Harrison County Community Fund

10/02/2026

WE DID IT. $1 MILLION. 💙

Today, the Harrison County Community Fund is incredibly proud to announce that, together, we have reached our $1 million endowment goal.

But what does $1 million actually mean for Harrison County?

‼️It does not mean we have $1 million to spend.

🔔It means something much bigger: we have built a permanent philanthropic resource for Harrison County.

Because the Harrison County Community Fund is an endowment, the money entrusted to the fund is invested for long-term growth. Reaching $1 million means we can now work toward putting approximately $50,000 back into Harrison County every year — while preserving and growing the fund so it can continue serving this community for generations.

And in a rural community where needs are very real, local philanthropy matters.

We have already seen what happens when Harrison Countians invest in Harrison County.

So today, before anything else, we want to say thank you.

Thank you to every individual, family, business and organization that donated. Thank you to those who gave large gifts and those who gave what they could. Thank you to the people who attended fundraisers, shared our mission, volunteered, served on boards and believed that a rural Kentucky community could build something lasting for itself.

You got us to $1 million.
But we don’t believe this is the finish line.
We believe it is the foundation.

The beauty of an endowment is that the more we grow it, the more we can give back every single year. So our ambition doesn’t stop at $1 million. We want to keep building — because a larger fund means more grants, more opportunities, a greater ability to respond when our neighbors need help and a wider impact across Harrison County.

If Harrison County has been part of your story, we invite you to become part of its future.

$1 million down. And a million reasons to keep going. 💙💚
🔗Link in our bio to join the donor team working towards these community goals!

09/16/2026

📣 HARRISON COUNTY NONPROFITS — THIS ONE’S FOR YOU!

Registration for Bluegrass Gives 2026 is still open for Harrison County organizations through September 25, and the Harrison County Community Fund will match your $300 registration fee! That means we want to help remove the cost barrier and make it easier for our local nonprofits to participate. 💙

So, what is Bluegrass Gives?

Hosted by Blue Grass Community Foundation⁠, Bluegrass Gives is our region’s biggest day of generosity, bringing communities together to raise money for nonprofits throughout Central and Appalachia Kentucky. Since the campaign began in 2011, it has raised $29 million for nonprofits across the region. In 2025 alone, 235 participating nonprofits raised $3.14 million.

This year, Bluegrass Gives takes place on Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2026, giving participating nonprofits an opportunity to tell their story, reach new donors and rally their community around their mission.

‼️And we want Harrison County represented! 💙

The Harrison County Community Fund has a long history of investing directly back into our community and supporting the organizations doing important work here at home — including annual support for Harrison County organizations participating in Bluegrass Gives.

If you are an eligible Harrison County nonprofit and haven’t registered yet, there is still time.

✨ Registration extended through September 25
✨ Current registration fee: $300
✨ Harrison County Community Fund will match the registration fee for participating Harrison County organizations

The registration link is down below! ⬇️

Please share this with a Harrison County nonprofit that needs to see it. We would love to see as many of our local organizations as possible participating this year and giving our community another opportunity to give where they live. 💙

https://www.bggives.org/p/register

08/26/2026

Last night, the Harrison County Community Fund gathered for our annual event at Pike Street W**e House, and one of the most exciting parts of the evening was seeing new faces in the room—community members who came ready to learn, ask questions, share ideas, and better understand what HCCF is all about.

Over Italian-inspired bites, w**e, and conversation, we had the opportunity to talk about who we are, who serves on our board, why this fund exists, and what we hope it can become for Harrison County. We shared how our endowment works, how grant funding is determined and distributed, where we are in our current campaign, and—most importantly—we heard from you about where you believe future grant dollars could make the greatest impact in our community.

HCCF was created for Harrison County, by people who care deeply about Harrison County. The more our community understands the fund, participates in it, and shares its hopes for our county, the stronger its impact can become.

And now, we’re excited about the ripples that can come from one evening like this.

If you’d like to be added to our email list, receive an invitation to our next event, learn more about HCCF, or simply ask a question, please reach out to us here or connect with one of our board members. We would love to continue the conversation.

