Finances
An overview of how CivicLex is funded and where our resources go.
Financial Overview
CivicLex is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which means we don’t have owners or shareholders, can’t operate for private benefit, and must reinvest all of our resources into our mission. We’re tax-exempt, limited in how we can engage in lobbying, and required to make our tax filings available to the public. This structure helps ensure our work stays focused on the public good.
How We’re Funded
Like any organization, we have revenue and expenses. Our funding comes from a mix of grants, donations and membership, and fee-for-service work like consulting. Grants are typically awarded through competitive applications, while donations and memberships come from people who value our work and want to support it. Our consulting work allows us to share our public engagement and local government expertise with others while earning revenue.
We take care to ensure that funding does not influence our work. We have strict policies in place to maintain editorial and organizational independence, regardless of where our funding comes from. You can read more about those policies here.
How We Spend Money
As a nonprofit, 100% of our revenue must support our mission to strengthen Lexington’s civic health.
Most of our expenses go toward staff — the people who do the work: attending meetings, reporting, designing programs, working with community members, fundraising, and managing the organization.
We also spend on marketing, administration, fundraising tools, and program costs like printing and space rental. Our average staff salary is $43,200, and we provide full benefits.
2025 Financial Information
In this section, you’ll find an overview of CivicLex’s 2025 budget, a breakdown of where our funding comes from, including members, donors, and grants, and how we invest it in our work.
Total 2025 Budget: $710,000
Revenue
Expenses
2025 One-Time Donors
Most of CivicLex’s individual donors give via Membership. To see full list of CivicLex Members, you can go here.
Donors over $1,000
The Alpenglow Foundation, Barbara Ellerbrook, Daniel Stid, Martin Rivers
Donors under $1,000
Alice Dehner, Catherine Savage, Christy Armstrong, Ciara Hagedorn, Christopher Cooper, Davonna Saier, Derek Wingfield, Douglas Baldwin, Elizabeth Lewis, Emma Anderson, Gale Reece, Isaac Lawrence, James Southard, Jane Shropshire, Janet Visick, Julia Young, Linda Froehlich, Margaret Enlow, Martin McMahon, Mollie Harris, Natasha Collier, Rachel Ray, Sienna Hooper, Thomas Tolliver, Tom Teague
2025 Grants
Grants over $20,000
Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Murry Foundation, Press Forward, Reimagining the Civic Commons, Serve Kentucky
Grants under $20,000
Blue Grass Community Foundation, Springboard for the Arts, Kentucky Council for the Social Studies
2025 Clients
CivicAspen, Gresham Smith, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Lexington Nonprofit Coalition, TSW
2024 Financial Information
2024 One-Time Donors
To see full list of CivicLex Members/Recurring Donors, please see Membership section below.
All Donors & Recurring Gifts Under $10
Ahava Center for Spiritual Living, Lisa Adkins, Meg Adkins, Nicole Aghaaliandastjerdi, Robert J Allen II, Don Ament, Clifton Anderson, Emma Anderson, Doelan Anderson, Kit Anderson, Arin Arnold-Davis, Mary Aycock, Heather Ayer, Robert Babbage, Rachel Barber, William Bartley, Rachel Belin, Price Bell, Mary Benedicta Cipolla, Simone Boes, Anne Bowersox, Jennie Boyd, Harrel Bramley, Amanda Brown, Clayton Brown, Lacey Buck, Rachel Burr, Greg Butler, Dennis Capps, Tawnya Capps, Claire Carpenter, Michael Childress, Saundra Clark, Matthew Clarke, Amy Clay, Catherine Clement, Naomi Clewett, S. Brandon Coan, Julianne Coleman, Erick Collings, Ashlee Collins, Christopher Cooper, Daniel Cooper, Elizabeth Corsun, Victoria Cruz-Falk, Jo Davis, Leslie Davis, Molly Davis, Stephen JB Davis, Amie Deckard, Gareth Dehner, Elaine Diaz, Anne Donworth, Dornbusch Giving Fund, Patricia Draus, Ashleigh Dunsmoor, Bonnie Eads, Chris Eddie, Allison Ellenberger, Holly Ellingson, Anthony Elson, Margret Enlow, Jana Faith, Alegra Feldman, Lisa Filder Fryman, Robert and Suzanne Franklin, Anna Fransen, Jeffery Freyman, Michael Fryer, Walt Gaffield, Daniela