To become an Official Race Charity, Charities must agree to the following criteria:

• Charity commits to have at least one team or team equivalent (5 people) participate in the miniMarathon, Marathon or Marathon Relay events.
• Charity must provide at least 15 volunteers for any of the following events to assist in roles as requested by the Kentucky Derby Festival and/or the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation, including:
  • miniMarathon and Marathon Weekend
  • PNC Tour de Lou Weekend
  • Zoeller Pump Company Pegasus Parade
• Charity agrees to pay processing fees associated with donations made through the online giving module. Such fees are approximately 4 percent of transactions received in the giving module, and will be deducted from Charities total donations received.

Official Race Charities will receive the following benefits:

• Placement of information about Charity on DerbyFestivalMarathon.com. The information on the website will include a description of the charity, logo, and link to Charity website, along with a RunSignup.com fundraising page.
• Integration of Charity into the online giving module (operated through RunSignup), which includes:
  • Race participants that register for the race have an opportunity to donate funds to one or more of the Official Charities as a part of the registration process.
  • Participants can be a fundraising champion for your organization and set individual goals leading up to their race through a personal fundraising page.

Through funding and support for charitable, educational, cultural activities and historical preservation, the Foundation fosters inclusive experiences for the community that inspire individual and community growth.

For more information about the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation: CLICK HERE

In early 2015, a small group of parents who didn’t know each other particularly well decided to meet over a cold beer at a local brewery in Louisville. The one thing they had in common… children battling cystic fibrosis. That night, the Klausings (Luke – 8 years old at the time), the Foushees (Alex – 2 years old at the time) and the Sweeneys (Samuel – 8 months old at the time) decided to work tirelessly to rally their city to join the fight to save their kids and beat CF once and for all. Cure CF, Inc. is 100% volunteer based: no employees, no salaries, no overhead; therefore, 100% of all money raised goes to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Cure CF’s mission is to fund research at the national and local level and to create a local center of excellence, both of which will increase the quality of life for people with Cystic Fibrosis. Cure CF’s vision is to find a cure for cystic fibrosis and save children’s lives.

To fundraise for Cure CF, Inc.: CLICK HERE

Dare to Care Food Bank works to ensure that every neighbor in Kentuckiana has reliable access to the nutritious food they need to live healthy, connected, and thriving lives. In the last year, we’ve distributed more than 22 million meals in this 13-county area. Every $1 donated makes about 2 meals possible.

To Fundraise for Dare to Care: CLICK HERE

Girls on the Run Kentuckiana (“Girls on the Run”) is a physical activity-based positive youth development program for elementary and middle school girls in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The mission of Girls on the Run is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.

Through intentionally designed programs, Girls on the Run empowers girls in grades 3-8 to recognize their inner strength, increase their levels of physical activity, and imagine their possibilities through the innovative integration of physical activities, life-skills lessons, and impactful community projects.

Participants receive 30 hours of programming over 10 weeks led by trained volunteer coaches. In addition to running and other physical activity, Girls on the Run’s dynamic lessons instill valuable life skills, including the important connection between physical and emotional health. At the end of the program, participants are physically and mentally prepared to accomplish their goal of completing a 5K run, a first for most participants.

To Fundraise for Girls On The Run Kentuckiana: CLICK HERE

Established in 1880, Home of the Innocents enriches the lives of children and families with hope, health, and happiness. Programs include residential and community-based behavioral health services, therapeutic foster care and adoption services, supportive services for young adults experiencing homelessness, and long-term care for children with complex medical needs.

Thanks to our many supporters, Home of the Innocents operates world-class facilities that impact children’s lives throughout our region.

The Home really is the heart of our city.

To Fundraise for Home of the Innocents: CLICK HERE

Hope Scarves is an international non-profit organization based in Louisville. The mission is to support people facing cancer through scarves, stories and research. This is done by collecting scarves and stories from cancer survivors and passing them on to others in treatment.

Since 2012, over 38,000 Hope Scarves have been shared with people facing over 90 types of cancer in every state and 37 countries. The oldest recipient is 97 and the youngest, 10 months old. Hope Scarves has received national accolades for its creative approach to supporting cancer survivors and has become lovingly known as the Sisterhood of the Traveling Scarves.

Realizing research is key to truly changing the way people experience cancer, Hope Scarves also invests in metastatic breast cancer research – raising and investing $1.3 million dollars since 2016 in basic, translational, and clinical research.

To fundraise for Hope Scarves: CLICK HERE

Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. They believe in “possible.” Each day, they work to help young people discover what’s possible in their lives. Junior Achievement does this by helping them connect what they learn in school with life outside the classroom. The organization lets them know it’s possible to invest in their future, to gain a better understanding of how the world works, and to pursue their dreams. Junior Achievement shows them that it’s possible for tomorrow to be a better day.

Junior Achievement’s proven lessons in financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship are shown to positively impact the lives of young people. These lessons align with national and state educational standards and are delivered to millions of students across the country with the help of their education partners and volunteers from the local community.

Research shows that JA Alumni are more likely to have a college degree, feel confident managing money, have career success, and have started a business as an adult.

To fundraise for Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana: CLICK HERE

Kids Cancer Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to its mission to enhance the quality of life for children with cancer and their families through recreational and support programs.

We are dedicated to providing once-in-a-lifetime experiences where children with cancer and their families can grow, learn, build friendships, and most importantly…have FUN just being kids! Kids Cancer Alliance now proudly provides 60 programs each year, including oncology and sibling camps, teen and family retreats, quarterly events and in-hospital programs, as well as financial support — all completely free to children with cancer and their families.

For every child fighting cancer and their family members, we offer a powerful message of support: you are not alone!

To Fund raise for the Kids Cancer Alliance: CLICK HERE

The Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation raises funds exclusively for Norton Children’s services, including those offered at Norton Children’s Hospital, Norton Clark Hospital, Norton King’s Daughters’ Health, Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital and Norton Children’s Medical Center. These generous contributions from businesses and individuals provide much-needed support for programs, equipment, new technologies, clinical research, child advocacy and health education for patients, families, medical staff and the community.

As Kentucky and Southern Indiana’s only full-service, free-standing pediatric hospital, Norton Children’s Hospital and its sister facilities continue to care for more than 215,000 children each year, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. The not-for-profit hospital stands as a beacon of hope, with specialists providing excellent pediatric care for congenital and acquired heart disease, cancer care, neurologic care, spine and orthopedic care, neonatal care and more.

As a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, Norton Children’s Hospital stands ready to help children no matter the situation.

To fundraise for Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation: CLICK HERE

The Parkinson’s Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson’s community.

To fundraise for Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation: CLICK HERE

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana provides a home away from home for families traveling to Louisville for their child’s medical care. They envision a world where every family has what they need to ensure the best health outcomes for their children.

The organization is built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their child – not where they can afford to stay, get their next meal, do their laundry, or lay their head at night to rest. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana is more than a house. It’s a home and support system allowing families to stay together and focus on the healing of their sick children at a critical time. All programs and services are free of charge to families.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana provides essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare.

To fundraise for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana: CLICK HERE

Uniting Partners (UP) for Women and Children’s mission is to provide day shelter, resources, emotional support, and community connections to women, children, and marginalized genders experiencing homelessness to address the barriers to housing, so they can leave homelessness for good.

To Fundraise for UP: CLICK HERE

USA Cares is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing post-9/11 military veterans, service members, and their families with financial assistance and post-service skills training. Our mission is to improve quality of life, reduce risk factors that can contribute to veteran suicide, and help families build a foundation for long-term stability.

To Fundraise for USA Cares: CLICK HERE