Sparking Change Mini Grants: A Lasting Legacy of Community Empowerment in Kentuckiana
Written by Lexi Locke-Vincent
The Sparking Change Mini‑Grant (SCMG) program served as a beacon of possibility for Kentuckiana’s grassroots nonprofits for two years through the Community Foundation of Louisville. Built on a simple premise — that small sparks of funding can ignite transformative work — the program was supported by the Foundation’s Fund for Louisville. It distributed $1,000 grants to three organizations each month from 2024–2025 for nonprofits with operating budgets under $250,000. In total, 72 community‑based organizations received support, each one using their spark to bring energy, imagination, and meaningful change to the region.
Though the program has come to a close, the stories it leaves behind highlight its extraordinary impact.
A Foundation of Accessibility and Trust
The Sparking Change Mini‑Grant program was intentionally designed to be simple, accessible, and build relationships. Nonprofits applied once per year and were considered in each monthly cycle thereafter — a process shaped to reduce barriers and expand opportunity. As Donna Browne, Senior Associate of Strategic Initiatives, shared, the program was created “to be a catalyst for smaller nonprofit organizations to build relationships with the Foundation.” This goal became a reality as organizations used this funding to expand their programming, serve their clients, deepen their missions, and unlock new funding streams.
Opening Doors to Economic Opportunity
The Mini‑Grant program did more than support one‑time events — it sparked long‑term investment in economic empowerment.
Robert Jamison Ministries (RJM) stands as one of the program’s most powerful success stories. Focused on job readiness and youth empowerment, RJM used its grant to offer career assessments, goal‑setting workshops, value identification, and long‑term planning to dozens of young people. Executive Director Yvette Goodwin‑Jamison emphasized their vision:
“We wanted to see these young folks use leadership training to impact their lives and the community in which they reside. Without the Sparking Change Mini‑Grant, RJM would not have been able to start this initiative.”
That spark soon grew into a flame: RJM went on to secure an additional $50,000 in funding and eventually received support from the Community Safety & Healing Fund. Their journey embodied the program’s purpose — not simply to fund a project, but to set organizations on a trajectory of growth and community leadership.
Pictured: Robert Jamison Ministries staff with Foundation staff. Photo Credit: Community Foundation of Louisville.
Even organizations like More Than a Smile Foundation, which began with their $1,000 grant for transportation for immigrant and refugee students in an afterschool program at the YMCA, provided her further opportunity to scale More Than a Smile Foundation’s impact from 200 to over 500 families annually in the next five years. A year after receiving the Sparking Change Mini-Grant, Amina Shale, the Executive Director and CEO, applied to the Foundation’s Alden Fellows program and became one of six executive leaders to receive $10,000.
She was able to participate in executive leadership programs, attend global refugee and immigrant leadership conferences, and return to Kenya, where she grew up in a refugee camp, for strategic learning with organizations supporting refugee girls. As More Than a Smile Foundation phrased it, the “Community Foundation of Louisville took a chance on Amina, and Amina took a chance on a youth-led organization because she saw more than a smile in young leaders already doing the work. From journalism to public speaking, these youth are finding their voices and advocating for change in their communities.” More Than a Smile Foundation can serve as a model for when we invest in individuals who lead our community; it leaves a legacy in Louisville and beyond.
Pictured (left to right): More Than a Smile Foundation staff with Foundation staff; Amina Shale awarded as a 2025 Alden Fellow. Photo Credit: Community Foundation of Louisville.
A Ripple Effect Beyond the Grant Cycle
The effect of the Sparking Change Mini‑Grants cannot be measured solely by the dollars awarded. The program strengthened the region’s nonprofit ecosystem by:
- Introducing smaller organizations to the Foundation’s resources and teams
- Expanding visibility for grassroots nonprofits
- Providing accessible lower-level funding opportunities on a consistent monthly basis
The 2024 and 2025 recipient lists represent a rich snapshot of Kentuckiana’s nonprofit landscape — from youth development and arts education to health equity, community safety, housing, and neighborhood revitalization. Each organization brought its own passion, and the Mini‑Grant program helped elevate that work at moments when encouragement and support mattered most.
A Spark That Continues to Shine
As the Sparking Change Mini‑Grant program closes, its legacy lives on in the relationships built, the nonprofits empowered, the community spaces activated, and the health and wellness programs expanded. The organizations it touched continue to serve, innovate, and uplift — carrying forward the program’s spirit of hope and possibility.
Even a $1,000 spark can light the way toward transformation. And in Kentuckiana, those sparks continue to shine brightly.
View past organization’s work and testimonies.