LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The West End Opportunity Partnership has raised the $10 million needed in private donations to trigger an additional $20 million from Louisville Metro and the Kentucky General Assembly, totaling more than $30 million. As of June 30, 2022, $10,284,224 has been raised from private donors and businesses throughout the area, including:
James Graham Brown Foundation – $2,500,000- Angel Donor – $1,500,000
- Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence – $1,000,000
- Churchill Downs – $1,000,000
- Gheens Foundation – $500,000
- YUM! – $500,000
- Legacy Foundation of Kentuckiana – $500,000
- Kentucky Association of Health Plans – $500,000
- UPS – $500,000
- Manna Capital Partners, LLC – $500,000
- Sandra Frazier – $491,224
- Kentucky Distillers Association – $250,000
- Michter’s Distillery – $100,000
- LG&E – $100,000
- Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky – $100,000
- NTS – $100,000
- J McCauley Brown – $50,000
- David Jones, Jr. & Mary Gwen Wheeler – $50,000
- Greater Louisville Association of Realtors – $20,000
- Caudill Seed Company – $10,000
- Stephen C. Gault – $10,000
- Senator Robert Stivers – $3,000
With the $30 million in funding, the West End Opportunity Partnership board, composed of nine neighborhood representatives from each of the nine West End communities and 12 appointed representatives of community-focused institutions, will work to create more opportunities for residents and businesses in the targeted neighborhoods. This represents a renewed focus on higher-paying job opportunities, greater access to health care, housing stabilization and food security.
The 2021 legislation passed by the Kentucky General Assembly received bipartisan support and was championed by Kentucky legislators.
“As a bipartisan group, we came together to provide a tool of empowerment to the West End community,” said Sen. Gerald Neal, D-Louisville. “We are appreciative of the initial funding that has been raised and the broad base community support. We look forward to thoughtful, deliberative, and creative work of the West End Opportunity Partnership as it brings new capacity for empowerment to the West End of Louisville. With these initial funds and funding for the next 20 years from the designated Tax Incremental Funding development area, these nine neighborhoods will be uniquely positioned to grow by helping its residents as well as businesses that call the West End home.”
With the funds available, the board can now begin the process of identifying investment opportunities that promote economic growth and the long-term well-being of the community. The vision of the board is to provide additional resources for residents and businesses of the West End, to promote housing stabilization, improve educational attainment, expand job opportunities, and to generally improve the quality of life.
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