Category: Uncategorized

  • JustFundKY Awards Over $95,000 to LGBTQ Initiatives Across Kentucky Amid Challenging Climate

    LEXINGTON, KY — At a time when LGBTQ communities across Kentucky are navigating an increasingly difficult political and social landscape, JustFundKY is investing directly in resilience, visibility, and joy.

    The organization today announced the recipients of its 2026 Cliff Todd Endowment grants, awarding $95,461 to community-driven projects spanning the Commonwealth, from Pikeville to Paducah. This year’s cohort reflects both urgency and innovation, with organizations adapting creatively to ensure LGBTQ Kentuckians remain seen, supported, and celebrated.

    “Even in challenging times, these organizations are finding ways to build connection, tell stories, and create spaces where people feel safe and valued,” said leadership at JustFundKY. “This work is not only necessary, it is transformative.”

    JustFundKY, a $2.4 million endowment, has invested $748,000 in 94 organizations since 2011, reaching every county in Kentucky. The fund supports educational and community-based initiatives that raise awareness, foster belonging, and advance equity for LGBTQ people statewide.

    In 2026, JustFundKY also honors PFLAG Lexington as the Imperial Court of Kentucky grantee for their impactful rural outreach to LGBTQ individuals in Eastern Kentucky, an area where access to affirming resources can be especially limited.

    From rural storytelling initiatives to youth programming, public arts, and Pride celebrations, these grants collectively strengthen a statewide ecosystem of support, visibility, and cultural expression.

    JustFundKY remains committed to building a Kentucky where all people, regardless of identity, can live openly, safely, and with dignity.

    To see the complete list of award recipients, click here.

  • 2026 Grant Applications – Now Closed

    You Dream It, We fund It…

    JustFundKY is (was) accepting applications through March 15, 2026 11:59PM ET to become a 2026 Cliff Todd Endowment grant recipient.  More Info here: Click Here for Info


    Our Cliff Todd Endowment grant recipients promote fairness and equality for LGBTQ Kentuckians throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, using education as their method for accomplishing this goal.

    Last year JustFundKY awarded $76,862 to support 30 LGBTQ projects across Kentucky. The projects of our past grant recipients are positively impacting our community, touching every corner of our state, and transforming the lives of LGBTQ Kentuckians. 

  • 2025 Grants Announced

    May 6, 2025

    Contacts:        
    Brandl Skirvin, Board President, JustFundKY president@JustFundKY.org
    Bernadette Barton, Board Secretary, JustFundKY secretary@JustFundKY.org  

    JustFundKY is proud to announce the 2025 grant recipients of the Cliff Todd Endowment!  This year’s submissions show innovative adaptations to a chilly political climate for LGBTQ people in Kentucky. 

    JustFundKY is a $2 million endowment that funds educational projects in Kentucky from Pikeville to Paducah.  Since 2011, JustFundKY has granted $653,000 to 81 community organizations.  In twelve years, we have touched every county in the commonwealth raising awareness of the issues impacting LGBTQ people and supporting projects that create a more just and joyful Kentucky.

    This year we have awarded $76,862.  In 2025, we honor MoreLove for their rural outreach to LGBT+ people in Eastern Kentucky as the Imperial Court of Kentucky grantee.  This year’s grant recipients are:

    ActOut Theatre Group, $3200 to stage Angels in America

    Ashland Pride, $3000 for festival security

    Boone County Pride, $3000 for festival expenses

    Camp Beacon, $2750 for summer camp for LGBT teens

    Capital Pride KY, $1850 for a LGBT film festival

    Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning, $3000 for the book giveaway at the Queer Literary Hoedown

    Children’s Law Center, $750 for printing costs

    Faulkner Morgan Archive, $2400 for vinyl banners about LGBTQ history

    First Baptist Church of Morehead, $3600 for a LGBT internship program

    Frazier History Museum, $2500 for their Love & Marriage series

    Henderson KY Pride, $2500 for festival expenses

    Hoba House, $4126 for their hands-on Queer Visions: Creating Art through LGBTQIA+ History project

    Imperial Court of Kentucky, $2500 for documentary support of An Afternoon with the Empress of Kentucky

    Kentucky Humanities Council, $4000 for headliners Bob the Drag Queen and Matteo Lane at the book festival

    Kentucky Health Justice Network, $4306 to support trans health advocacy

    La Casita Center, $2150 for Latinx Pride

    Pride of London, $1470 for festival expenses

    Louisville Youth Group, $2000 for rural outreach and development

    Media Working Group, $2500 for support of the documentary Native Daughter

    Paducah Pride United Together, $3000 for festival security

    Pandora Productions, $2100 for community presentations of The Holiday Play

    PFLAG Somerset, $1400 for Pride Prom

    Pikeville Pride, $3000 for festival expenses. 