💚 And there is still an opportunity to make your giving go even further. The deadline for the Endow Kentucky Tax Credit has been extended, with tax-credit funds still available. If you are interested in making a pledge to HCCF and exploring whether your gift may qualify, send us a message through our social channels and we’ll help get that conversation started.

To learn more or make a gift directly to the Harrison County Community Fund, visit the link in our bio.

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night, asked questions, shared ideas, and took the time to learn more about what we’re building together. 💚

07/24/2026

We were so grateful to have been able to be a part of this grant program in downtown Cynthiana.

Keeping up older buildings in the historical downtown can be very difficult and costly, but so crucial and impactful on tourism and even our own experience of the downtown as citizens.

We are so excited to see how these recipients utilize this grant program in Cynthiana!

✨Congratulations to the 2026 Downtown Incentives Grant (DIG) recipients!✨

We’re proud to announce this year’s recipients:
🔨 VanHook Hardware
🧀 Cynthiana Cheese Store
💐 Twin Oaks Floral/Flower Depot
🍷 Maime's Fine W**e and Gifts

The Cynthiana-Harrison County Tourism Commission continues its commitment to supporting entrepreneurs, revitalizing spaces, and preserving historic buildings through the Downtown Improvement Grant (DIG) Program.

The DIG program is a highly competitive program that encourages and assists investment in our historic downtown. Building on the Cynthiana Main Street Program’s prior grants and revitalization efforts, the DIG Program is the flagship of the Tourism Commission's strategy to attract investment, support entrepreneurship, encourage property improvements, and strengthen the downtown district.

Each year, the Tourism Commission commits $15,000 to the DIG Program; this year, for the first time, we increased our individual grant investment to $5,000 to provide three grants to support downtown revitalization.

The increased funding threshold attracted more applicants than usual. The number of strong applications led us to reach out to the Harrison County Community Fund for assistance. Thanks to a special one-time partnership investment of an additional $5,000, this cycle of the program was expanded to include a fourth recipient, bringing the total matching funds investment in downtown to $20,000.

The projects we are supporting this year will help with HVAC installation, roof repair, facade and signage improvements, and the creation of a second-floor short-term rental.

❤️ We are incredibly grateful to the Harrison County Community Fund for partnering with us to maximize this year's program. These projects are more than building improvements; they are investments in the future of downtown Cynthiana. Every restored storefront, improved façade, and preserved historic building helps create a downtown that residents are proud of, and visitors want to explore.

👏 Congratulations again to VanHook Hardware, Cynthiana Cheese Store, Twin Oaks Floral, and Maime’s Fine W**e & Gifts. We look forward to sharing the progress of these exciting projects in the coming months.

07/14/2026

Strong communities don’t happen by chance. They’re built through partnerships, generosity, and peop...

07/09/2026

Some gifts don’t just solve today’s challenges—they create opportunities for generations to come.

Today, we are honored to recognize a transformational $25,000 gift from Together We Grow to the Harrison County Community Fund.

Together We Grow was originally established during the uncertainty of COVID-19 to help our local businesses and community weather an unprecedented season. As its mission evolved, the organization chose to become a fund under the Bluegrass Community Foundation, allowing the Foundation to steward the legal, financial, and grant administration while Together We Grow remained focused on what has always mattered most: caring for Harrison County.

That same heart for community is what led Together We Grow to invest in the Harrison County Community Fund.

Unlike many charitable funds, every dollar contributed to HCCF becomes part of a permanent endowment that is invested, grows over time, and continues giving back to Harrison County forever. Our goal is to build this endowment to $1 million, creating approximately $50,000 in annual grants to address urgent community needs and invest in the pillars that make Harrison County stronger.

We’ve already seen what that kind of giving can do. Last fall, HCCF was able to quickly provide $10,000 to local food banks when they feared they wouldn’t be able to meet the community’s growing need. When a local food pantry’s refrigerator unexpectedly failed, HCCF helped provide funding for a replacement within days, ensuring families continued receiving food without interruption.

Their generosity joins the support of organizations like the James & Martha Brown Foundation and others who believe deeply in the future of Harrison County. Many of these supporters no longer live here full-time, yet they continue investing in the place that helped shape them.

If others believe this strongly in Harrison County’s future, how can we show that we believe in it too?

• T O G E T H E R • we aren’t just responding to today’s needs, we are building a foundation for the future of Harrison County.

