2026-2027 WHAS Crusade for Children Grants Announced
WHAS CRUSADE FOR CHILDREN AWARDS $6.2 MILLION TO HOSPITALS, SCHOOLS, AND AGENCIES TO HELP CHILDREN ACROSS KENTUCKY AND SOUTHERN INDIANA
Hospitals, schools, and agencies dedicated to serving children in Kentucky and Southern Indiana received great news from the WHAS Crusade for Children. Just weeks after wrapping up the 73rd WHAS Crusade for Children telethon, 100% of the $6,235,132.67 raised was awarded in the form of 242 grants to provide vital services, equipment, therapies, educational programs, and resources for children with identified health care, educational, and emotional wellness needs throughout the region.
“These grant awards represent the very best of our community,” said Dawn Lee, President and CEO of the WHAS Crusade for Children. “Every grant approved by our Advisory Board is possible because someone donated, volunteered, attended a fundraiser, or supported the Crusade’s mission. We are incredibly grateful to the firefighters, businesses, organizations, volunteers, and donors who make this work possible. Their generosity ensures that children throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana have access to the services and support they need to thrive.”
All the grant recipients were notified that their grant requests will be funded thanks to the generous donations received during the 30+ hour telethon. The telethon was broadcasted on WHAS11 television, 840WHAS radio, WBNA 21 (Louisville), WBKO 13 (Bowling Green), and streamed worldwide on WHAS11.com and WHAS11+ app during the weekend of June 6-7. Portions were also simulcast on WHAS Crusade for Children YouTube and Facebook, as well as WLKY 32.2 (MeTV) and Very Local streaming app.
The 73rd WHAS Crusade for Children concluded with a tote board total of $6,235,132.67, the second-highest total in Crusade history. 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.
100% for the kids!
The WHAS Crusade for Children, established by WHAS-TV in 1954, has raised more than $228 million and helped millions of children. Thanks to generous contributions of goods and services, the Crusade grants 100 percent of all donations to organizations serving children in all 120 Kentucky counties and more than 30 counties in Southern Indiana. Fire departments raise nearly 60 percent of the funds each year by staging collections and hosting many fundraising events.
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 73rd WHAS Crusade for Children.
Click here to see hundreds of photos from Crusade weekend on our Facebook page.
2026-2027 GRANTS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
A Chance to Dance $5,500.00
Actors Theatre of Louisville $4,500.00
Adair County Schools $52,500.00
Allegro Dance Project $8,000.00
American Printing House for the Blind $6,000.00
American Red Cross $2,500.00
Americana Community Center $4,000.00
Anchorage Independent School District $26,000.00
Anderson County Schools $5,500.00
Appalachian Regional Healthcare $15,000.00
Archdiocese of Louisville $38,786.00
Art Center of the Bluegrass $6,500.00
Arts for All Kentucky $8,000.00
Asbury University $18,000.00
Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville Foundation $10,000.00
Baptist Health Foundation Floyd $70,000.00
Baptist Health Foundation Greater Louisville $155,000.00
Baptist Health Foundation Hardin $125,000.00
Baptist Health Foundation Paduch $25,000.00
Bardstown Independent School District $23,000.00
Barren County Schools $12,240.00
Barren Heights Christian Retreat Center $2,000.00
Barren River Child Advocacy Center $8,000.00
Bellarmine University – Scholarships $20,000.00
Bellarmine University- Kids On The Move $35,000.00
Bellewood and Brooklawn $100,000.00
Best Buddies International $7,000.00
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana $18,000.00
Bluegrass Center for Autism $125,000.00
Borden-Henryville School Corporation $16,000.00
Boy Scouts of America $10,000.00
Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana $4,000.00
Breckinridge County Board of Education $35,000.00
Bullitt County Public Schools $60,000.00
Camp TESSA of Hardin County $6,500.00
Campbell County Schools $10,000.00
Campbellsville Independent Schools $18,000.00
CASA at Woodlawn (Bluegrass) $4,500.00
CASA by the Lakes $10,000.00
CASA of Floyd County $14,000.00
CASA of Lexington $15,000.00
CASA of South Central Kentucky $9,000.00
CASA of the Gateway Region $5,500.00
CASA of the Heartland $13,000.00
CASA of the Lincoln Trail $12,000.00
CASA of the River Region $18,000.00
Central Kentucky Riding for Hope $5,000.00
Cerebral Palsy Kids Center $18,000.00
Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky – OneQuest Health $23,000.00
Christian Academy School System $6,500.00
Clark County Youth Shelter & Family Services $13,000.00
Cloverport Board of Education $25,000.00
Commonwealth Health Foundation-Med Center $5,500.00
Community Medical Associates -Urology $13,000.00
Copes Hope Equine Assisted Services $5,000.00
Critically Loved $10,000.00
Deaf Youth Sports Festival $20,000.00
Dorman Preschool Center $10,000.00
Down Syndrome Association of Central Kentucky $10,000.00
Down Syndrome Association of the Heartland $11,000.00
Down Syndrome of Louisville $20,000.00
Down Syndrome of South Central Kentucky – Buddy House $12,000.00
Dreams With Wings $8,000.00
Dyslexia Association of the Pennyrile $5,000.00
Eastern Kentucky University – Assistive Technology $15,000.00
Eastern Kentucky University – Developmental Disabilities Clinic $4,500.00
Eastern Kentucky University – Scholarships $25,000.00
Eminence Independent Schools $17,000.00
Englishton Park $6,000.00
Ephraim McDowell Health Care Foundation $15,000.00
Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana $6,000.00
Exploited Children’s Help Organization $8,000.00
Family & Children’s Place $37,000.00
Family Ark $16,500.00
Family Connection-Hope Hill Youth Services $7,500.00
Family Enrichment Center $8,000.00
Family Scholar House $13,000.00
Father Maloney’s Boys & Girls Haven – Capital Request $25,000.00
Father Maloney’s Boys & Girls Haven – Program Grant $60,000.00
FEAT of Louisville $16,000.00
Flaget Memorial Hospital Foundation $21,000.00
Francis Parker School of Louisville $20,000.00
Franklin County Public Schools $15,000.00
Friends of Open Door Youth Services $10,000.00
Friends of the Town Clock Church $6,000.00
Friends School of Louisville $30,000.00
Fund for the Arts $5,000.00
Gallatin County Schools $40,000.00
Gateway Children’s Services $5,000.00
Gateway Community Action Agency $2,000.00
Gilda’s Club Kentuckiana $11,500.00
Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road $3,250.00
Grayson County Schools $18,000.00
Greater Clark County Schools $21,000.00
Green County Schools $20,000.00
Green River Regional Education Cooperative $10,000.00
Hancock County Public Schools $6,000.00
Harbor House of Louisville $22,000.00
Hardin County Board of Education $50,000.00
Harrison County Exceptional Learners Cooperative $23,000.00
Hart County School District $12,000.00
Henderson County Schools $15,000.00
Henry County Schools – Kentucky $35,000.00
Heuser Hearing & Language Academy $24,000.00
Hindman Settlement School $14,000.00
Home of the Innocents-Capital $250,000.00
Home of the Innocents-Program $70,000.00
Hooves of Hope Equestrian Center $2,000.00
Hosparus Health $45,000.00
Hospice of the Bluegrass Care Navigators $8,000.00
I Would Rather Be Reading $12,500.00
James Whitcomb Riley Children’s Hospital Foundation $9,000.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – (OT/PT) $44,500.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – Assistive Technology $51,000.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – Deaf & Hard of Hearing $12,000.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – Early Childhood $3,500.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – Moderate to Severe $75,000.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – Visually Impaired $5,765.00
Jeffersonville Township Public Library $7,000.00
Jessamine County Board of Education $5,000.00
Jewish Community of Louisville $15,000.00
Johnson County Board of Education $13,950.00
Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana $3,000.00
Justin King Foundation $12,000.00
Kentucky Center for Special Children’s Services-Carriage House $60,000.00
Kentucky Dance Council – Louisville Ballet $15,000.00
Kentucky Easter Seal Society – Easterseals Bluegrass $25,000.00
Kentucky Educational Development Cooperation $10,000.00
Kentucky Foothills Therapeutic Horsemanship Center $3,000.00
Kentucky Hemophilia Foundation $6,000.00
Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation $16,380.00
Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation $9,000.00
Kentucky Shakespeare $3,000.00
Kentucky Wesleyan College $8,000.00
Key Assets Kentucky $13,000.00
Kids Cancer Alliance $10,000.00
KORE Academy Incorporated $750.00
KY Diabetes Camp for Children-Camp Hendon $2,000.00
Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency $13,990.00
LaRue County Public Schools $25,000.00
Lawrence County Schools $10,000.00
Lewis County High School $6,000.00
Lexington Hearing & Speech Center $12,000.00
LifeSpring Health Systems $2,400.00
