You can fill out this form to donate to Kentucky Humanities. Please note that you'll specify your donation amount after you click Donate.
You can mail a check to Kentucky Humanities at 206 E. Maxwell St., Lexington, KY 40508. Checks will go into the general donation fund unless you specify which program you want to support.
As a cherished member of our community, we deeply value your continued support. While cash donations are always appreciated, we wanted to take this opportunity to share with you several other ways of giving that can be even more beneficial, both for yourself and our organization.
Donor Advised Funds are a type of giving program that allows you to combine the most favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to easily support your favorite charities. You can contribute to the fund as frequently as you like, and then recommend grants to your chosen charity when you are ready. If needed by your Fund Administrator to process your gift, our tax identification number (EIN) is: 31-0981031.
Gifting stocks or appreciated assets is a fantastic way to support our cause. If you have stocks that have significantly increased in value, you can donate these assets directly to Kentucky Humanities. This method allows you to avoid capital gains taxes that would have been incurred if the stock was sold, and you can claim a charitable deduction for the full fair-market value of the stock at the time of the gift.
Be sure to let us know when you make a stock donation so we can accurately record the gift on your behalf. Once the gift has been transferred to our account, our broker will sell the shares. Kentucky Humanities will then send you a letter acknowledging your stock transfer.
If you are 70½ years or older, you may consider making a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA). A QCD allows you to donate up to $100,000 directly from your IRA to a qualified charity, such as Kentucky Humanities, without it being counted as taxable income. This not only satisfies your required minimum distribution but also reduces your taxable income, potentially providing significant tax savings.
Your corporate support of Kentucky Humanities highlights your company’s commitment to building a better future for Kentucky. To learn more about opportunities for corporate giving, please contact Kay Madrick at (859) 257-5932 or kay.madrick@uky.edu.
With a planned gift, you may be able to make a more substantial charitable gift than is possible during your lifetime, while receiving significant tax advantages for you and/or your heirs.
You can make a planned gift by naming Kentucky Humanities as a beneficiary in your will or living trust, life insurance policies, or retirement funds (i.e. IRA, 401K, 403B, or pension plan).
For more information about planned gifts, or to let us know of your intent to make a planned gift, please contact Kay Madrick (859) 257-5932 or kay.madrick@uky.edu.
Information about the Kentucky Humanities Legacy Society can be found here.
Each of these giving methods has its unique advantages over traditional cash donations, especially in terms of tax benefits and the potential for increased giving capacity. By opting for these methods of giving, you can maximize the impact of your generosity while also benefiting from significant tax savings.
Information on gift planning provided by Kentucky Humanities is not intended as financial, legal, or tax advice. Please contact your attorney, accountant, financial planner, or insurance sales representative to find out how you can amend your estate plans.
It’s a gift to hear the “secret” to long lasting relationships from a couple who ought to know. David and Ann Denton will say “both of us have a love of learning,” and that commitment to learning not only resides between them, but it’s what drew them to Kentucky Humanities.
The Dentons are supporters of Kentucky Humanities with their time and resources, especially in bringing Kentucky Humanities programming to Paducah and west Kentucky. Mr. Denton, who served on the Board from 2013-2017, explains the reason behind their support: “Kentucky Humanities appeals to everyone, every age, every style.”
Both Mr. and Mrs. Denton believe in the power of the humanities to improve the mind. They are particularly fond of the Kentucky Chautauqua® presentations that bring history to life in classrooms and communities across the Commonwealth. The Impact is Dramatic may be a tag line, but the Dentons contend that “people need to see history in action” to learn from the past and carry on into the future.
Mrs. Denton emphasized the importance of protecting humanities programs that move education to the forefront, recalling a Chautauqua performance for third through fifth graders in McCracken County. “The kids were enjoying and engaging with the character—and learning!”
The Dentons know how important the relationship of Kentucky Humanities with each of the 120 counties of the state is, and thanks to their support and others like them, that relationship is growing stronger every day.
Elaine A. Wilson has been a reader for as long as she can remember. Her mother taught her family to appreciate books and music. In fact, it was common for everyone to have their noses in books at the dinner table at their home.
