LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The pain of the April Downtown Louisville bank shooting that killed 5 people a hurt 8 others is still fresh and raw in many of our minds.

Back then, we told you about the Humana Foundation’s $1Million pledge to support community healing and boost Louisville mental health resources.

Now. We’re getting a clear picture of what some of that money will do. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Humana Foundation is launching a grant initiative to improve access to mental health in Louisville

  • According to the foundation, the initiative will give grants from $50,000 to $100,000 

  • The Humana Foundation is primarily focused on small businesses and mental health practitioners who are already in the community

  • Grants will allow providers to reach significantly more people

The Humana Foundation says there’s an acute shortage of mental health counselors in Jefferson County. They say Kentucky needs 215 more psychiatrists. They say it’s important to keep talking about mental health.

“For us, this is a really important part of it is saying this is an issue that matters to the philanthropic community, it’s an issue that matters to the business community and it’s an issue that matters to every single resident of Louisville and our surrounding counties as well,” Humana Foundation CEO Tiffany Benjamin explained to Spectrum News.

The foundation announced a new partnership with Greater Louisville, Inc. Among other things, the initiative will give grants from $50,000 to $100,000 that will allow providers to reach significantly more people.

“What we really are seeking are providers who are focused on a lot of different populations, but primarily diverse and underserved populations. We’re hoping what people will do is use the money to expand the number of people they can serve or diversity of the audiences they serve or diversity of the services they may provide,” Benjamin said.

The foundation is primarily focused on small businesses and mental health practitioners who are already in the community. The initiative is focused on the greater Louisville and southern Indiana areas.

“My hope is that it will really engage people to have conversations, in particular the business community, around mental health. My hope is that it will really show our practitioners that we value them and they should keep providing services,” Benjamin shared.

The application is open now. The initiative will also get $300,000 from the Humana Foundation, plus up to $300,000 match in corporate and individual donations.

Applications close Oct. 1.

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