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This Week In Conversation: The State Of Philanthropy In Louisville

Listen to the episode here: 

Why does Louisville have so many fish fries?

In a discussion of philanthropy in Louisville, WFPL’s In Conversation will ask officials about the state of philanthropic giving, how it works and how it could change the city.

One gauge for the growth of philanthropic giving is through nonprofit organizations. According to the most recent data from the Kentucky Nonprofit Network, a state association of nonprofits, nonprofits made up 9.1 percent of Kentucky’s workforce in 2015, and the industry grew to 19,009 organizations in 2016 — a 9 percent increase compared to 2012.

Data from the Chronicle Of Philanthropy, a philanthropy-focused publication from the Chronicle of Higher Education, shows more than $1.78 million was donated online in Kentucky in 2018, with a majority of those donations going to human services organizations. But that data also found that the amount of online donations and the number of nonprofits declined slightly across the nation when comparing numbers from February 2018 to those of February 2017. 

And Louisville’s budget cuts are necessitating changes for some philanthropists, cutting some nonprofits' funds and services even as officials look to nonprofits for help.

Host Rick Howlett will ask the panel how philanthropy has changed, what obstacles may impede donations and how giving could change the city.

Our guests include: 


  • Metro United Way’s Theresa Reno-Weber
  • Barry Allen from the Gheens Foundation
  • Metro Council President David James
  • Victoria Russell of Papa John’s International 

Listen to In Conversation live on 89.3 WFPL Friday at 11 a.m. or follow along with our live tweets at @WFPLnews. Call with your questions or comments at 502-814-TALK or tweet us with the hashtag #WFPLconversation. We’re also on Facebook.

Kyeland Jackson is an Associate Producer for WFPL News.