Fund for the Arts Receives $22,000 for Artist Support from Churchill Downs

Louisville, KY (October 2, 2020) – Fund for the Arts recently received a gift of $22,000 from Churchill Downs Incorporated intended to help support local artists and arts organizations during the ongoing pandemic. Churchill Downs has a longstanding partnership with the Fund, and this donation is the latest in a long history of partnership and support.

For the last several years, the spring’s Opening Night at Churchill Downs Racetrack, the Saturday before the Kentucky Derby, has been a time of celebrating the arts track-wide, with artists of all mediums showcasing their talents and abilities at every turn. That includes painters, sculptors, singers, actors, dancers, circus performers and more stationed in all different areas of the track so that guests may constantly discover new and exciting art right before their eyes. Additionally, all of these artists are paid for their time and work, illustrating Churchill Downs’ commitment to supporting the community’s artists through exposure as well as financially.

With the postponement of the Kentucky Derby and the news that spectators would not be permitted during the September Meet at Churchill Downs Racetrack, this annual arts celebration was unable to take place in 2020. However, Churchill Downs realized that local need for artists and their work has never been greater and that Fund for the Arts had an established strategy for how best to support them. Thus, Churchill Downs donated the funds it ordinarily would pay its Opening Night artists, $22,000, to Fund for the Arts so that it may be distributed where there is the most need in the arts community. The gift will help support local artists and hopefully ensure they will still be art-making by the time next year’s Opening Night rolls around.

“Churchill Downs dollars supported organizations and artists to continue their work and community impact through COVID-19,” said JP Davis, senior vice president of Fund for the Arts. “We are grateful for our longstanding partnership with Churchill Downs and for their ongoing support of artists and arts organizations during this challenging time.”


About Churchill Downs Incorporated

Churchill Downs Incorporated is an industry-leading racing, online wagering and gaming entertainment company anchored by our iconic flagship event, the Kentucky Derby. We also own and operate three pari-mutual gaming entertainment venues in Kentucky: Derby City Gaming; Oak Grove Racing, Gaming, and Hotel; and Newport Racing and Gaming. Our online wagering business owns and operates TwinSpires.com, the largest and most profitable online horse racing wagering platform in the U.S., and BetAmerica, an online sports betting and iGaming platform in the U.S. We are also a leader in brick-and-mortar casino gaming with approximately 11,000 slot machines and video lottery terminals and 200 table games in eight states. Additional information about CDI can be found online at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.


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