Home » Sponsors donations top $1M toward funding GLI’s NOW Louisville strategic plan

Sponsors donations top $1M toward funding GLI’s NOW Louisville strategic plan

GLI President/CEO Sarah Davasher-Wisdom

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Greater Louisville Inc. today announced reaching a major fundraising benchmark towards funding its new five-year strategic plan, NOW Louisville. Through support from key members of greater Louisville’s business community, GLI has raised over $1 million to date that will fund the core initiatives of the plan.

Eight Louisville companies contributed to the early funding of the plan, which includes $100,000 that will directly support GLI’s Business Council to End Racism and dedicated funds for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director position at GLI for the next five years. Corporate donors include:

• Humana (Lead investor)
• Thorntons (Initial lead investor)
• Al J. Schneider Company Inc.
• Papa John’s International Inc.
• HJI Supply Chain Solutions
• Yum! Brands Inc.
• Brown-Forman Corp.
• Messer Construction Corp.

“We are grateful to the members of our business community for recognizing the importance of NOW Louisville and their commitment to helping us bring the plan to fruition,” said Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, president/CEO of GLI. “We are thrilled that this first wave of support puts GLI in a strong position to initiate our work and build positive momentum to achieve our $3.5 million overall goal to execute our strategic plan to the fullest extent.”

NOW Louisville, which launched on Sept. 14, identifies six focus areas aimed at addressing the pressing needs of the region’s economic landscape and recognizing the elements to successfully position the Greater Louisville region into 2025. The plan outlines numerous actionable steps including the creation and advancement of the Business Council to End Racism, a Career Acceleration Network, and a Minority Business Accelerator. All three initiatives are designed to address inequities within the region and support underrepresented members in the community.

“On behalf of Humana, I am proud to support the important work that will be accomplished by GLI and the Louisville business community through NOW Louisville,” said Jennifer Willis, commercial region president of Humana and 2021 GLI chair elect. “This plan encompasses all of the components that are essential to creating inclusive and long-term economic prosperity in our region. It is critical that our business community invest now to ensure a thriving regional economy into the future.”

To view a complete outline of the NOW Louisville 2020 – 2025 strategic plan, click here.