Owsley Brown II Family Foundation Inc
Louisville, KY · EIN 61-1189915. Reported 135 grants totalling $10.6M to 75 recipients across tax years 2021-2023. This foundation told the IRS it does not accept unsolicited requests: it contributes only to organizations it selects itself.
Does this foundation accept applications?
No -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation to check a box if it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds". Owsley Brown II Family Foundation Inc checked it on its most recent filing, as 78% of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered did. An unsolicited request is unlikely to go anywhere.
Organizations it funds that make grants of their own
3 of the organizations Owsley Brown II Family Foundation Inc funded make grants themselves, and it reported 7 grants totalling $296,250 to them. That is 3% of the $9,117,683 of its giving we could match to a registered organization. Each is classified by the IRS as a philanthropy or grantmaking organization, reported grants to at least 25 organizations of its own, and has at least 10 funders behind it.
All of them file Form 990, which never asks whether an organization funds only groups it picks, so there is no answer on record either way.
What that does not mean. It does not mean an application to any of them reaches this foundation's money. A private foundation's grant to a community foundation or a federated campaign is often a donor-advised fund or a gift designated for a purpose the foundation chose, and has nothing to do with any open programme the receiving organization runs. Its return's purpose text sometimes names a family fund or a designated purpose, which is the plainest case of money no applicant can reach; where it names none, neither return says which. The list is who this foundation paid that also makes grants. Whether any of them would fund you is a question for its own page.
| Grantmaker | Kind | State | Received | Grants | Years | Last | Only funds organizations it picks? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Community Foundation of | community foundation | Kentucky | $146,250 | 5 | 2 | 2022 | Its form does not ask |
| Metro United Way Inc | federated giving programme | Kentucky | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 | Its form does not ask |
| Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky Inc | community foundation | Kentucky | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 | Its form does not ask |
A floor, not a full list. A grantmaker appears here only where this foundation's return named it clearly enough for us to match the name to an EIN, which we manage for about two thirds of 990-PF grant rows, and only where that grantmaker has a page on this site. There may be more. Dollars here are summed by EIN across every spelling on its returns, so a figure can differ from the matching row in the full list below, which groups names as written. And the IRS classification cannot tell a grantmaker from a funders' association or a donor-advised fund sponsor, so a payment to one of these may be dues or an account rather than support for a grants programme.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $40,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $10,000 and $100,000; the smallest was $100 and the largest $400,000.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Louisville Foundation Inc | Louisville, KY | $2,276,700 | 11 | 3 | 2023 |
| Kentucky College of Art Design | Louisville, KY | $1,025,000 | 5 | 3 | 2023 |
| Center for Interfaith Relations Inc | Louisville, KY | $881,600 | 4 | 2 | 2022 |
| Cathedral of the Assumption | Louisville, KY | $700,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Speed Art Museum | Louisville, KY | $459,500 | 6 | 2 | 2022 |
| Berry Center Inc | New Castle, KY | $355,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Nature Conservancy of Kentucky | Lexington, KY | $355,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Virginia | Boone, IA | $330,000 | 4 | 2 | 2022 |
| Portland Museum Inc | Louisville, KY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Resources Council Inc | Frankfort, KY | $225,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| EVOLVE502 Inc | Louisville, KY | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Fund for the Arts Inc | Louisville, KY | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Gilda's Club Kentuckiana Inc | Louisville, KY | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Conservation Foundation Inc | Frankfort, KY | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Louisville Urban League | Louisville, KY | $171,667 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Historic Locust Grove Inc | Louisville, KY | $166,666 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Center for Nonprofit Excellence | Louisville, KY | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States | Washington, DC | $150,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Community Foundation of Louisville Inc | Louisville, KY | $146,250 | 5 | 2 | 2022 |
| Payne Hollow on the Ohio | Louisville, KY | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Family Community Clinic Inc | Louisville, KY | $121,200 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Louisville Preservation Fund | Louisville, KY | $121,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Simmons College of Kentucky Inc | Louisville, KY | $120,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Organic Association of Kentucky | Lexington, KY | $110,900 | 4 | 2 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Natural Lands Trust Inc | Berea, KY | $108,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Actors Theatre of Louisville Inc | Louisville, KY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Opera | Louisville, KY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Metro United Way Inc | Louisville, KY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Francis School | Goshen, KY | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future Inc | Springfield, KY | $85,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Center for Neighborhoods | Louisville, KY | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Author Forum Inc | Louisville, KY | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Passionist Earth & Spirit Center Inc | Louisville, KY | $70,000 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Land Institute | Salina, KS | $60,100 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky Inc | Hazard, KY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Public Radio Inc Dba Louisville Public Media | Louisville, KY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Louisville Climate Action Network | Louisville, KY | $49,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Filson Historical Society Inc | Louisville, KY | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Louisville Ballet | Louisville, KY | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Showing Up for Racial Justice Education Fund | Buffalo, NY | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Legacies Unlimited | Louisville, KY | $35,000 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Pachamama Alliance | San Francisco, CA | $33,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky Foundation Inc | Louisville, KY | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Preservation Kentucky Inc | Frankfort, KY | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Humanities Inc | Lexington, KY | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Ohio River Way | Cincinnati, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Commonwealth Fund for Ket Inc | Lexington, KY | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Civic Engagement Table Inc | Louisville, KY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hindman Settlement School | Hindman, KY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress | Washington, DC | $13,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Everglades Foundation Inc | Palmetto Bay, FL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Center for Economic Policy Inc | Berea, KY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Voices for Health | Louisville, KY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Robert E Lee Memorial Association | Stratford, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Spalding University | Louisville, KY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| International Foundation for Electoral Systems | Arlington, VA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Jack Hadleys Black History Museum | Thomasville, GA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Knights of Columbus | Louisville, KY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Nantucket Historical Association | Nantucket, MA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Robert E Lee Memorial Association - Stratford Hall | Stratford, VA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Louisville Earth Walk Inc | Louisville, KY | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Scenic Kentucky Incorporated | Louisville, KY | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Brooks School | North Andover, MA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kentucky Center for the Arts | Louisville, KY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Marina Orth Foundation | Washington, DC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| West Louisville Women's Collaborative | Louisville, KY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| YMCA of Greater Louisville | Louisville, KY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Himalayan Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Center for Women and Families Inc | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Dolphin Research Center | Grassy Key, FL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Oldham County Historical Society | La Grange, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Religions for Peace Inc | New York, NY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| United Crescent Hill Ministries | Louisville, KY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Farmland Trust | Washington, DC | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
27 of 75 (36%) received money in more than one year over the 3 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 31%, across 2 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one, and this foundation told the IRS it does not.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Kentucky College of Art Design
ANNUAL FUND / CHALLENGE GRANT - University of Louisville Foundation Inc
ENVIROME PROJECT AT U OF L - Kentucky College of Art & Design
OPERATING AND PROGRAM SUPPORT - Louisville Preservation Fund
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION - Kentucky Natural Lands Trust Inc
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR POSITION / LAUNCH CAPITAL CAMPAIGN - EVOLVE502 Inc
JCPS FREE COLLEGE PROGRAM
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 96 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56 | $4,864,630 | $45,000 |
| 2022 | 77 | $5,307,053 | $32,200 |
| 2023 | 2 | $425,000 | $212,500 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
93% of its giving went to organizations in Kentucky.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more. Unlike this foundation, none of them is on record as funding only organizations it picks, and each page says what its filings show.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Owsley Brown II Family Foundation Inc's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 427 W Muhammad Ali Blvd 801, Louisville, KY, 40202. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS.
EIN 61-1189915 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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