Funding Amount

Not stated

Deadline

Deadline not published

Grant Type

Foundation

Deadline history & next window

Cycle
Rolling — applications accepted year-round
Tracked since
April 2026

From the program guidelines: “LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis.”

Can we apply?

Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.

Geography

  • Place-Based Education Grantmaking is for Eastern Kentucky and West Louisville

Other requirements

  • _You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's [website](https://www.jgbf.org/education-workforce.html)._
  • Funding concepts presented to JGBF must be endorsed by the organization’s Chief Executive Officer and should be among the organization’s top priorities

Not eligible / not funded

  • Not eligible: What we don't fund
  • Not eligible: Requests outside the state of Kentucky
  • Not eligible: Performing arts
  • Not eligible: Requests from religious organizations for religious purposes (including theological seminaries)
  • Not eligible: Individuals
  • Not eligible: Political entities
  • Not eligible: Fundraising events
  • Not eligible: Individual public or private pre-K through 12 schools
  • Not eligible: JGBF rarely funds projects where it is the sole funder or is expected to provide a significant percentage, more than 30%, of the project budget

Overview

_NOTE:_

  • _A Letter of Interest (LOI) is the first step to submitting an idea and to receiving an invitation to submit a full application._
  • _LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis._ _Typically, LOI submissions receive a response within 2 weeks._
  • _See Letter of Inquiry Deadline above for the cutoff date for LOI submissions to be sure you time your submission appropriately._

Area of Impact: Education & Workforce Readiness

The James Graham Brown Foundation (JGBF) believes that equitable educational attainment and aligned workforce systems will increase economic and social mobility for all citizens of Louisville and Kentucky, improving prosperity of the Commonwealth. JGBF makes education grants within three primary focus areas.

  • [K-12 Grantmaking]()
  • [Postsecondary Grantmaking]()
  • Place-Based Education Grantmaking

Place-Based Education Grantmaking

The goal of this grantmaking focus is to support efforts of postsecondary institutions to accelerate economic growth and social mobility in the two regions that are the focus of JGBF’s community and economic prosperity grantmaking program. Of interest are programs and initiatives to:

  • Connect people to jobs with livable wages in sectors of the economy that are stable and growing.
  • Increase access to credentials with labor-market value and decrease the time and cost to earn those credentials.
  • Accelerate entrepreneurship by increasing access to supports designed to develop the capacity of nascent and novice entrepreneurs.
  • Leverage the potential of postsecondary institutions to play a leadership role in regional transformation and in supporting community and economic development.

Funding

With occasional exceptions, the Foundation does not generally make grants under $250,000.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

  • Funding concepts presented to JGBF must be endorsed by the organization’s Chief Executive Officer and should be among the organization’s top priorities.
  • Place-Based Education Grantmaking is for Eastern Kentucky and West Louisville.

Ineligibility

  • What we don't fund:
  • Requests outside the state of Kentucky
  • Performing arts
  • Requests from religious organizations for religious purposes (including theological seminaries)
  • Individuals
  • Political entities
  • Fundraising events
  • Individual public or private pre-K through 12 schools
  • JGBF rarely funds projects where it is the sole funder or is expected to provide a significant percentage, more than 30%, of the project budget.

What James Graham Brown Foundation Inc actually gave

Source: IRS Form 990-PF, 2024

Grants in 2024
50
Total given
$14.94M
Median grant
$203K
Range
$450–$1.5M
  • By dollars: Kentucky >99%, District of Columbia <1%, Georgia <1%. Top recipient cities: Louisville, KY; Danville, KY; Washington, DC.
  • 2% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
  • 33% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.

Example grants

  • Rita June Foundation · Louisville, KY

    Bezos academies louisville

    $1.5M

  • Kentucky Derby Museum · Louisville, KY

    "the greatest race" 2025 film update and lighting enhancement

    $1.02M

  • Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education · Frankfort, KY

    Driving transformational change for student success

    $1M

  • Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises · Berea, KY

    Pathway to opportunities for resilient eky

    $881K

  • Louisville Free Public Library Foundation · Louisville, KY

    Renovate and modernize libraries

    $755K

IRS Form 990-PF, 2024. Amounts as reported by the funder. Full 990 history →

Focus Areas & Funding Uses

Fields of Work

  • Education
  • K-12 schools
  • Workforce development
  • Community development

Categories

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