2025-2026 WHAS Crusade for Children Grants Announced
Agencies, schools and hospitals dedicated to serving children in Kentucky and Southern Indiana received great news from the WHAS Crusade for Children. Just weeks after wrapping up the 72nd WHAS Crusade for Children telethon, 100% of the $5,890,189.77 raised was awarded in the form of 234 grants to provide vital services to children with identified health care, educational, and emotional wellness needs. These funds will be used to make life better for children facing physical, medical, mental, and emotional wellness challenges.
“The WHAS Crusade for Children continues to be a powerful example of what our communities can do when we come together,” said Dawn Lee, President & CEO of the WHAS Crusade for Children. “Every donation, large or small, directly benefits children throughout Kentucky and Indiana, and thanks to our generous donors, dedicated firefighters, and community partners, we are able to fund critical programs that change lives.”
The WHAS Crusade for Children continues to be America’s most successful local telethon, highlighting the unwavering support and commitment of communities in this region to making a positive difference in the lives of children. The 30+ hour telethon was broadcasted on WHAS11 television, 840 WHAS Radio, WBNA 21 (Louisville), WBKO 13 (Bowling Green), and streamed worldwide on WHAS11.com and the WHAS11+ app during the weekend of June 7-8.
100% for the kids!
Since 1954, the Crusade has raised more than $222 million. One hundred percent of those donations have been returned in the form of grants to agencies, schools and hospitals that make life better for children with identified needs in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
Every penny counts!
From individual donors who drop pocket change into boots at firefighter collection sites, to children with lemonade stands, to corporations that offer payroll deduction, it all comes together during this annual miracle on the first weekend in June.
Click here to learn more about the WHAS Crusade for Children grant process.
Click here to view a complete list of all the groups that made donations live during the 72nd WHAS Crusade for Children.
Click here to see hundreds of photos from Crusade weekend on our Facebook page.
2025-2026 GRANTS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
4 Leaf Friends $30,000.00
A Chance to Dance $4,000.00
Actors Theatre of Louisville $3,500.00
Adair County Schools $15,000.00
Allegro Dance Project $7,000.00
American National Red Cross $24,000.00
American Printing House for the Blind $4,142.88
Americana Community Center $4,000.00
Anchorage Independent School District $25,000.00
Anderson County Schools $5,600.00
Appalachian Regional Healthcare $18,000.00
Archdiocese of Louisville $40,000.00
Art Center of the Bluegrass $8,000.00
Arts for All Kentucky $8,000.00
Asbury University $18,000.00
Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville $13,000.00
Baptist Health Foundation Floyd $50,000.00
Baptist Health Foundation Greater Louisville $175,000.00
Baptist Health Foundation Hardin $170,000.00
Baptist Health Foundation Paducah $50,000.00
Bardstown Independent Schools $23,000.00
Barren County School District $14,000.00
Barren Heights Christian Retreat Center $10,000.00
Barren River Child Advocacy Center $8,000.00
Bell County School District $20,000.00
Bellarmine University – Kids On The Move $53,500.00
Bellarmine University – Scholarships $18,000.00
Best Buddies International $7,000.00
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana $18,000.00
Bluegrass Care Navigators $4,000.00
Bluegrass Center for Autism $30,590.07
Borden-Henryville School Corporation $20,000.00
Boy Scouts of America $10,000.00
Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana $4,200.00
Breckinridge County Board of Education $35,000.00
Buckhorn Child and Family Services $25,000.00
Bullitt County Public Schools $55,000.00
Camp TESSA of Hardin County $6,500.00
Campbellsville Independent Schools $18,000.00
Carroll County Schools $5,000.00
CASA at Woodlawn Inc (of the Bluegrass) $4,500.00
CASA of Calloway and Marshall Counties (by the Lakes) $6,500.00
CASA of Lexington $15,000.00
CASA of South Central Kentucky $9,000.00
CASA of the Appalachian Mountains $5,000.00
CASA of the Gateway Region $5,000.00
CASA of the Heartland $12,000.00
CASA of the Lincoln Trail $11,000.00