Lighthouse Academy at Newburg $8,250.00
Louisville Academy of Music $6,000.00
Louisville Free Public Library Foundation $7,000.00
Louisville Soccer Foundation $4,500.00
Madison Area Educational Special Services Unit $4,000.00
Madison Consolidated Schools $29,000.00
Magoffin County Board of Education $8,000.00
Marshall County Board of Education $6,000.00
Marty’s Orchid House $16,000.00
Maryhurst – Capital $200,000.00
Maryhurst – Program $30,000.00
Masonic Homes Kentucky Pediatric Daycare-Sproutlings $7,000.00
McCracken County Board of Education $10,000.00
Meade County School System $25,000.00
Menifee County Schools $18,999.00
Miracle Dancer Scholarship Foundation $12,000.00
Miracle League of Louisville $20,000.00
Mission Hope for Kids – Hope Academy $5,000.00
Monroe County School District $20,000.00
Mountain Comprehensive Care Center $23,000.00
NAMI Louisville $8,500.00
Nativity Academy at St. Boniface $18,000.00
Nelson County Schools $35,000.00
New Albany Floyd County Schools $29,000.00
New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding $7,500.00
New Life Directions Ministries $10,000.00
Northern Kentucky Children’s Law Center $12,000.00
Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services $4,019.00
Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation $400,000.00
Norton Clark Hospital $195,440.25
Norton Community Medical Associates – Autism $28,000.00
Norton Community Medical Associates – Neonatal POCUS $56,000.00
Norton Community Medical Associates – Neurology $10,000.00
Oldham County Board of Education $65,000.00
Owensboro Dance Theatre $6,000.00
Paws With Purpose $20,000.00
Personal Counseling Services $25,000.00
Pitt Academy $8,000.00
Play to Your Strengths $8,000.00
Powell County Public Schools $7,000.00
Project Camp – Center for Courageous Kids $50,000.00
Project L.E.A.R.N. $7,629.00
Puzzle Pieces $26,000.00
Rauch $18,000.00
Redwood School & Rehabilitation Center-Easterseals Redwood $8,500.00
RFG Integrative Fitness $42,000.00
Rise Fitness Kentucky $5,000.00
Rockcastle Regional Hospital $20,000.00
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Louisville $24,000.00
Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley $18,000.00
Saint Joseph Berea Hospital Foundation $40,000.00
Saint Joseph London Foundation $36,000.00
Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Foundation $25,000.00
Saint Joseph Women’s Hospital Foundation-East $15,000.00
Scott County School District 2 $5,221.42
Seven Counties Services $20,000.00
Shelby County Public Schools $75,000.00
Shriners Children’s Lexington $14,000.00
Silver Creek School Corporation $15,500.00
South Central Area Special Education Cooperative $19,000.00
South Central Kentucky Kids on the Block $7,000.00
Special Olympics Indiana $4,900.00
Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth of Kentucky $3,000.00
Spencer County Schools $37,500.00
Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky – Kosair Charities Centre $21,000.00
Springs Valley Community Schools $7,360.00
St. Joseph Children’s Home – Capital $35,000.00
St. Joseph Children’s Home – Program $24,000.00
StageOne Family Theatre $10,000.00
Summit Academy of Greater Louisville $9,500.00
Sunrise Children’s Services $8,000.00
Taylor County Schools $30,000.00
The de Paul School $20,000.00
The Milk Bank $8,500.00
The Morton Center $21,000.00
The REATH Center $7,500.00
Thrive by 5 Louisville $10,000.00
TJ Regional Health $55,000.00
Trustees of Indiana University – Scholarships $7,000.00
University of Louisville Foundation – Center for Women and Infants $500,000.00
University of Louisville Foundation – Music Therapy $36,000.00
University of Louisville Foundation – Scholarships $23,703.00
Visually Impaired Preschoolers Services – Indiana $50,000.00
Visually Impaired Preschoolers Services – Lexington $50,000.00
Visually Impaired Preschoolers Services – Louisville $102,000.00
Volunteers of America Mid-States $45,000.00
Walden School Corporation $3,000.00
Washington County Schools $15,000.00
Wendell Foster’s Campus for Developmental Disabilities $8,500.00
Wesley House Community Services $10,000.00
Western Kentucky University – Kelly Autism $25,000.00
Western Kentucky University – Renshaw Early Childhood Ctr $25,000.00
Western Kentucky University – Scholarships $23,000.00
Woodford County Public Schools $2,100.00
Young Men’s Christian Association of Greater Louisville $40,000.00
Young Men’s Christian Association of Harrison County $2,000.00
Youth Link Southern Indiana $11,000.00
Youth, Ethics & Skills Center $12,000.00
TOTAL $6,235,132.67
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