    Queer Kentucky, $5000 for their Breaking News program

    RADIOLEX, $2000 for in-depth conversations on issues facing the LGBTQ+ community

    Richmond Pride, $3000 for festival expenses

    three witches Shakespeare, $925 for Shakesqueer

    Trans Parent Lexington, $850 for their 2025 Back to School Picnic

    Voices Amplified, $500 for I Am What I Am Cabaret

    You Deserve/ MoreLove, $3485 for gender-affirming products and community outreach

    JustFundKY is proud to help transform the landscape of Kentucky to brighten the lives of its LGBTQ citizens.  Learn more about JustFundKY at www.justfundky.org.

  • 2024 Funds Allocated to Support Anti-LGBTQ Legal Challenge

    Kentucky’s public educational institutions face a crisis enforcing 2023 Senate Bill 150, particularly regarding the treatment and safety of LGBTQ students across the state.  SB 150 dismantles previous policies of Fayette County schools which supported the diverse needs of students, and forces all public school systems in Kentucky to adopt policies that blatantly undermine the well-being of students.

    In response to these challenges, JustFundKY, a nonprofit organization striving to improve the lives and safety of LGBTQ individuals in Kentucky, is backing a lawsuit filed against Fayette County Schools.  JustFundKY is channeling 100% of its 2024 grant funds into supporting legal action against these harmful policies. Your support in this fight is vital. If you’re ready to stand up for justice, please consider contributing to the lawsuit at https://justfundky.org/donate/.  Your voice matters.

  • Special LGBTQ Legal Defense & Education Fund Established

    There is a pressing issue affecting the transgender community in Kentucky. The recent passage of SB-150 by the KY General Assembly has launched a direct attack on the rights and well-being of transgender individuals. This legislation, characterized by its reactionary, cruel, and discriminatory nature, demands our immediate attention and united action.

    SB-150 effectively denies transgender youth in Kentucky access to vital gender-affirming care. Numerous studies have demonstrated that gender-affirming medical treatments, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, have a profound positive impact on the mental health of young people with gender dysphoria. By restricting these life-saving treatments, SB-150 effectively endangers the lives of Kentucky children.

    This bill goes even further by prohibiting discussions and educational programming on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools. It effectively erases the existence of transgender individuals and prevents children from learning about the gender spectrum. By denying the science and reality of gender identity and sexual orientation, SB-150 not only harms young people struggling with these issues but also deprives all children of essential knowledge about diverse gender identities, impeding their ability to become informed and empathetic adults.

    While you may be aware that the ACLU has filed a lawsuit challenging SB 150’s removal of gender-affirming care for trans youth, we, at JustFundKY, are part of another suit addressing the educational oppression of LGBTQ youth under this bill. To support gender and sexual freedom in the Commonwealth, we have committed $100,000 of our future earnings. However, we cannot do this alone. We need your help.

    Please consider making a contribution to our cause here https://JustFundKY.org/donate. Your donation will make a tangible difference and help us protect the rights and well-being of the transgender community. Together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

  • 2023 Grant Awards Announced

    For Immediate Release     


    JustFundKY is proud to announce the 2023 grant recipients of the Cliff Todd Endowment!  This year’s submissions show innovative adaptations to a chilly political climate for LGBTQ people in Kentucky. 

    JustFundKY is a $2 million endowment that funds educational projects in Kentucky from Pikeville to Paducah.  Since 2011, JustFundKY has granted $577,000 to 71 community organizations.  In twelve years, we have touched every county in the Commonwealth raising awareness of the issues impacting LGBTQ people and supporting projects that create a more just and joyful Kentucky.

    This year we have awarded $57,724.  Among the many excellent projects JustFundKY funded in 2023 are grants to support Drag Queen Storytime and monthly LGBTQ events at the RiverPark Center in Owensboro. 

    This year’s grant recipients are:

    • Frontrunners, $8500 for a community viewing of the documentary Changing the Game
    • RiverPark Center, $7500 for LGBTQIA+ programming, including Pride Night and monthly events

    JustFundKY is proud to help transform the landscape of Kentucky to brighten the lives of its LGBTQ citizens. 

  • Supreme Court Action on 6/24/2022

    In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, JustFundKY recognizes the rights of each person to bodily autonomy whether that be who we love, if and when we want to have children, if we choose gender transition, in short to live lives free of coercion, violence, and oppression.  As Emma Lazarus so powerfully stated, “Until we are all free, none of us are free.”