CASA of the River Region $16,000.00
Central Kentucky Riding for Hope $5,000.00
Child Development Center of the Bluegrass $3,100.00
Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky $20,000.00
Christian Academy School $15,000.00
Clark County Youth Shelter and Family Services $12,000.00
Cloverport Independent School District $25,000.00
Community Action of Southern Indiana $12,000.00
Community Medical Associates – Norton Autism Center $22,000.00
Community Medical Associates – Norton Brain Care $20,000.00
Copes Hope Equine Assisted Services $5,000.00
Critically Loved $10,000.00
Deaf Youth Sports Festival $20,000.00
Delta Foundation $4,000.00
Dorman Preschool Center $18,000.00
Down Syndrome Association of the Heartland $8,000.00
Down Syndrome of Louisville – Capital $30,000.00
Down Syndrome of Louisville – Program $20,000.00
Down Syndrome Support Group of South Central Kentuky $25,000.00
Dreams With Wings $9,000.00
Duchenne Research Education and Miracle Foundation $70,000.00
Eastern Kentucky University – Autism $4,200.00
Eastern Kentucky University – Scholarships $22,000.00
Eastern Kentucky University -Technology $8,000.00
Easterseals Bluegrass $15,000.00
Easterseals West Kentucky $3,101.99
Eminence Independent Schools $23,000.00
Englishton Park $6,000.00
Fairview Independent School $20,000.00
Family & Children’s Place $25,000.00
Family Ark $12,000.00
Family Connection-Hope Hill Youth Services $2,500.00
Family Enrichment Center Inc $9,000.00
Family Scholar House $13,000.00
Father Maloney’s Boys & Girls Haven – Capital $30,000.00
Father Maloney’s Boys & Girls Haven – Program $70,000.00
FEAT of Louisville $15,000.00
Flaget Memorial Hospital Foundation $23,000.00
Francis Parker School of Louisville $12,000.00
Franklin County Schools $20,000.00
Friends of Open Door Youth Services $6,000.00
Friends School of Louisville $30,000.00
Fund For The Arts $8,000.00
Gateway Children’s Services $6,500.00
Gateway Community Action $3,540.00
Gilda’s Club Kentuckiana $11,500.00
Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana $45,000.00
Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road $3,500.00
Grayson County Schools $15,000.00
Greater Clark County Schools $20,000.00
Green County Schools $20,000.00
Green Hill Therapy $20,000.00
Green River Regional Education Cooperative $9,800.00
Hancock County Public Schools $6,000.00
Harbor House of Louisville – Capital $34,000.00
Harbor House of Louisville – Program $10,000.00
Hardin County Board of Education $43,000.00
Harrison County Exceptional Learners Cooperative $13,021.68
Harrison County Hospital $14,000.00
Hart County School District $23,000.00
Henderson County Board of Education $3,000.00
Henry County Schools $35,000.00
Heuser Hearing & Language Academy $29,500.00
Hindman Settlement School $14,000.00
Home of the Innocents – Capital $262,500.00
Home of the Innocents – Program $75,000.00
Hosparus Health $45,000.00
I Would Rather Be Reading $12,500.00
James Whitcomb Riley Memorial Association $8,000.00
Jefferson County Board of Education – Adapted Sports $7,000.00
Jefferson County Board of Education – Assistive Technology $65,000.00
Jefferson County Board of Education – Deaf & Hard of Hearing $25,600.00
Jefferson County Board of Education – Early Childhood $14,500.00
Jefferson County Board of Education – Moderate to Severe Disabilities $65,000.00
Jefferson County Board of Education – Occupational/Physical Therapy $45,000.00
Jefferson County Board of Education – Visually Impaired $15,000.00
Jeffersonville Township Public Library $5,000.00
Jessamine County Schools $5,000.00
Jewish Community of Louisville $15,000.00
Johnson County Schools $20,000.00
Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana $4,500.00
Justin King Foundation $12,000.00
Kentucky Center for Special Children’s Services $52,000.00
Kentucky Dance Council – Louisville Ballet $10,500.00
Kentucky Educational Development Cooperative $11,424.00
Kentucky Hemophilia Foundation $6,000.00
Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation $16,200.00
Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation $9,000.00
Kentucky School for the Deaf Charitable Foundation $7,000.00
Kentucky Shakespeare $3,000.00
Kentucky Wesleyan College $7,000.00
Kids Cancer Alliance $10,000.00
Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies $20,000.00
Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency $10,000.00
