Charitable Giving

Keeneland Foundation

Community

How to Apply

Grant Application (PDF)

Grant Application (Word)

A History of Giving Back

Keeneland was created as a model racetrack for the Thoroughbred industry.

Our founders instilled a vision for contributing -- through profits from our racing and sales operations -- to the betterment of racing and the Central Kentucky community of which we are an integral part.

Through the Years

Since 1936, the Keeneland Foundation has given more than $15 million to benefit civic and industry-related service organizations.

Among our efforts:

In 1954, we gave $200,000 to the University of Kentucky to build a women's dorm;
We donated $250,000 over ten years to the University of Kentucky Agricultural Experiment station;
At the height of the polio epidemic, we paid $10,000 for the Salk vaccine to inoculate at-risk and underprivileged children in Fayette County who might otherwise have not received the vaccine;
In the mid-1980s, we gave $1 million over several years to the University of Kentucky's Maxwell A. Gluck Equine Research Center; and
On June 19, 1959, we shut down for two days so our employees, using Keeneland equipment, could move St. Joseph Hospital (then City's Hospital) from downtown Lexington to its current location.

Recent Major Gifts

In 2006, the Keeneland Foundation donated more than $1 million to over 80 charitable organizations.

Our recent major gifts include:

Central Kentucky Blood Center -- $60,000 over three years to help build a new facility;
Midway Home Place -- $50,000 for the construction of a nursing home facility in Midway;
Kentucky Historical Society -- $250,000 over five years to build the Keeneland Changing Exhibits Gallery;
Midway College -- $150,000 over three years to assist in the expansion of their equine studies program;
Fayette County Education -- $60,000 over three years to reward Fayette County Schools that are succesfully raising the education standards for all students; and
University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research -- $50,000 toward an endowed chair to spearhead efforts to advance research and education regarding addiction.

Thoroughbred Industry Recipients

Keeneland continues to seek innovative ways to improve the sport. In furtherance of that goal, we provide valuable financial and in-kind support to many Thoroughbred organizations, including:

Grayson-Jockey Club Research;
National Thoroughbred Racing Association;
Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association;
American Horse Council;
Kentucky Equine Education Project;
Thoroughbred Racing Association;
Racetrack Chaplaincy of America; and
North American Racing Academy.