The Whas Crusade for Children Inc
The WHAS Crusade for Children Inc is a public charity based in Louisville, Kentucky. Established in 1954 by WHAS-TV, it raises funds for agencies, schools, and hospitals serving children with identified health care, educational, and emotional wellness needs in Kentucky and southern Indiana. The organization says its endowment covers core expenses so telethon donations can support children.
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc at a glance
In short: The Whas Crusade for Children Inc gave $5.8M across 201 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), mostly in Kentucky. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $5,755,273
- +2.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 201
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $28,633
- +2.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $59,489,833
- +9.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (53 of 198, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Kentucky (92% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Whas Crusade for Children Inc
- Invitation Only
-
New applicants can email a brief description of their organization and grant purpose to request an invitation; access to the online application is by invitation only. The request should be sent or signed by the agency director or school superintendent. Former grant recipients are notified about applying for the next year. Applicants must be in active standing with the IRS and serve children in Kentucky or southern Indiana. The Crusade must have financial support from a county before it can award a grant to an organization, school, or hospital located there. Qualified applicants are scheduled for a hearing with the Crusade Advisory Panel.
- Review Cycle
- Applications for FY 2027–28 are scheduled to open October 5, 2026, and close January 8, 2027, at 5:00 p.m. EST. Final grant determinations are made after the telethon, held the first full weekend in June; award notices are sent by July 1 or earlier. Grant funds are expendable from September 1 through August 31.
- Deadline
- Applications for FY 2027–28 are scheduled to open October 5, 2026, and close January 8, 2027, at 5:00 p.m.
- Contact
Mailing address: 520 W Chestnut Street, Louisville, KY 40202
Phone: (502) 582-7706
Website: https://whascrusade.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from The Whas Crusade for Children Inc
WHAS Crusade for Children Grant - Former Grant Recipients
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
WHAS Crusade for Children Grant - New Applicants
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
WHAS Crusade for Children Grants
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc
Amount
Varies by year; recent annual totals range from $5.4M - $5.7M
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who The Whas Crusade for Children Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Children's Hospital Foundation ($400K). Together the top 10 received $1.7M.
Organizations only. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($99,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
996 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 876 grants of 996 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Crusade’s stated service area includes Kentucky and southern Indiana. Its website says it supports organizations serving children in all 120 Kentucky counties and more than 30 southern Indiana counties. In its 2025 grants, 92% of grant dollars went to recipients in Kentucky and 8% to recipients in Indiana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 201 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Whas Crusade for Children Inc open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 53 of 198 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $41K; repeat grants $25K. How we count
Medians: $22K first-time, $18K repeat.
- 66% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $4.8M (2020) to $6.1M (2023). In 2025 it made 201 grants totaling $5.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Children's Hospital Foundation Louisville, KY | $400,000.00 for capital grant - construction of pediatric infusion and dialysis center. | $400,000 |
| Home of the Innocents - Capital Grant Louisville, KY | $262,500.00 for capital grant for kosair for kids complex care center. | $262,500 |
| Uofl Foundation - Uofl Hospital Nicu Louisville, KY | $200,000.00 for ge venue point of care ultrasound machine, ge giraffe carestation incubators, drager transcutaneous bilirubin meters, ge giraffe omnibeds, and vela neonatal chairs. | $200,000 |
| Baptist Health Foundation Greater Louisville Inc Louisville, KY | $175,000.00 philips intelivue monitors, ge panda ires warmer, zaky zak and zaky hug, dandelion developmental care items, giraffe shuttle transport, bubble cpap equipment, philips avalon wireless fetal monitors, and ge mic giraffe warmer/ welch allyn connex 6700 vital signs monitor /optiflow breathing assistance. | $175,000 |
