Marvin and Joyce Benjamin Fund Grant

Marvin and Joyce Benjamin Fund Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Central Kentucky Community Foundation
Last Updated: June 30, 2025

Summary

The Marvin and Joyce Benjamin Fund, established by a Jewish-Catholic couple from Elizabethtown, empowers local nonprofits to foster kindness and inclusivity. With a legacy of $2 million, the fund combats hatred and promotes understanding through initiatives like the "Never Again" event. Organizations eligible for grants must align with CKCF’s mission and operate within specified Kentucky counties, ensuring impactful community service. This initiative reflects a commitment to enhancing lives and addressing evolving community needs.

Overview

About CKCF strives to enhance communities by uniting people and investing resources through philanthropy. We are committed to building philanthropic resources that will enrich the lives of people who live in our nine-county region encompassing Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, and Washington counties. One of the ways we carry out this work is through a meaningful and impactful grants program. The nonprofit organizations serving our communities provide vital services and opportunities making this a great place to call home. Our nonprofits work to help fulfill their mission and bring new opportunities to our community, but serving a growing region comes with challenges. To meet the ever-changing needs of our community, CKCF’s Granted program offers funding opportunities to our local nonprofits. Marvin and Joyce Benjamin Fund Marvin and Joyce Benjamin, long time residents of Elizabethtown, left a lasting legacy through their philanthropic dream—the $2 million Marvin and Joyce Benjamin Fund. Their shared experiences as a Jewish-Catholic couple led them to establish a fund aimed at combating hatred, bigotry, and anti-Semitism, while promoting kindness, understanding, and inclusiveness. ​ The fund honors their vision and commitment to enriching their community through sponsoring initiatives like the “Never Again: One Holocaust Survivor’s Story” event and fostering dialogue and education.​ The Marvin and Joyce Benjamin Fund strives to foster kindness, understanding and inclusiveness among the diverse people who call our community home. If you have ideas or projects that will elevate these ideas in your organization, the people you serve, or the community, apply for a grant specifically from the Benjamin Fund.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicant organizations must be exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) and classified in Section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.Organizations must be in good standing with the IRS and the Kentucky Attorney General as required by law.Applicant organizations should have missions that align with CKCF.Grant funds must be expended in the CKCF region of Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, and Washington Counties.Organizations must have a minimum of one full year of operations in the CKCF region with supporting records.Organizations should follow best practices in nonprofit governance and management.Religious entities, including churches, congregations, and other houses of worship and/or faith-based organizations, whose core functions/operations promote a specific religious doctrine or are restricted to members of a particular faith, may apply for funding to support charitable service programs and community-based services.

Ineligibility

Religious entities may not apply for religious programming.