✨🤍 LINK IN BIO to donate or set up your monthly donation toward Harrison County’s future.

To donate: https://bgcf.givingfuel.com/harrison-county-community-fund

06/10/2026

Want to give back to your hometown and make a difference that lasts?

Endowed community funds at Blue Grass Community Foundation are built to do just that.

These funds are permanently invested to support local nonprofits, respond to emerging needs and strengthen the places we call home. Each year, a portion of the fund’s earnings is granted out while the fund continues to grow.

That means a gift made today can support your community year after year.

You can make a lasting impact in:
🩵 Clark County
💚 Fayette County
🩵 Franklin County
💚 Harrison County
🩵 Madison County
💚 Magoffin County
🩵 Mt. Sterling–Montgomery County
💚 Rowan County
🩵 Woodford County

And there’s a smart way to give. Through the Endow Kentucky Tax Credit, eligible Kentucky taxpayers can receive up to a 20% state tax credit when they make an approved gift to an endowed community fund.

💰 A $50,000 gift may qualify for up to $10,000 in Kentucky tax savings.
💡 You don’t need to itemize your deductions.
📈 The statewide tax credit pool has doubled to $2 million this year.
🌱 Applications open July 1, and gifts planned now can grow for good.

Let’s grow something lasting, together.

🔗 To learn more about Endow KY and download the 2026 application: bgcf.org/endowky
🔗 To learn more about BGCF's nine endowed community funds: bgcf.org/community-funds

06/03/2026

A huge thank you to Bruce Florence for taking the time to highlight the mission and impact of the Harrison County Community Fund in her recent article.

In rural communities like ours, every dollar matters. What makes the Harrison County Community Fund unique is that gifts don’t just help today—they help forever. Through the power of an endowment, donations are invested and continue growing, creating a permanent source of funding that supports local nonprofits, community projects, education, food security, arts, recreation, and the opportunities that make Harrison County a better place to live, work, and raise a family. (Blue Grass Community Foundation)

✨The future of Harrison County isn’t built by one person or one large gift—it’s built by neighbors who believe in their community and choose to invest in it.✨

If you’d like to be part of that impact, please consider making a one-time gift or becoming a monthly donor through the link in our bio. Together, we’re creating a legacy that will continue supporting Harrison County for generations to come.

BluegrassCommunityFoundation RuralKentucky LegacyGiving

05/22/2026

Today, we had the honor of hosting a luncheon for past Harrison County Community Fund board members — people who helped lay the foundation for what this fund is today and what it has the potential to become for our community’s future. ❤️

Right now, our fund has been given an incredible challenge through the generosity of the James and Martha Brown Foundation. Their gift is helping push us toward something much bigger than a number — it’s helping us build a permanent, growing source of funding for Harrison County and Cynthiana for generations to come.

Because the Harrison County Community Fund is an endowment fund, donations don’t just get spent once and disappear. They are invested and continue to grow over time. A single donation today has the ability to become something far larger in the future — continuing to give back year after year after year.

Reaching this next level as a fund means that eventually, our community could have at least $50,000 annually to reinvest into local needs through grants and community projects. In a rural community like ours, that matters deeply. We rely on trusted organizations, partnerships, and outside funding opportunities to help strengthen Harrison County, and this fund was built specifically to support those efforts long-term.

What makes this fund special is the structure and accountability behind it. The Harrison County Community Fund operates through the Bluegrass Community Foundation, providing oversight, reporting requirements, and transparency for both donations and grant recipients. Every organization receiving funding is required to report back on how funds were used, helping ensure donations truly impact our community.

Additionally, our board follows structured funding pillars and an application process focused on community-wide needs — not private individuals or personal property — ensuring grants are directed where they can create the greatest public good.

We’re also proud to say that 100% of our board members personally give back to this fund themselves. We believe in investing in the future of Harrison County right alongside our community.

If you’d like to help us continue building something lasting for Harrison County:
• You can donate through the link: https://www.bgcf.org/community-funds/harrison-county/
• You can pledge an amount over the next 18 months to 2 years
• Or you can set up a monthly donation of any size to simply give consistently over time

No gift is too small when it becomes part of something designed to grow forever. 🌱