Lexington Leadership Foundation, Amen House get Chik-fil-A grants

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) –The Lexington Leadership Foundation and Amen House, Lexington-area nonprofits, have been named the recipients of $125,000 and $50,000 grants through the annual Chick-fil-A^® True Inspiration Awards^TM program. Both organizations are making a profound impact in Lexington, and these grants will further their efforts in their communities.

The Lexington Leadership Foundation seeks to better the Lexington region through various programs, including Urban Impact and Fatherhood Impact, and received a $125,000 grant. Additionally, Amen House, which focuses on providing food, clothing and financial assistance to families in Scott County, received a $50,000 grant to further its mission in the greater Lexington area.

Lexington Leadership Foundation intends to use the funds to connect leaders so they can tackle tough issues and strengthen underserved communities, including mentoring, youth programming and fatherhood initiatives.

Amen House intends to use the funds to end hunger in Scott County, meeting the most basic needs for food and helping people move from poverty to self-sustainability.

This year, 34 organizations received a combined total of $5 million in grants to expand their community efforts in the areas of education, hunger and homelessness. In addition to serving their communities in these areas, the recipient organizations are either Black-led or serve communities of color.

The True Inspiration Awards were established in 2015 to carry on Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy’s legacy of generosity and community service. Since that time, 204 organizations across 36 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada have been awarded grants totaling more than $17 million. After increasing its investment in the initiative last year, Chick-fil-A has awarded individual grants ranging from $50,000 to $350,000.

“Despite the challenges these organizations have faced in the past few years, the 2022 grant recipients have demonstrated incredible passion, perseverance and leadership as they have continued to enact meaningful change in their communities,” said Rodney Bullard, vice president of corporate social responsibility for Chick-fil-A, Inc. “We are inspired by the impact these organizations have every day, from providing essential items to those affected by Hurricane Ida to enabling access to online education for students during the pandemic. We’re honored to invest in the future of these organizations and help them enhance their life-changing work and grow their impact.”

In addition to Lexington Leadership Foundation and Amen House, the other 32 recipients range from The Maui Farm in Makawao, Hawaii, to Thrive in New Orleans, La., spanning 19 states and 33 cities. Since the initiative’s inception, True Inspiration Awards grant recipients have positively impacted more than 2.4 million individuals through their work.