural Lands Trust | Berea, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Louisville Association for Community Economics | Louisville, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mayfield Graves Ltrg Inc | Mayfield, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Metro United Way | Louisville, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mountain Association for Community Economic Development | Berea, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Portland Museum Inc | Louisville, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Saint Joseph Catholic Orphan Society | Louisville, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Teach for America Inc | New York, NY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| YMCA of Greater Louisville | Louisville, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Young Adult Development in Action Inc | Louisville, KY | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Community and Technical College System Foundation Inc | Versailles, KY | $475,412 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Family & Children's Place | Louisville, KY | $435,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Bellarmine University | Louisville, KY | $400,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Louisville Urban League | Louisville, KY | $400,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| New Directions Housing Corporation | Louisville, KY | $400,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana Inc | Louisville, KY | $350,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Global Economic Diversity Development Initiative | Louisville, KY | $350,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Jewish Family & Career Services of Louisville Inc | Louisville, KY | $350,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sponsor 4 Success | Louisville, KY | $340,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Dare to Care Inc | Louisville, KY | $304,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Global Game Changers Children's Education Initiative | Louisville, KY | $300,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Maryhurst Inc | Louisville, KY | $300,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Muhammad Ali Museum and Education Center | Louisville, KY | $290,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| St Vincent De Paul Louisville | Louisville, KY | $278,700 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| American Printing House for the Blind Inc | Louisville, KY | $275,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Delta Foundation Inc | Louisville, KY | $265,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Kentucky State University | Frankfort, KY | $260,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Cave Conservation Association | Horse Cave, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Art Center of the Bluegrass | Danville, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Fahe | Berea, KY | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana Inc | Louisville, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville | Louisville, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| House of Ruth Inc | Louisville, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Kentucky Public Radio Inc | Louisville, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Kentucky Science Center | Louisville, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Legal Aid Society Inc | Louisville, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Neighborhood House | Louisville, KY | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Pikeville | Pikeville, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| USA Cares Inc | Louisville, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Housing Development Alliance Inc | Hazard, KY | $225,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Housing Oriented Ministries | Whitesburg, KY | $225,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kmac Museum Inc | Louisville, KY | $225,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Owsley Brown Frazier Historical Arms Museum Foundation Inc | Louisville, KY | $225,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs Inc | Louisville, KY | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bridge Kids International Inc | Louisville, KY | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Spalding University Inc | Louisville, KY | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St John Center for Homeless Men | Louisville, KY | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Council on Foundations | Washington, DC | $162,000 | 8 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kentucky Youth Advocates | Louisville, KY | $160,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lincoln Foundation | Louisville, KY | $155,167 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Reckoning Inc | Louisville, KY | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Filson Historical Society | Louisville, KY | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Morton Center | Louisville, KY | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Food Literacy Project at Oxmoor Farm Inc | Louisville, KY | $128,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Louisville Youth Philanthropy Council Inc | Prospect, KY | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Leadership Louisville Foundation Inc | Louisville, KY | $104,600 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| American Red Cross | Louisville, KY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Family Community Clinic Inc | Louisville, KY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Greater Louisville Foundation Inc | Louisville, KY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program Inc | Hazard, KY | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Louisville Metro Police Foundation Inc | Louisville, KY | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Downtown Development Corporation | Louisville, KY | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Philanthropy Southeast | Atlanta, GA | $70,600 | 7 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sowing Seeds With Faith | Louisville, KY | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Louisville Downtown Development Corporation | Louisville, KY | $64,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Food Literacy Project | Louisville, KY | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana | Louisville, KY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Greater Louisville Project | Louisville, KY | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Hindman Settlement School Inc | Hindman, KY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Joshua Community Connectors Inc | Louisville, KY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| No More Red Dots Inc | Louisville, KY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Philanthropy Roundtable | Washington, DC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Grantmakers for Education | Portland, OR | $33,150 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, KY | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Decode Project Inc | Louisville, KY | $25,804 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Bates Community Development Corp | Louisville, KY | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Main Street Perryville | Perryville, KY | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| North Carolina Central University Foundation Inc | Durham, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ace Project Inc | Louisville, KY | $24,567 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Canopy Certified Inc | Louisville, KY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Passionist Earth & Spirit Center | Louisville, KY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Beaspired | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Black Birth Justice | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Black Business Association Corp | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| I Would Rather Be Reading | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Jessie E Barnett JR Enrichment Center Aka Jeb Student Athlete Enrichme | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Chess Ambassadors Inc | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Noir Black Chamber of Commerce Inc | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Old Bardstown Village | Bardstown, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Payne Hollow on the Ohio Inc | Prospect, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Seeds of New Leaf Inc | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Southwest Family Ministries | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sweet Evening Breeze | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Hope Buss Inc | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Women of Worth Transition and Finishing Center Inc | Louisville, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| A Brighter Tomorrow Inc | Louisville, KY | $14,514 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Louisville Housing Opportunities and Microenterprise Community Developm | Louisville, KY | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kentucky Refugee Ministries | Louisville, KY | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Backside Learning Center | Louisville, KY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Presbyterian Church (usa) Foundation | Jeffersonville, IN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Louisville Zoo Foundation Inc | Louisville, KY | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Pisgah Community Historic Association | Versailles, KY | $1,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Kentucky Nonprofit Network Inc | Lexington, KY | $600 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
44 of 143 (31%) received money in more than one year over the 4 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 35%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Community Ventures Corporation
WEST END OPPORTUNITY PARTNERSHIP - Waterfront Park Foundation Inc
PLAYWORKS AT WATERFRONT PARK - Rita June Foundation
BEZOS ACADEMIES LOUISVILLE - Centre College
BROWN FELLOWS PROGRAM 2021 - Kentucky Derby Museum
"THE GREATEST RACE" 2025 FILM UPDATE AND LIGHTING ENHANCEMENT - Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
DRIVING TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 178 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 70 | $22.6M | $162,500 |
| 2022 | 74 | $16.1M | $129,323 |
| 2023 | 58 | $12.6M | $151,855 |
| 2024 | 50 | $14.9M | $202,500 |
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.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. James Graham Brown Foundation Inc has 19 of them, worth $12.2M. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back -- and it also tells you how much of the next year's budget is already spoken for.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Rita June Foundation | Louisville, KY | $1,500,000 |
| EVOLVE502 | Louisville, KY | $1,410,687 |
| J B Speed Art Museum | Louisville, KY | $1,250,000 |
| J B Speed Art Museum | Louisville, KY | $1,000,000 |
| Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises | Berea, KY | $969,375 |
| Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education | Frankfort, KY | $800,000 |
| Louisville Free Public Library Foundation | Louisville, KY | $750,000 |
| Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky Inc | Hazard, KY | $750,000 |
| Goodwill Industries of Kentucky Inc | Louisville, KY | $500,000 |
| J B Speed Art Museum | Louisville, KY | $500,000 |
| Kentucky Educational Television Foundation | Lexington, KY | $500,000 |
| Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky Inc | Hazard, KY | $500,000 |
| Wellspring Inc | Louisville, KY | $500,000 |
| Teach Kentucky Inc | Louisville, KY | $350,000 |
| Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky Inc | Hazard, KY | $250,000 |
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 97% of this one's giving went to organizations in Kentucky. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
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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 the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $150,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- 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 James Graham Brown Foundation Inc's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 471 West Main Street Suite 401, Louisville, KY, 40202. 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 61-0724060 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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