Her academic interests later shifted toward science and math, but Ms. Wilson’s love of reading remained constant. When she traveled across the country with the Lexington Singers, her passion for music grew and opened her eyes to the world of humanities and the unmistakable impact they have on one’s quality of life. Of note is her trip to Washington, D.C., for Our Lincoln at the Kennedy Center, a Kentucky Humanities event that included University of Kentucky groups such as the American Spiritual Ensemble, founded by Dr. Everett McCorvey, head of the UK Opera Theater.
As a Board member, she recalls her first introduction to Prime Time Family Reading. Through this program, Kentucky Humanities uses scholars and storytellers to read and discuss books with children and their parents. Later, when the program was held in Somerset, where she now resides, books were read in English and Spanish, which she says, “opened the door to more people who wouldn’t use the library.”
While cultural diversity director (now director of diversity, equity, and inclusion) at Somerset Community College, she coordinated the SCC International Festival and often included Kentucky Chautauqua performers, another impactful Kentucky Humanities program that attendees from Pulaski and surrounding counties could experience.
Ms. Wilson is a firm believer that, through the humanities, “we can explore the world and try to make sure people have a better life.” Her dedication of her time, talent, and resources to Kentucky Humanities ensures others can do just that.
Versailles resident Ellen Hellard’s involvement with Kentucky Humanities spans nearly 40 years. With that tenure, one could say the humanities is woven into the fiber of her being.
During her career at the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA), she saw the number of counties with public libraries more than double. As part of her role, she built cooperative programming with what was then known as the Kentucky Humanities Council, coordinating speakers and discussion groups across libraries.
Given her profession, it should come as no surprise that she was a founding member of the Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort. In fact, she assisted with the transition when the Kentucky Book Fair (now the Kentucky Book Festival) became part of Kentucky Humanities. Calling the event “a natural humanities program,” she knows that what she helped to birth years ago is poised to continue another 40 years, and that is a true point of pride for her.
Her love of the humanities was also connected with the love of her life, Vic Hellard, Jr. He portrayed Governor Edwin P. Morrow and reporter and humorist Irvin S. Cobb for Kentucky Chautauqua®. After her husband’s passing, she continued his legacy by serving on the selection committee for new Kentucky Chautauqua presenters, giving advice on everything from scripts to costuming.
Ms. Hellard describes herself as someone dedicated to lifelong learning, particularly in the humanities. She has committed nearly four decades of her life to Kentucky Humanities as a volunteer, Board member, and supporter. And it is for that dedication we are thankful.
Clarence Glover, a retired educator, was born in Horse Cave, Kentucky. When he walks into a room people tend to notice. Glover was a 6’8” forward on the basketball team at Western Kentucky University where he helped lead the 1971 team to the NCAA Final Four. He was a first-round pick by the National Basketball Association’s Boston Celtics where he played for one season. He was inducted into the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007 and in May of 2020, he was inducted into the Kentucky Basketball Hall of Fame.
Mr. Glover received a B.S. degree from Western Kentucky University and a Master of Education from Boston State College. He went on to complete his Rank I certification post-graduate studies at Butler University and Indiana University–Purdue University at Indianapolis.
Mr. Glover served as an assistant headmaster in Boston, and assistant to the superintendent of Fayette County Schools in Lexington, and a middle school principal in Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville.
Mr. Glover brings his talents as an educator and public spokesman to Kentucky Humanities. He has served on the Executive, Development, and Finance and Audit Committees. An active participant in the community, Mr. Glover serves on many boards including the WKU Alumni Association, the WKU Foundation Board, the Louisville Public Media Board, Actors Theatre of Louisville Advisory Board, the Louisville Central Community Centers Board, and the WHAS TV Crusade for Children.
Besides donating his time and talents, he also donates financially to Kentucky Humanities. He understands the impact he can have as a board member. At WKU, he established the Clarence Glover Scholarship Fund and the Clarence Glover Equity and Inclusion Scholarship Fund to benefit WKU students. We are thankful for all that he brings to Kentucky Humanities and other foundations across the Commonwealth.
Internationally known, bestselling author Kim Edwards has been a friend and donor to Kentucky Humanities for nearly 15 years.
A passionate advocate for literacy, Edwards has been an author and participant in panel discussions at the Kentucky Book Festival® on numerous occasions.
