Upper Cumberland Community Foundation

05/29/2026

What a morning!! The Guy Jones Memorial Golf Scramble-what a tribute to this fine man.

05/15/2026

UPPER CUMBERLAND, KY — The one-year anniversary is approaching, and our community is experiencing a collective moment of remembrance. The fear, the news reports, the sirens, the cleanup, the community

05/13/2026

Thank you to everyone who participated in any way during yesterday.
If you'd like to make a last-minute donation, the link remains open until midnight. https://www.kygives.org/organizations/upper-cumberland-community-foundation

We were absolutely blown away by the generosity we saw yesterday on KY Gives Day! We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who shared, donated, advocated, and celebrated with us.

This was a record-breaking KY Gives Day for us for the second year in a row! We were in the top 5% in the state. Donations don’t officially close until midnight tonight, but preliminary numbers show that you helped us raise $22,820 for 21 affiliates, organizations, and funds hosted at the Foundation.

With your help, we met our goal to raise $8,000 for our general fund! Our general fund fuels and sustains the infrastructure that brings resources, capacity, and community development to our region. We are so grateful to everyone who contributed to help us reach our goal!

If you missed out on donating yesterday, you still have a chance to contribute — you have until midnight to make your final donations. To make a last-minute donation, visit: https://www.kygives.org/organizations/foundation-for-appalachian-kentucky.

05/12/2026

We are proud that Let's Goh Swimming is one of our funds! Click through to read some testimonials about the good work Dara and her team are doing at Cannonball Swimming Academy, funded by scholarships from Let's Goh Swimming (open to all certified swim instructors in our region). If you'd like to contribute to this fund, visit: https://www.kygives.org/organizations/let-s-goh-swimming-southeastern-kentucky

05/12/2026

KY Gives Day starts now! All donations made in this first hour will go into a random drawing for an additional $200 to be added to the donation. https://www.kygives.org/organizations/upper-cumberland-community-foundation

05/11/2026

The Upper Cumberland Community Foundation, as well as our Let's Goh Swimming Fund, is participating in KY Gives Day TOMORROW! Learn more about it in this video...

05/01/2026

Our region included some of the most under-counted counties in Kentucky. Participating in the census is an easy way to support the good work happening in our communities. Census data is used to help determine funding for all kinds of programs and services we use everyday.

The 2030 Census may seem far away, but it's time to mark your calendars! Historically, our region has been undercounted in the Census. This has resulted in underinvestment from federal funds and a lack of federal representation for Eastern Kentucky. We want to avoid that happening again in 2030!

We are partnering with Kentucky Youth Advocates to help encourage our communities here in Eastern Kentucky to participate in the 2030 Census! To learn more about how you can be prepared, visit https://kyyouth.org/censusky/.

04/28/2026

Several Upper Cumberland Community Foundation board members attended the East Kentucky Leadership Conference held in Berea, KY last week. Dr. Sandi Curd, who also serves on the East Kentucky Leadership Foundation, facilitated a meaningful session on the power of Arts in Eastern Kentucky.

04/16/2026

To our non-profits serving Bell, Clay, Laurel and Leslie Counties - check out this exciting new grant opportunity!

We are excited to announce that the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky has partnered with the Thompson Charitable Foundation to provide flexible grant funding to nonprofit organizations serving communities in Bell, Clay, Laurel, and Leslie Counties!

In 2026, a total of $250,000 will be awarded through the Thompson Charitable Regranting Program to support organizations addressing urgent needs while strengthening long-term community resilience.

“Communities in Appalachian Kentucky are rich with leadership, commitment, and solutions—but too often lack the flexible funding needed to take action. This partnership with the Thompson Charitable Foundation allows local people to put resources directly into the hands of trusted local organizations that know their communities best.”
- Kristin Walker Collins, Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky CEO

To learn more and apply, visit https://www.appalachianky.org/thompson-charitable-regranting-program/.

04/08/2026

We are proud to support the good work happening in the Upper Cumberland region.

We want to take a moment to shine a spotlight on our amazing affiliates, who work tirelessly to invest in their communities! In 2025, our affiliates collectively distributed over $1.4 million to local nonprofit organizations and projects. We're so grateful for our affiliate board members who are rooted in their communities and help us to meet them where they are instead of telling them where they should be.