Impact in Action

KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS

Kentucky Performing Arts (KPA) has a mission to help people build lifelong relationships with the arts. It achieves this goal through its multiple theatres and venues and a variety of statewide education and outreach programs. KPA works to bring the arts into the community by providing in-person and virtual experiences to children and adults in community centers, healthcare facilities, and schools.

“Brown-Forman has been a sponsor of Kentucky Performing Arts since the center first opened in 1983 and a title sponsor of the Midnite Ramble Series for many years. Midnite Ramble is one of our signature series and pays tribute to Louisville’s Walnut Street era that ran from the 1930s to the 1950s. During that time, Walnut Street was a business and entertainment hub for the city’s Black community and was known for bringing people of all backgrounds together. The series is particularly special because it focuses on diverse artists and art forms. It allows our audience to discover these performers for the first time and has left a lasting impact on thousands of people over the years. It’s hard to even put into words the importance of our partnership with Brown-Forman, especially coming from the pandemic when everything was closed. The Brown-Forman Foundation supported us through that period of time. That commitment allowed us to jump right back in once performance venues reopened and deliver our programming to new and returning audiences.”

KIM BAKER, President and CEO

SOWING SEEDS WITH FAITH

Sowing Seeds with Faith started in 2017 as an after-school tutoring program for a dozen kids. Since that time, it’s grown dramatically and now serves more than 630 students from 17 different zip codes across Louisville and Southern Indiana. In addition to academic support, the organization provides year-round mentoring and a summer program.

“Brown-Forman was one of our very first partners and brings a different dynamic to supporting nonprofits. It isn’t a check. It isn’t a donation. It’s an investment. The Brown-Forman Foundation has helped to evolve our entire program and its scope. It has been one of the most instrumental organizations that we have had the opportunity to partner with in our work.” 

DA’MARRION FLEMING, Executive Director & President

DARE TO CARE FOOD BANK

Dare to Care Food Bank fights hunger by working with 300 different community partners in 13 counties across the Greater Louisville area and Southern Indiana. This commitment to collaboration is responsible for providing millions of healthy, nutritious meals to the community every year. These resources are delivered through programs with schools, mobile units, and outreach to senior citizens.

“Our relationship with Brown-Forman has been an incredible partnership. In the past 20 years, Brown-Forman has contributed more than a million dollars to Dare to Care, including a $100,000 donation to help us create our Community Kitchen in West Louisville. Since then, more than $100 million has been invested in this traditionally underserved area of our community in a variety of ways. This kind of commitment allows us to think big, dream big, and have a big impact. This investment continues to pay off in the community as we have a greater need for charitable food assistance than we’ve ever had before. The support from Brown-Forman allows us to continue to answer our call to the community.” 

VINCENT JAMES, President & CEO

THE MORTON CENTER

The Morton Center is an outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility. It started nearly 40 years ago and now serves an average of 150 individuals a month. The organization not only provides intensive support and therapy for the individuals in treatment but also offers sessions for clients’ families to understand better and treat the disease of addiction.

“It has been wonderful to grow in our relationship with the Brown-Forman Foundation. It has been such a huge help in providing scholarships for our individuals in treatment and their families. For those individuals who choose to walk through our doors or pick up the phone, the opportunity for them to get help is immediate. Having these scholarships ready to go the moment somebody seeks care is life-changing because it removes the financial barrier and gets their families involved. I wish more companies were willing to show this kind of responsible leadership. I think what the Brown-Forman Foundation has done over the last several years in wanting to lean in and provide resources is huge. It takes all of us. It takes a village.”

PRISCILLA MCINTOSH, CEO

THE PARKLANDS OF FLOYDS FORK

The Parklands is a unique parks system in Louisville. It is free, open to the public 365 days a year, home to 60 miles of hard and soft trails, 19.4 miles of the connecting Louisville Loop, and more than 22 miles of Floyds Fork Tributary. In addition to these amenities, the Parklands also offers a robust education program for thousands of students across the community. It averages more than three million visitors a year. 

“We saw a great need in the community for outdoor science education. The support we receive from the Brown-Forman Foundation allows us to make that possible for kids in our community who wouldn’t otherwise get to experience outdoor education. Our field trip program is designed to serve students who attend Title 1 schools to expose them to nature and give them an enhanced, immersive experience. Teachers tell us, time and time again, about the transformations that come from these moments, which allow their students to move from apprehension to comprehension. We are so appreciative of all that the Brown-Forman Foundation has done for us. We are now up to providing nearly 10,000 field trips a year. It’s great to see this program grow, and it will be really neat to see the impact it continues to make in the years to come.”

DAVID MORGAN, President