Edwards’ first novel, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, became a word-of-mouth best-seller, spending 122 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, 20 of those weeks at #1. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter won the Kentucky Literary Award and was chosen as Book of the Year for 2006 by USA Today. Her second novel, The Lake of Dreams, an Independent Booksellers pick, was also an international best seller.
In addition to her much-appreciated personal contributions to Kentucky Humanities, Edwards has been a generous donor to Kentucky Humanities through her foundation—the Kim Edwards Charitable Foundation—since 2009, supporting Kentucky Humanities’ literacy initiatives including Prime Time Family Reading®, Kentucky Reads, and the Kentucky Book Festival.
Kentucky Humanities lost a long-time supporter and friend of the humanities in 2021–F. Thomas Conway. For years Tom Conway has been quietly supporting Kentucky Humanities, but instead of being recognized as a donor personally, he preferred to make donations in the name of Lindsey Wilson College and Spalding University.
Born and raised in Union County, Kentucky, Mr. Conway lived a full and extraordinary life with accomplishments, adventures, generosity, love, and, as always, dreams. He was a graduate of Morganfield High School, Western Kentucky University, and the University of Louisville School of Law.
Mr. Conway loved to travel and fish, and lived his life with an adventurous spirit and a twinkle in his eye. He treated everyone the same way, regardless of their station in life. His many friends and family will certainly miss his passion, storytelling, and extremely generous nature.
He loved the state of Kentucky and all the people that belonged to it. He loved to fight for people who had been wronged or injured. He loved horses and the Kentucky Derby. He loved his family. He also showed his love for Kentucky by supporting many charities and institutions of higher education to make the Commonwealth a better place. We are proud to be one of the institutions he chose to support. Rest in peace, friend.
Martha Clark doesn’t like to be in the spotlight. She is always working behind the scenes trying to shine light on others. A native Kentuckian with a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University and a M.A. from Western Kentucky University, Mrs. Clark passed the CPA exam and practiced accounting for 28 years, owning her own accounting firm during most of this time. Mrs. Clark loves numbers, and we depend on her love of numbers as she serves as our Treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee, keeping a close watch over our budget and investments.
Mrs. Clark has long been an active member of the Owensboro community. She is the co-founder and founding president of Impact100 Owensboro, where 100 women each donate $1,000, with those donations combining to become one transformational $100,000 grant. Since its inception, Impact100 has granted more than $3,300,000 to organizations in Owensboro. She also serves on various other boards including the Owensboro Symphony.
While Mrs. Clark has received many awards over the years, she is particularly humbled by the award that was bestowed upon her in April 2022 by the Junior Achievement, making her the first woman inducted into the Business Leaders Hall of Fame in Owensboro.
Above all else, Mrs. Clark is most proud of her daughter, Julie, and three grandsons, Julian, Marcus, and Clark. She will proudly tell you they are the smartest and most handsome grandsons in the world!
Dr. Aris Cedeño has the honor of being the longest-tenured Kentucky Humanities board member, serving from 2007-2020. He was appointed by both Governor Steve Beshear and Governor Matt Bevin and was elected for one term between the two gubernatorial appointments. Dr. Cedeño has a law degree from the University of Panama and a Ph.D. in Spanish literature from Michigan State University. For 20 years he worked as a professor at the University of Louisville.
Dr. Cedeño has served as the Executive Director of the Governor’s Scholars Program since 2006, after working as a GSP faculty member, Campus Director, and Academic Dean for the program. When Dr. Cedeño goes out on the road to recruit students to GSP, he always explains to the parents that GSP tries to create a home away from home. He personally understands the importance of having a home away from home since he was born and raised in Las Tablas, Panama.
Dr. Cedeño loves to travel home to Panama, and to other countries throughout the world, any time he gets a chance. He continues to be faithful to the mission of Kentucky Humanities, Telling Kentucky’s Story. He contributes annually to Kentucky Humanities and has joined our Scroll of Honor. Dr. Cedeño’s dedication of his resources and time to Kentucky Humanities has allowed us to continue bringing humanities programs to communities and classrooms throughout the state.
Dr. Thomas H. Appleton, Jr. has dedicated his life to the study and teaching of Kentucky’s history, becoming one of the state’s foremost historians.
