Health foundation announces recipients of grants aimed at helping young people live substance-free
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky has announced the six organizations selected to receive funding through its Partnerships for Success program.
The program supports organizations serving Kentucky communities with limited opportunities to expand evidence-based programs focused on reducing alcohol, nicotine (including vaping), and cannabis use/misuse among young people. Each project uses proven approaches to meet the unique needs of its community to help young people live healthier, substance-free lives.
The following organizations are receiving grants of $50,000:
- MediaLEX: Lexington
The organization will run a 12-month Spanish-language campaign in Fayette County that connects families with trusted, culturally relevant information about preventing youth substance use.
- Men 2 Be: Hopkinsville
The organization will use the grant to support its youth development and prevention program, Tools in the Toolbox, that builds protective factors and reduces risk behaviors for boys in Christian County.
- MentorKids Kentucky: Owensboro
The organization will launch a comprehensive prevention initiative that combines mentoring, education, and coordinated support for children and teens who are at high risk in Daviess County, including children from single-parent and non-traditional households.
- Mentors & Meals: Versailles
The organization’s project will build upon the existing after-school mentoring model by integrating evidence-based prevention education, youth resilience programming, mentor training and more. The project is centered on children and families in Woodford County who are at higher risk due to limited resources.
The coalition will implement a comprehensive youth-led prevention initiative that will support young people in Owen County to build leadership skills, connect with their communities, and more.
- Project Ricochet: Lexington
The organization will launch a substance use prevention program for young people ages 12 to 18 in Lexington, Paris and Louisville. It will include education, community events, family activities and youth-led campaigns focused on communities with higher rates of substance use and fewer resources.
Partnerships for Success is one of the foundation’s pass-through grant programs that involves a collaboration with the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities. It is funded by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The grant period will end Aug. 31, 2027.