The Brown-Forman Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the beverage company best known for producing Jack Daniel’s whiskey, has announced a 10-year, $50 million investment in five west Louisville organizations to advance educational opportunities from early childhood through adult learning.

The largest investment by the foundation, which was established in 2018, is aimed at enabling organizations to expand and create measurable impact by meeting long-term needs. The grantees are AMPED, which was awarded $5 million to expand its out-of-school-time (OST) program offerings; the Louisville Central Community Center, which will receive $10 million in support of its Mini-Versity Child Development Program to create better access to quality early education services; the Louisville Urban League, which was awarded $5 million to provide opportunities for families that directly address the achievement gap adversely affecting Black and Brown students through critical programming focused on increasing access and removing barriers; Simmons College of Kentucky, which will receive $10 million to further develop a teacher education program that prepares licensed secondary school teachers and addresses the racial inequities in the local and regional public schools; and the West End School, which was awarded $10 million to continue offering boys an academically rigorous education, complete with wraparound counseling, enrichment, extracurricular activities, and mentorship. In addition, the West End School will receive $10 million to expand programming to create equitable opportunities for girls.

“Providing access to education and opportunities is key to ensuring our children can be successful,” said Brown‑Forman Foundation president and chair Ralph de Chabert. “These programs have made a strong commitment to offer that support along every step of the educational journey. They have a tremendous grasp on what the needs are, and they know how to meet them. The Brown‑Forman Foundation is honored to help amplify that response over the next decade.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/SDI Productions)