| Baptist Health Foundation Hardin Inc Elizabethtown, KY | $170,000.00 for ge giraffe omnibed carestation ato model, numotion e-pacer, tumbl trak climbing and tumbling equipment, items for elizabethtown pediatric therapy unit - learning by design word study curriculum / pearson assessments / tanita precision infant and preemie scale, southpaw obie pro multi sensory device (radcliffe pediatric therapy), items for radcliffe pediatric therapy unit - fun and function llc therapy items / pearson developmental motor scales assessments / blaze pods pt bundle, wps publishing sensory processing measure (bardstown pediatric therapy unit), and tumbl trak boundex cuddle box. | $170,000 |
| Personal Counseling Services Inc - Capital Grant Clarksville, IN | $100,000.00 for capital grant for facility expansion to provide additional mental health services. | $100,000 |
| Uspiritus Inc Louisville, KY | $100,000.00 for purchase of two vans, partial salary for education coordinator and youth care workers. | $100,000 |
| Visually Impaired Preschoolers Services of Greater Louisville - Louisville Louisville, KY | $95,000.00 for full-time teachers of the visually impaired and full-time kids town preschool teachers. | $95,000 |
| Home of the Innocents - Program Grant Louisville, KY | $75,000.00 for equipment for the kosair for kids complex care center - hematology analyzer, bladder scanners, ventilator monitoring system, isolation carts, and beds with accessories and mattresses. | $75,000 |
| Shelby County Public Schools Shelbyville, KY | $75,000.00 for instructional & assistive technology, transition & curriculum, and occupational therapy and assessments. | $75,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Whas Crusade for Children Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $59,489,833 | $9,925,757 | $7,383,725 | $5,755,273 | 201 | $1,599,272 |
| 2024 | $54,254,496 | $21,136,098 | $6,890,328 | $5,591,982 | 201 | $11,473,014 |
| 2023 | $44,854,468 | $10,193,189 | $7,429,972 | $6,136,875 | 193 | $1,307,287 |
| 2022 | $38,851,590 | $9,353,185 | $6,250,159 | $4,998,773 | 180 | $1,393,759 |
| 2021 | $41,322,659 | $8,059,393 | $6,095,075 | $5,041,000 | 221 | $1,374,719 |
| 2020 | $31,774,989 | $5,231,394 | $5,835,232 | $4,800,000 | 238 | $684,480 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Crusade’s mission is to make life better for children with identified health care, educational, and emotional wellness needs by inspiring generosity with community partners. Its grants support nonprofit agencies, schools, and hospitals that serve children with special needs up to age 18. The organization describes special needs as physical, mental, emotional, and medical needs.
Grants fund direct services, specific programs, or equipment that directly benefit children; they are not general operating grants. The organization does not fund administrative needs, overhead, public-awareness campaigns, employee benefits, equipment warranties or installation, or taxes. It makes no grants to individuals or families.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of services. The Children’s Hospital Foundation says its support helps pediatric specialists respond to children’s medical needs and supports health and wellness initiatives. The Home of the Innocents describes its work as enriching the lives of children and families with hope, health, and happiness. Visually Impaired Preschool Services says it provides educational services to young children with blindness or low vision. Personal Counseling Services describes its mission as providing mental health services.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Crusade reported 201 grants totaling $5,755,273. Grant awards ranged from $5,400 to $400,000, with a median of $20,000. The largest awards included $400,000 to Children’s Hospital Foundation for construction of a pediatric infusion and dialysis center; $262,500 to Home of the Innocents for its Kosair for Kids Complex Care Center; and $200,000 to the UofL Foundation for equipment for the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
Other 2025 awards included $175,000 to Baptist Health Foundation Greater Louisville for pediatric and neonatal equipment; $170,000 to Baptist Health Foundation Hardin for equipment and resources for pediatric therapy units; $100,000 to Personal Counseling Services for facility expansion to provide additional mental health services; and $100,000 to Uspiritus for two vans and partial salaries for an education coordinator and youth care workers. The Crusade also awarded $95,000 to Visually Impaired Preschool Services for teachers, $75,000 to Home of the Innocents for complex-care-center equipment, $75,000 to Shelby County Public Schools for instructional and assistive technology and related services, $75,000 to St. Joseph Catholic Orphan’s Society for an inclusive outdoor wellness complex, and $70,000 to Duchenne Research Education and Miracle FDT for playground equipment and surfacing.
