Youth Civic Education Endowment
This rare opportunity will help young people build a Lexington they’ll want to stay in, contribute to, and lead.
The Challenge
Young people care deeply about Lexington and they want to shape its future. Our civic education programs give them the tools, connections, and support to do that, helping thousands of Fayette County students become informed local residents and leaders each year.
A $1 million challenge grant was donated to the Blue Grass Community Foundation to fund CivicLex’s youth civic education programs in perpetuity. To unlock it, we must raise $1 million in matching endowment gifts by December 2029. So every dollar you give is doubled.
Held at the Blue Grass Community Foundation, this $2 million permanent endowment will fund our youth civic education programs annually — forever — creating a lasting culture of civic pride and participation in Lexington.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support one of the nation’s only permanent charitable endowments dedicated exclusively to locally focused youth civic education. Your gift will impact how Lexington’s youth connect to our community for generations to come.
How to give today
Online:
You can make a gift here.
Mail a Check:
Blue Grass Community Foundation
499 E High St. Suite 112, Lexington, KY 40507
Write "CivicLex Youth Civic Education Endowment" in memo line.
Multi-Year Pledges:
Spread your gift over multiple years, including beyond 2029. Contact us for options.
Stock, IRA Distributions, Donor-Advised Funds, Planned Gifts & Bequests: Contact us for options.
Other Assets: We accept real estate, business interests, life insurance, and cryptocurrency.
What your gift achieves
In 5 years our programming could reach all Fayette County schools.
In 15 years students we’ve taught could be local leaders, making informed decisions about our city’s future.
In 25 years we could build a lasting culture of civic pride, where participation is the norm passed from one generation to the next.
Maximize your impact
Endow Kentucky Tax Credit: Kentucky residents may qualify for a 20% state tax credit on qualifying gifts, plus standard federal charitable deductions. Contact us to determine if your gift qualifies.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have additional questions, please reach out to us at info@civiclex.org.
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An endowment is a permanent charitable fund where donated money (the principal) is invested and held in perpetuity. The investment returns are used to make grants to or fund operations of nonprofits, while the principal generally remains untouched to generate income indefinitely. Endowments exist to provide long-term, stable funding.
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In a challenge grant, a donor offers to give money on the condition that the organization raises matching funds from other sources. In our case, the donor has pledged $1 million to the Blue Grass Community Foundation for the civic education endowment — but only if CivicLex raises an additional $1 million from other donors by December 2029.
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All gifts to the youth civic education endowment go to the Blue Grass Community Foundation, who holds two endowments: one containing the original matching challenge gift fund, and the other containing CivicLex’s own endowment fund.
All future gifts will be made to CivicLex’s endowment fund. As these contributions are made, the challenge gift fund will match them dollar for dollar. If fundraising is successful, the total of the two funds will be $2 million, held at the Blue Grass Community Foundation. This will provide CivicLex with annual grants of around $100,000 to support youth civic education.
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The donor couple that made the challenge gift to the Blue Grass Community Foundation chose to do so anonymously. For this couple, one partner, a Lexington native who taught civics education early in their career, and the other partner, who traveled to Kentucky for the first-time to attend college in Lexington, they built their life, business, and family in Lexington and are incredibly grateful for the opportunities afforded to them, and their family, in our community and nation.
They believe an important part of their success is being informed, engaged, and active residents and they strongly believe every child should have access to a quality education and that an essential part of that education is a robust civic education that accomplishes three objectives:
Equipping students with the information and skills to understand local, state, and national governance and how to make a difference.
Fostering a commitment to democratic principles and promoting the common good; and,
Inspiring students to be informed, engaged participants in modern civic life.
The donors made this matching endowment gift as an investment in the long-term sustainability of CivicLex and as an investment in the long-term sustainability of Lexington by generating a future with more engaged residents, informed voters, and innovative leaders.
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No. Per CivicLex policy, donors are never permitted to influence editorial or programmatic decisions.
Read our policies here.
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Per the fund agreement, grants from the endowment can only be used for program and staff expenses related to youth civic education in Fayette County, Kentucky.
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Blue Grass Community Foundation invests both endowment funds, and returns from those investments are made as annual grants to CivicLex for its youth civic education programming.
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CivicLex will begin receiving grants once its endowment fund reaches $850,000. If the full goal of $1,000,000 is fulfilled, CivicLex will receive approximately $100,000 per year for its youth civic education work in perpetuity.