Humana Foundation Contributing More Than $2 Million to 30+ Organizations Through New Louisville Community Relations Program
Humana Foundation Contributing More Than $2 Million to 30+ Organizations Throug…
The Humana Foundation, philanthropic arm of Humana for the past 37 years, is awarding grants to 30+ nonprofit organizations in Louisville as part of the foundation’s new Community Relations program. The $2 million in grants is in addition to $7 million the Humana Foundation is contributing to other organizations in seven cities, as part of its new Strategic Investing initiative.
The Louisville Community Relations grants – which add up to $2.4 million – will provide opportunities for growth and development of local nonprofits on a programmatic and organizational level, ultimately contributing to health and well-being in Louisville.
“The organizations receiving these new grants from the Humana Foundation all made clear that they will be able to make a difference in the Louisville area with the contributions,” said Walter Woods, CEO of the Humana Foundation. “Quality of life and quality of place programs like those funded by our Community Relations program are key to making our hometown a healthier, safer place to live for everyone.”
The Humana Foundation’s Community Relations program grants seek to improve the quality of life in Louisville by addressing food security, housing, safety or healthcare issues, or make metropolitan Louisville a more appealing place to live by addressing the environment, arts and culture, inclusion and diversity, or equitable access for all.
Of the 30+ Louisville organizations receiving Community Relations grants from the Humana Foundation, the following seven will receive $100,000 grants:
- Home of the Innocents will use its grant to help children and young adults experiencing homelessness via its Aftercare Program.
- Shawnee Christian Healthcare Center will use its grant to fund comprehensive school-based health centers in high-need neighborhoods, providing medical, dental and counseling services to low-income, medically underserved residents in West Louisville.
- Louisville Urban League’s grant will fund the “It Starts With Me” community health program, using trained community health workers to support West Louisville residents.
- One West will use its grant for the Invest West Community Revitalization Initiative, bringing commercial development and growth to the nine neighborhoods of West Louisville.
- Kentucky Refugee Ministries will use this grant to empower new Louisvillians and educate local providers, focusing on case management for those with complex medical conditions, medical and mental health education for refugee and immigrant community groups, and education and training for medical and mental health providers.
- Louisville Metro Health Department will use this grant towards its “Our Money, Our Voice” initiative, which provides residents of Council Districts 6 and 8 with an opportunity to brainstorm ideas that improve the community, develop submitted ideas into project proposals, vote for the best proposals, and fund the winning projects.
- Help Us Grow Reading Program will use this grant to support its work to influence second and third graders academically and socially, engaging trained volunteers to use an evidence-based curriculum to raise reading proficiency among Louisville elementary students.
Each of the following nonprofits will also receive a $25,000 or $50,000 Community Relations grant from the Humana Foundation:
2 NOT1 Fatherhood and Families
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana
Boys & Girls Club of Kentuckiana
Carnegie Center for Art and History
Community Ventures Corporation
Leadership Louisville Foundation
Louisville Metro Parks Foundation
New Directions Housing Corporation
Smoketown Family Wellness Center
Skills-based volunteering will also play a role in the Community Relations program. As a result, more Humana employees in Louisville will put their strongest business skills to work for area nonprofits to increase capacity, access and sustainability.
Humana employees in Louisville also participated in the grant-selection process. Their input via an online vote helped determine which organizations are receiving Community Relations program grants.
As part of the $2.4 Million the Humana Foundation is awarding through this program, several other organizations will receive funding from the foundation, including Metro United Way and Fund for the Arts.
“We’re excited about this new Community Relations program, in part because of the high quality of the organizations receiving the grants,” Woods added. “These are organizations that have demonstrated that they not only know how to make Louisville a better place, but they are helping to make that happen every day – especially for the people in our community who need help the most. We have great confidence that these grants will go a long way toward strengthening our city and region.”