Appleton joined the Eastern Kentucky University faculty in 2000 as a professor of history and the associate director of the Center for Kentucky History and Politics at EKU.
He is the editor or co-editor of six books on Kentucky and southern history. Appleton and Dr. Melissa McEuen are co-editors of the first extended treatment of Kentucky women published, Kentucky Women: Their Lives and Times.
Prior to teaching at EKU, Appleton spent more than 20 years working with the Kentucky Historical Society serving as editor-in-chief of publications.
Dr. Appleton has been a dedicated friend and supporter of Kentucky Humanities for more than two decades. He was appointed to Kentucky Humanities’ Board of Directors by Governor Matt Bevin in 2016 and served on the board until 2020, including a stint as Board Chairman in 2019.
In addition to his many financial contributions to support the work of Kentucky Humanities, Dr. Appleton has served as the scholar for many grant-funded projects, the author of articles for Kentucky Humanities magazine, a reviewer and consultant for new Kentucky Chautauqua® dramas, and most recently, an author and reviewer for Think History.
William G. “Bill” Francis is a philanthropist and has been an ardent supporter of education, the arts, and humanities in Kentucky for decades.
He joined the Kentucky Humanities Board of Directors in 2009 and served as a committee chair, vice chairperson and chairperson. He and his wife, Linda, have continued to support Kentucky Humanities and our work throughout the Commonwealth with both their time and generous financial contributions.
After earning an associate of arts degree from Prestonsburg Community College, a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Kentucky and a master of public administration degree from Eastern Kentucky University, Francis received his juris doctor from the UK College of Law in 1973.
Francis is a member of the University of Kentucky Alumni Association and served as national president in 1984. He was a graduate of the Leadership Kentucky class of 1987, and served on Leadership Kentucky’s board of directors. He was a member of the Prestonsburg Tourism Commission and served on the matching funds committee of the Kentucky Tourism Cabinet. Francis was a member of the Kentucky Arts Council for 13 years, serving as chairperson and vice chairperson. He was the recipient of the 2012 Kentucky Governor’s Awards in the Arts’ Milner Award—the most prestigious arts award given by the Governor.
He has also served as a board member for numerous Kentucky cultural and arts organizations, including Jenny Wiley Theatre, Southern Arts Federation, and National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.
The Snowy Owl Foundation was established on September 15, 2010, with a mission to support land, arts, education, and human need by providing nourishment to good organizations.
Nana Lampton, a life-long resident of Louisville, is the executive director of the Snowy Owl Foundation.
An active businesswoman, Nana served on two companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Constellation Energy and DNP, for many years. Her interests include urban development, historic preservation, land conservation, and the arts. Nana is a Trustee at Berea College and has served on many non-profit boards, including Shaker Village, Kentucky Heritage Council, and the Kentucky Historical Society. In addition, she has served as Honorary Consul to the Kingdom of Morocco in Kentucky. Painter and poet, her fourth collection of poetry, Wash the Dust from My Eyes, was inspired by her grandfather’s diary as he trained for duty for World War I.
Since 2017 the Snowy Owl Foundation has generously awarded more than $10,000 to Kentucky Humanities in support of the Kentucky Book Festival.®
Ken and Deanna Wolf have been ardent supporters of education and the humanities in Murray and across the Commonwealth for more than half a century.
Dr. Wolf has worked in the history department of Murray State University since 1969, currently serving as professor emeritus. He has also served as dean and site director of Kentucky’s Governor’s Scholars Program and an academic dean at Commonwealth Honors Academy.
Deanna also spent time in education, working as the Family Services Coordinator for Head Start in Murray for many years.
Over the years, Kentucky Humanities has been fortunate to benefit from Ken and Deanna’s generosity and passion to improve the lives of all Kentuckians.
Dr. Wolf was elected to Kentucky Humanities’ Board of Directors in 2008 and served on the board for six years. In addition to his work on the board, he was the scholar for grant-funded events in Murray in conjunction with the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Journey Stories.
Ken and Deanna have been generous donors to Kentucky Humanities and have supported Kentucky Humanities programs throughout the state along the way in their many road trips throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Even an ice storm couldn’t stop them from joining us in Washington, D.C. for Our Lincoln: Kentucky’s Gift to the Nation at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2009!