ANNUAL DAY OF GIVING SET FOR THURSDAY

September 17, 2025. Louisville, KY. – Mark your calendar to be part of something good! For the first time, the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation, the charitable arm of the Kentucky Derby Festival, is one of the non-profits taking part in Give For Good Louisville. The region’s most generous day of giving, hosted by the Community Foundation of Louisville, takes place Thursday, Sept. 18 from midnight to 11:59 p.m. EST. Donations can be made to the Festival’s Foundation at GiveForGoodLouisville.org/Organization/Kentucky-Derby-Festival-Foundation.

“Every contribution helps the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation advance its mission to inspire learning, champion causes, and preserve cherished Derby Festival traditions,” said Dodie Howlett, Executive Director of the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation. “The community’s support ensures the Foundation’s impact is felt year-round in classrooms, neighborhoods and beyond.”

The Foundation works to further the Derby Festival’s educational and charitable initiatives through a variety of events and programming, including:

• Park Community Credit Union JusticeFest – Students from Jefferson County Public Schools propose solutions for community-wide issues and present them to community leaders at this annual event set for Feb. 28, 2026.
• RoboRumble Regional Robotics Tournament – The regional STEM robotics competition, hosted annually by the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation and coordinated by Jefferson County Public Schools, challenges students and teams to design, build and compete with robots. The 2026 event is set for March 7.
• The Royal Court Program celebrates the state’s most civic-minded and academically achieving college students. Each year, five young women are chosen as Derby Festival Princesses to represent the Kentucky Derby Festival, the City of Louisville, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky as official ambassadors. The Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation provides a $1,000 scholarship to each Princess.
• Race Charity Program – Runners of the Humana miniMarathon and Marathon can make their miles count even more by using the race to raise both awareness and funds for many local and national charities. The Foundation, which oversees the Charity Program, also offers a matching donation to Official Race Charities.
• Fillies Derby Ball Presented by Courtesy Cadillac – The Derby Ball that starts it all is one of the longest-standing traditions on the Derby Festival’s line-up. Produced by The Fillies, Inc., the annual springtime tradition scheduled for March 28, 2026, features dinner, dancing, live entertainment and the crowning of the Royal Court Queen. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Foundation.

For more information about the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation, visit KDFFFoundation.org. Since its launch in 2014, Give For Good Louisville has raised more than $70 million for local non-profits across Kentucky and Southern Indiana.