Gamez Salgado, Philip George, Matthew Gidcomb, Ken Gish, Will Glasscock, Jessica Goodpaster, Grace Goulson, Gina Greathouse, Kim Green, Brett Gregory, James Guthrie, Clayton Hable, Beth Hall, Tammy Hammond-Natof, Ashley Hanson, Gary Hansen, Paige Harlow, David Harris, Mollie Harris, Laura Hartke, Standford Harvey, Phyllis Hasbrouck, Georgia Henkel, Aiden Hennen, Raymond Hill, Karyn Hinkle, Melissa Hockenberry, Michelle Hollingshead, Charles Howard, Sienna Hopper, Dexter Horne, Holly Hughes, Mary Hughes, Ryan Hughes, Jay Ingle, Henry Jackson, Sarah Jefferson, Alexandria Johns, Elizabeth Jones, Allison Kaiser, Romana Kalova, Kurt Kessler, Miriam Kienle, Hallie Kircher-Henning, Adam Knecht, Kam Kravetz, Brad Kruse-Diehr, Chloe Ladd, Teresa Lajara, Dean Langdon, Allison Lankford, Elizabeth Lewis, David Link, Amber Litwiller, Jordan Lloyd, Kathy Loeb, Ayna Lorenzo, Machara Klemper Fund, Jared Marcotte, Bridget Marquis, Erin Masterson, Casey Mather, Martin McMahon, Andy Mead, Philip and Janice Meyer, Herb Miller, Marcie Miller, Tyler Miller, Connie Milligan, Elizabeth Mitchell, Katherine Mitchum, Stephanie Mobley, Ryan Montgomery, Lena Muldoon, Quinn Mulholland, Sharon Murphy, Brandi Nicholson, Garcia Obrien, Deanna Osborn, John O’Shea, Rachel Norton, Diane Parrish, Amanda Penticuff, Nikita Perumal, Elaine Pesto, Van Meter Pettit, Janey Pike, Elizabeth Pohl, Charles Porter, Nicole Porter, David Powell, Lindsey Quijano, Ondine Quinn, Brooke Raby, Mary Quinn Ramer, Rachel Ray, Toni Reiss, Jennifer Reynolds, Martin Rivers, Rona Roberts, Travis Robinson, Carol Rogers, Courtney Rogers, Kelly Roman, Clay Rouse, Mark Royse, David Saier, Kait Saier, Donald SalAmn, Garrett Salzman, Salvador Sanchez, Catherine Savage, Priya Sazawal Koul, Elizabeth Schein, Richard Schein, William Schein, Jason Schubert, Sara Schuenemann, FH Schultz, Dave and Paula Sevigny, Scott Shapiro, Mayah Showmaker, Jane Shropshire, Joanne Sigler, Anthony Silberfeld, Kayla Simpson, Michelle Sizemore, Alex Smith, Geri Smith, Diane Snow, Olivia Spradlin, Amy Sohner, Christine & Justin Stanley, Matthew Steele, SB Stroh, Carrie Thomas, Mark Turner, Jaqueline Van Willigen, Dellann Vickers, John Walker, Fred Wartell, Ken Wartell, Caroline Watts, Lawrence Weathers, Rebecca Werk, Corey Williams, Jane Williams, Angene Wilson, John Wilson, Derek Wingfield, Rena Wiseman, Danny Woolumns, Judy Worth, Elizabeth Young, Julie Young, Michelle Young, Rita Zirnheld Anderson
2024 Grants
Grants over $20,000
Murry Foundation, Institute for Nonprofit News, Omidyar Network, Porticus, Press Forward, Rockefeller Foundation Reimagining the Civic Commons, Serve Kentucky
2024 Clients
Grants under $20,000
American Press Institute, Blue Grass Community Foundation, Kentucky Civic Engagement Table, LexArts, Trust for Public Land
Ball State University, CivicAspen, Danville Regional Foundation, Gresham Smith, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Lexington Nonprofit Coalition, TSW
2024 Revenue
$899,929
2024 Expenses
$539,795
2023 Finances
2023 Grants
Grants of $20,000 or more
Blue Grass Community Foundation, Greater Clark Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Institute for Nonprofit News, Local Independent Online News Publishers, Murry Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Rapoport Foundation, Trust for Public Land
Grants of under $20,000
Citizen University, LexArts, New Venture Fund, Seek Common Ground
2023 Members & Donors
Please see our Membership page for up-to-date member and donor listings for 2023
All Donors & Recurring Gifts Under $10
Casey Adams, Lisa Adkins, Jen Algire, Robert Allen II, Bill Alverson, Emma Anderson, Arin Arnold-Davis, Nancy Barnett, Kelly and Alen Bartley, Theresa Bautista, Anne Baxter, Rachel Belin, Price Bell, Sydney Blodgett, Gisele Bortolaz Guedes, Anne Bowersox, Carolyn Bratt, Liz Brown Evans, Eileen Burk, Roberta Burnes, Dennis Capps, Robert Carroll, Diane Cashen, Michael Childress, Bene Cipolla, Matthew Clarke, Catherine Clement, Brandon Coen, Hannah Conover, Sara Constantine, Christopher Cooper, Colette Crown, Halee Cunningham, Natalie Cunningham, Jerry Davis, Jo Davis, Leslie Davis, Molly Davis, Alice Dehner, Gary Detraz, Anne Donworth, Joshua Douglas, Patty Draus, Tom Eblen, David Elbon, Barbara Ellerbrook, Pace Cooke