LaRue County Public Schools $12,336.80
Lexington Hearing & Speech Center $11,000.00
LifeSpring Health Systems $2,800.00
Lighthouse Academy at Newburg $8,250.00
LouCity & Racing Foundation $5,000.00
Louisville Academy of Music $5,000.00
Louisville Free Public Library Foundation $5,000.00
Madison Area Educational Special Services Unit $7,000.00
Madison Consolidated Schools $20,000.00
Magoffin Co Board of Education $8,000.00
Marion County Public Schools $30,000.00
Maryhurst $30,000.00
McCracken County Board of Education $10,000.00
Meade County School System $25,000.00
Med Center Health Foundation $15,000.00
Meredith-Dunn School – Capital $30,000.00
Meredith-Dunn School – Program $22,000.00
Miracle Dancer Scholarship Foundation $10,500.00
Miracle League of Louisville $7,000.00
Mission Hope for Kids $5,000.00
Mountain Comprehensive Care Center $21,000.00
Nativity Academy at St. Boniface $16,000.00
Nelson County Schools $33,000.00
New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding $9,500.00
Northern Kentucky Children’s Law Center $10,000.00
Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services $4,532.00
Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation $400,000.00
Oldham County Board of Education $60,000.00
Orchid House-Marty’s Orchid House $20,000.00
Owensboro Dance Theatre $6,000.00
Owensboro Health Foundation $23,000.00
Paws With Purpose $20,000.00
Personal Counseling Services – Capital Grant $100,000.00
Personal Counseling Services – Program $25,000.00
Pitt Academy $10,000.00
Project L.E.A.R.N. $6,990.00
Puzzle Pieces $26,000.00
Rauch $18,000.00
RFG Integrative Fitness $40,000.00
Rise Fitness Kentucky $8,251.62
Rockcastle Regional Hospital & Respiratory Care Center $35,000.00
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana $40,000.00
Saint Joseph Berea Hospital $35,000.00
Saint Joseph London Hospital Foundation $23,000.00
Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Hospital $19,000.00
Seven Counties Services $23,000.00
Shelby County Public Schools $75,000.00
Silver Creek School Corporation $18,000.00
South Central Area Special Education Cooperative $15,000.00
South Central Kentucky Kids on the Block $7,000.00
Special Olympics Indiana $5,400.00
Special Olympics Kentucky $7,000.00
Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth of Kentucky $4,000.00
Spencer County Schools $33,500.00
Spina Bifida Association of Ky-Kosair Charities $20,000.00
Springs Valley Community Schools $9,000.00
St. Joseph Children’s Home – Capital $75,000.00
St. Joseph Children’s Home – Program $24,000.00
StageOne Family Theatre $14,500.00
Summit Academy of Greater Louisville $7,500.00
Sunrise Children’s Services $20,000.00
Taylor County Schools $32,000.00
The Center for Courageous Kids $50,000.00
The de Paul School $30,000.00
The Down Syndrome Association of Central Kentucky $10,000.00
The Morton Center $21,000.00
The Point Arc $5,000.00
The REATH Center $7,000.00
TJ Samson Regional $70,000.00
Trustees of Indiana University – Scholarships $8,000.00
University of Louisville – School of Music $30,000.00
University of Louisville – Frazier Rehabilitation Hospital $22,500.00
University of Louisville – NICU Ctr for Women and Infants $200,000.00
University of Louisville – Peace Hospital $50,000.00
University of Louisville – Scholarships $22,000.00
Uspiritus – Bellewood and Brooklawn $100,000.00
Visually Impaired Preschoolers Services of Greater Louisville $95,000.00
Visually Impaired Preschoolers Services -VIPS Indiana $45,000.00
Visually Impaired Preschoolers Services-VIPS Lexington $45,000.00
Volunteers of America Mid-States $45,000.00
Washington County Schools $5,000.00
Wendell Foster’s Campus for Developmental Disabilities $9,708.73
Wesley House Community Services $10,000.00
Western Kentucky University – Scholarships $22,000.00
Western Kentucky University -Kelly Autism $21,400.00
Western Kentucky University- Renshaw Early Childhood $25,000.00
Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph Hospital East and Saint Joseph Jessamine $70,000.00
Woodford County Schools $7,500.00
Young Men’s Christian Association of Greater Louisville $40,000.00
Young Mens Christian Association of Harrison County $20,000.00
Youth Link Southern Indiana $11,000.00
Youth, Ethics & Skills Center $11,000.00
TOTAL $5,890,189.77
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