Churchill Downs Kicks Off Countdown to the 150th Kentucky Derby with a $150K Partnership with Give for Good Louisville

Community Foundation of Louisville Hosts Record-Setting Year During the 10th Annual Giving Event

LOUISVILLE, KY., (September 19, 2023) – On September 14th, the Community Foundation of Louisville (“CFL”) hosted the 10th annual Give for Good Louisville, the community’s biggest day of giving. Over the last nine years, CFL has mobilized more than 137,000 people to invest $50.6 million directly into Kentuckiana-based nonprofit organizations. This year, CFL celebrated record-setting numbers with over $9.5 million raised for nonprofit organizations throughout the region. In honor of the 10th anniversary of Give for Good Louisville and the upcoming 150th Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs donated $150,000 as the returning Premier Prize Partner.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate 10 years of our region’s biggest giving day than to receive the largest prize contribution in Give for Good history from Churchill Downs,” said Ron Gallo, CFL’s President and CEO. “We are thankful for their generosity to boost donations and change the trajectory of 10 nonprofits across Kentuckiana.”

“We’re thrilled to see over 550 deserving organizations benefit from Give for Good Louisville and kickoff the countdown to Derby 150 with this thank you to our community.” said Tonya Abeln, VP of Corporate Communications for Churchill Downs. “Together, we celebrated two anniversaries by supporting the non-profits that fuel our community,”

Churchill Downs’ prize contributions gave individuals multiple chances to impact their favorite nonprofit and boost their donations. The #WhyIGive prize gave individuals the opportunity to submit a quote about why they give back to their community. From these submissions, one hundred random entries were selected to receive an additional $150 for their chosen organization. The “Derby City Gaming & Hotel Golden Ticket” prize awarded $1,000 to one randomly-selected donation every hour. In total, 23 worthy organizations received a boosted donation: Central Presbyterian Church, Mama to Mama, REBOUND, Inc., Shelby Regional Arts Council, Harrison County Community Services, Inc., Token III Club, The Producers – Youth Performing Arts School, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, WaterStep, Pit Bulls of St. Francis, Louisville Pride Foundation, The Prisoner’s Hope, Louisville Urban League, Catholic Charities of Louisville Family Ark, Inc., Lifehouse Maternity Home, Louisville Youth Orchestra, Presbyterian Homes & Services of Kentucky, Inc., Center for Lay Ministries, ElderServe, Inc., Squallis Puppeteers, Marnel C. Moorman Family Life Center and Legal Aid Society.

The second annual “Greatest Two Minutes in Giving” made a triumphant returned for 2023. Donations made between 5:15 p.m. and 5:17 p.m. was eligible to receive an additional boost of either $5,000, $10,000, or $20,000. In these two minutes sponsored by Churchill Downs alone, more than 1,550 donors contributed over $118,000 to nonprofits throughout Kentuckiana.

The ten winners of the 2023 “Greatest Two Minutes in Giving” included:

$20,000 “Win” Boost

• Center for Accessible Living, Inc.
• Greater Louisville Youth for Christ

$10,000 “Place” Boost

• Louisville Classical Academy
• Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies
• Women Who Write, Inc

$5,000 “Show” Boost

• Speed Art Museum
• Family & Children’s Place
• Louisville Regional Science and Engineering Fair
• SPARC Hope
• Freedom Lake, Inc.

Churchill Downs team members also contributed $17,696 in donations through their business fundraising efforts. In a friendly competition with local area businesses, team members were able to select from any of the participating organizations to make a charitable donation. For the second year in a row, Churchill Downs hosted the highest grossing business fundraisers. For more information about all of the participating nonprofit organizations and to learn more about Give for Good Louisville visit: https://www.giveforgoodlouisville.org/.