Deadline: Applications for FY 2027–28 are scheduled to open October 5, 2026, and close January 8, 2027, at 5:00 p.m. EST. Final grant determinations are made after the telethon, held the first full weekend in June; award notices are sent by July 1 or earlier. Grant funds are expendable from September 1 through August 31.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dennis Stilger as chairman and Jennifer Ehard as treasurer, with Ehard’s term beginning in March 2025. Listed board members included Jason Meiman; Jane Pfeiffer and Jason Crosby, whose terms began in March 2025; and Chris Haunz, whose term began in June 2025. The filing also lists Bill Frey and Debbie Leist through March 2025, Daniel Czech through June 2025, and Jennifer Fries through March 2025.
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc is led by Dawn Lee, President & CEO on every filing since 2020; 2 of 26 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Dawn Lee
President & CEO
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$155K (2021) → $156K (2025)
Dennis Stilger
Chairman
Board Member → Vice Chairman, 2022
Vice Chairman → Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shawn Kaelin
Vice President
Board Member → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$92K (2025)
Bill Frey
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Debbie Leist
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Ehard
Treasurer
Board Member → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Fries
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeremy Shumate
Vice Chairman
Board Member → Vice Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joe Graffis
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Katherine Langan
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Columbia
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Meaghan Reynolds
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Cilone
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Carr
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Wade
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jason Meiman
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shay McAlister
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Czech
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nathan Fessel
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Petina Jones
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven White
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Haunz
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jane Pfeiffer
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jason Crosby
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Johanna Wheatley
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sherlene Shanklin
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (16)
- Former: Jean O'Brien (2020–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Jeff Nelson (2020–2024) — Chairman
- Former: John Blim (2020–2024) — Vice President
- Former: Kevin Burke (2020–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Dave Goldsmith (2020–2023) — Board Member · Filing note: Term ended end 323
- Former: Josh Everett (2020–2023) — Board Member · Filing note: Term ended end 323
- Former: Kelly Grangier (2020–2023) — Board Member · Filing note: Term ended end 323
- Former: Pamela Stephens (2020–2023) — Board Member · Filing note: Term ended end 323
- Former: Pat Walsh (2020–2023) — Board Member · Filing note: Term ended end 323
- Former: Gary Stewart (2020–2022) — Vice Chairman
- Former: Christy Moreno (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Kyle Judd (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Stacy Griggs (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Clarence Glover (2020) — Board Member · Filing note: Ended March 2020
- Former: Don Allen (2020) — Board Member · Filing note: Ended March 2020
- Former: Marcus Warren (2020) — Board Member · Filing note: Ended March 2020
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $156K, to Dawn Lee (President & CEO). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Whas Crusade for Children Inc
How much does The Whas Crusade for Children Inc give each year?
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc gave $5.8M across 201 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $5.6M across 201 grants.
What is The Whas Crusade for Children Inc's typical grant size?
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $28,633, across 201 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Whas Crusade for Children Inc that year got $41K on average.
Where does The Whas Crusade for Children Inc give grants?
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc gives mostly in Kentucky: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Indiana (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Louisville, KY (82 grants), Lexington, KY (11 grants), Bowling Green, KY (10 grants) and Elizabethtown, KY (6 grants).
Does The Whas Crusade for Children Inc give general operating support?
Occasionally: 0% of The Whas Crusade for Children Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 201) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are The Whas Crusade for Children Inc's largest grantees?
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Children's Hospital Foundation ($400,000), Home of the Innocents - Capital Grant ($262,500) and Uofl Foundation - Uofl Hospital Nicu ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($99,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Whas Crusade for Children Inc?
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc reported $59.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $9.9M.
What does The Whas Crusade for Children Inc fund?
The Crusade’s mission is to make life better for children with identified health care, educational, and emotional wellness needs by inspiring generosity with community partners. Its grants support nonprofit agencies, schools, and hospitals that serve children with special needs up to age 18. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Whas Crusade for Children Inc?
New applicants can email a brief description of their organization and grant purpose to request an invitation; access to the online application is by invitation only. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Whas Crusade for Children Inc's EIN?
The Whas Crusade for Children Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7075524. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 26, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Whas Crusade for Children Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Whas Crusade for Children Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-whas-crusade-for-children-inc-morg_20cda8aae2a54f7b9aec26bd2bcfc8d3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237075524_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Whas Crusade for Children Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-whas-crusade-for-children-inc-morg_20cda8aae2a54f7b9aec26bd2bcfc8d3},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from The Whas Crusade for Children Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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