Winsday - Great Thrills for the Greater Good

A Community Foundation of Louisville & Churchill Downs Racetrack Partnership

Winsday, a new Derby Week event, emerges as a beacon of community spirit and philanthropy. This is more than just a race day—it’s a celebration of the pivotal role nonprofits play in our community.

An exciting partnership, Winsday is a day dedicated to uplifting local nonprofit organizations and highlighting the crucial work they do in our community. By purchasing tickets through a participating nonprofit, guests enjoyed a day at the races during Derby week and contributed directly to local causes.

We invite you to view and learn more about the 50 inspiring organizations featured in the Winsday Nonprofit Directory. These organizations embody the values of our community by addressing unmet needs, driving innovative solutions, and bringing about meaningful change.

2025 Winsday Nonprofit Directory

Check out the inaugural Winsday cohort of participating organizations and donate to their important missions.

Charity Post Draw

Just like the Derby Post Draw, but with a twist—your nonprofit earns money! 20 participating nonprofits were randomly paired with a Derby horse. Whatever place the organization’s assigned Derby horse finished in during the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby determined the prize amount awarded.

Congrats to the winners!

First Place: $20,000 – Buy Local Louisville Foundation
Second Place: $15,000 – The dePaul School
Third Place: $10,000 – Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve
4th-20th Place: $2,500

The remaining organizations randomly selected for this prize earned $2,500:

Have a Heart Clinic
Community Foundation of Southern Indiana
Imagination Library of Louisville
Whitney Strong
St. Vincent de Paul
Dress for Success
Jewish Family and Career Services
World Affairs Council of Kentucky & Southern Indiana
Pandora Productions
Wesley House Community Services Inc.
Junior League of Louisville
Friends of Nicole 50/50 Mentoring Collaborative Inc
Elevate Louisville
St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities
FEAT of Louisville Inc.
Mental Health Lou & You
Luce, Inc.

Second Chance Drawings

Another opportunity for participating nonprofits to secure additional funds! Organizations not selected for the Charity Post Draw were randomly chosen for a $2,000 prize. There were four live drawings for this prize during Winsday. Congrats to the winners!

$2,000 – Louisville Grows
$2,000 – Feed Louisville
$2,000 – Second Hope
$2,000 – Critically Loved

Supporter Drawings

Organizations that didn’t win a Charity Post Draw or Second Chance Drawings were eligible for a Supporter Drawing.

For every ticket purchased through a participating nonprofit’s ticketing link, Churchill Downs randomly selected guests for an additional $2,000 donation to the nonprofit associated with their ticket purchase. The more tickets an organization sold, the more chances they had to win $2,000. Three live drawings were held at the racetrack, and you can view the winners below:

$4,000 – Second Stride was randomly selected twice, meaning they earned an additional $2,000
$2,000 – Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels

Helpful Information for Participating Nonprofits

Participation in Winsday is capped at 50 local organizations and registration is closed. If your organization was one of the first 50 to register and be approved to participate in Winsday, here are some helpful resources.

Participation Overview

Includes information about ticketing links, contacts, and more. Information will continue to be added to this document as needed leading up to Winsday.

Download

Winsday Social Templates

Download the zip file and customize pre-made social media graphics. (Use is for participating organizations only.)

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QR Code for Nonprofit Directory

If interested in sharing the Nonprofit Directory, download this QR code to place on promotional materials.

Download

Winsday Info Session

In this virtual session, organizations participating in Winsday learned about their roles and responsibilities, main points of contact, prizes, and post-Winsday reporting, followed by a Q&A session with the Churchill Downs Racetrack and Community Foundation teams.

Download the presentation slides and watch the recording.

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