The Gheens Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The Gheens Foundation funds public urban education, human and social services, quality of place and the arts, with education and human/social services requests receiving emphasis, and its giving is directed to the Metro Louisville area (Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson and 8 more counties) and the Louisiana parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne, so charities outside those themes or that area are not a fit.
- About eight in ten grants fall between $10,000 and $92,000, with a median grant of $25,000, so a modest request in that range is realistic, though the largest grant made was $400,000.
- The foundation runs an open application process with fixed, quarterly deadlines reviewed by its trustees, but first-time applicants must contact Foundation staff before submitting and must meet the stated gross unrestricted revenue threshold, so early contact matters.
- A high share of grant dollars, 84%, went to organisations also funded in the two prior filings, pointing to a relationship-led, somewhat competitive process favouring continuing partners, so new applicants should build a relationship over time rather than expect a single large grant.
- Applicants should not apply if they are endowments, foundations (unless solely supporting a single qualifying organisation such as a university), churches, hospitals or medical research bodies, nursing homes or other geriatric care facilities, private kindergartens, nursery schools, preschools, early admissions schools or high schools, private elementary or middle schools (unless their sole mission is serving students with learning differences or a student body that is 100% free or reduced lunch), seeking student financial aid, individuals, political entities, or fund-raising entities or sponsorships.
Overview
The Gheens Foundation is a US private foundation based in Louisville, KY.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Gheens Foundation supports primarily public urban education, human and social services, quality of place and the arts, with education and human/social services requests receiving emphasis. Its grants seek to improve quality of life and meet present and emerging needs in metropolitan Louisville and the Louisiana parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. It directs grants to qualifying organisations in the Metro Louisville area and in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. Eligible applicants include charities in good standing with the IRS and Kentucky, as well as certain Louisville Metro government-related entities. First-time applicants must meet the Foundation’s gross unrestricted revenue threshold. Its application process is open, with qualifying applications reviewed by the trustees.
Themes
- Public urban education
- Human and social services
- Quality of place
- Arts
Geographic Focus
Metro Louisville area: Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson and 8 more counties; Lafourche; Terrebonne.
What They Don't Fund
- Endowments
- Foundations, except those that solely support a single qualifying organization, such as a university
- “Churches” (congregations, conventions, associations)
- Hospitals, primary care facilities or medical research
- Nursing homes, convalescent homes, senior living and retirement communities, long-term care facilities and other such geriatric organizations
- Private kindergartens, nursery schools, preschools, early admissions schools or high schools
- Private elementary or middle schools, except those whose sole mission is to (a) students with learning differences or (b) schools with 100% of the student body qualifying for free/reduced lunch
- Student financial aid, including scholarships, grants, loans or work study funds
- Individuals
- Political entities
- Fund-raising entities / Sponsorships
How to apply
The Foundation has an open application process. First-time applicants should contact Foundation staff before submitting; qualifying applications are reviewed by the trustees.
Deadlines: Submission deadlines are quarterly.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 84% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 496 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Education and human/social services requests receive emphasis.
- First-time applicants must meet the stated gross unrestricted revenue threshold.
- The Foundation recommends, but does not require, participation in the Better Business Charity Review process.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
4 other states: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 4% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 84% of grant dollars went to organisations The Gheens Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 8% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 157 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $25,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Volunteers of America Mid-States · Community care campus and unity house$400,0002024 tax year
- Housing Partnership · West end blight remediation$250,0002024 tax year
- Simmons College of Kentucky · Mission delivery support$250,0002024 tax year
- Bayou Community Foundation · Mission delivery support$200,0002024 tax year
- Rita June Foundation · Rita june foundation and the construction of three louisville bezos academies$175,0002024 tax year
- New Directions Housing Corporation · Mission delivery support$150,0002024 tax year
- Uspiritus · Renovating cottages to restore trauma-informed residential treatment$125,0002024 tax year
- OneWest Corporation · Mission delivery and project support$125,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- James J Lancaster — Trustee
- Carolyn W Tandy — Trustee
- Lori H Flanery — Trustee / Audit Commitee Chair
- Phoebe A Wood — Trustee / Chair Elect / Investment Committee Chair
- John R Crockett III — Trustee / Secretary / Compensation Committee Chair
- Michael B Mountjoy — Trustee / Chair
- Barry G Allen — President / Treasurer
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $7,180,138 | $7,027,668 | $149,896,172 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $8,077,237 | $6,468,623 | $173,407,018 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $8,344,984 | $6,317,500 | $190,650,242 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to The Gheens Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (502) 584-4650
- lori@gheensfoundation.org
- kathy@gheensfoundation.org
- athy@gheensfoundation.org
- Louisville, KY
- gheensfoundation.org
Applying to The Gheens Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (502) 584-4650
- lori@gheensfoundation.org
- kathy@gheensfoundation.org
- athy@gheensfoundation.org
- Louisville, KY
- gheensfoundation.org