Emmons, Joshua England, Gareth Dehner, Raphael Finkel, Abigail Fletcher, Matthew Fluharty, Tayna Fogle, William Fortune, Anna Fransen, Linda Froehlich, Jefferey Freyman, Merrit Fowler, Alexander Garcia, Sarah Gardner, Katherine Garrett, Will Glasscock, Jessica Goodpaster, Grace Goulson, Kim Green, Ronald Gulla, John and Carolyn Hackworth, Ashley Hanson, Patricia Hendrickson, Georgia Henkel, Aidan Hennen, Karyn Hinkle, Melissa Hockenberry, Roman Hockenberry, Michelle Hollingshead, Charles Howard, Drew Howard, Leighton Hudson, Mary Hughes, Irene Hui, Carol and Ben Hustedde, Jay Ingle, Henry and Patricia Jackson, Sarah Jefferson, Mason Kalinsky, Ann Katherine, Wendi Keene, Leatha Kendrick, Kurt Kessler, Beth Ann Kovacs, Kyle Kutuchief, Kaiti Kyle, Jordan Lloyd, Erik Jarvis, Kara Jarzynski, Beth Jones, Susan Jordison, Adam Klier, Benji Gering, Sean Gladding, Colin Goggin, Danielle Goulding, Dean Langdon, Ira Langdon, Barbara Langley, David Lowe, Jared Marcotte, David Mastin, Mary Mayrose, Victoria and Alphonse Meyer, Casey Michalovic, Kinsey Morrison, Lena Muldoon, Quinn Mulholland, Sharon Murphy, Rachel Norton, Emily Nugent, Deanna Osborn, Noel Osborn, Diane Parrish, Jenny Peel, Amanda Penticuff, Noble Pettit, Raj Persaud, Diane Pilati, Nikita Perumal, Mayah Plucinski, Clive Pohl, Graham Pohl, Brooke Raby, Mary Quinn Ramer, Beau Revlett, Rona Roberts, Susannah Roitman, Kelly Roman, Jean Sabharwal, Art Salomon, Garrett Salzman, Catherine Savage, Rich Schein, Dave & Paula Sevigny, Caleb Shaffer, Scott Shapiro, Lauren Sherrow, Erin Shina, Jane Shropshire, Joanne Sigler, Kathryn Simon, Amy Sohner, Margaret Somsel, Christine Stanley, Matthew Steele, Katherine Stephens, Mark Swanson, Fran Taylor, Liliana Terziyska-Kuvlieva, Kristen Tidwell, Mark Turner, Kristina Trujillo, Griffin VanMeter, Laurent Vesely, DA Vickers, Blake Vogt, Linda Waller, Kim Walters-Parker, Fred Wartall, Ken Wartell, Tawnya Wartell, John West, Cassidy White, Shantel White, Kaitlin Willbanks, Jane Williams, Alec Wilson, Derek Wingfield, Judy Worth, Sarah Yarmuth, Julia Young, Richard Young
2023 Clients (earned revenue)
Gresham Smith, Kentucky Nonprofit Network, Element Design, TSW
2023 Revenue
$403,759.21
2023 Expenses
$380,148.62
2022 Finances
2022 Revenue
$327,971.32
2022 Expenses
$310,087.71
2022 Grants
Grants of $20,000 or more
Blue Grass Community Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Kentucky Civic Engagement Table, The Murry Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Seek Common Ground, Trust for Public Land
Grants of $5,000 - $20,000
Jedra Cheritable Foundation, AARP Kentucky
2022 Donors
$500 - 1,000
Adkins Family Foundation, Alex Brooks, Allison Lankford, Alysa Villeli, Andrea James, Anne Chestnut, Ben and Becca Self, Blake Hall, Carl Leonard, Carolyn Bratt, Carol Hustedde, Devon Pohl, Eileen Burk, Herman and Elizabeth Playforth, Holly Hughes, Jane Jensen, John Pohl, Jordan Parker, Joshua Douglas, Julia Young, Kathy Plomin, Kim Green, Leah Gayle Bourne, Lisa Satin, Liz Sheehan, Marilyn Robie, Mark Davis, Mathew Ruberg, Matthew W. Wilson, Michelle Young, Network for Good, Richard Young, Ricki Rosenberg, Ronald Vissing, Rowena Mahloch, Susan Scollay, Theodore Schatzki
2022 Clients (earned revenue)
Gresham Smith, Element Design, Kentucky Nonprofit Network
2022 Sponsorships (earned revenue)
AARP, Fayette Alliance Foundation, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, PNC Bank, Traditional Bank
2021 Finances
2021 Revenue
$344,499.29
2021 Expenses
$189,285.06
2021 Grants
Grants of $20,000 or more
Blue Grass Community Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Kentucky Civic Engagement Table, The Murry Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Greater Clark Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, The Alpenglow Foundation, Facebook Journalism Project
Grants of $1,000 - $20,000
Jedra Cheritable Foundation
2021 Sponsorships
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
2020 Finances
2020 Revenue
$118,977.21
2020 Expenses
$95,465.96
2020 Grants
Grants of $20,000 or more
Blue Grass Community Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Grants of $1,000 - $20,000
Alpenglow Foundation, Collexion Fund
2018 - 2019
In 2017, we were not required to file a 990-EZ due to annual revenue of under $50,000.