LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville nonprofit combating homelessness was given the largest private gift in the organization's history.
The Coalition for the Homeless announced Wednesday it received a $5 million grant from the Bezos Day One Families Fund.
According to its website, the Bezos Day One Families Fund aims to fund existing nonprofits that help families experiencing homelessness. It's mission statement: No child sleeps outside. This is the seventh year the fund has awarded organizations across the country.
Over the next five years, the Coalition plans to distribute funds to local providers to connect local families experiencing homelessness with new shelter, stable housing, and critical services.
“We are so excited about this commitment to Louisville’s families and hope that it can help leverage the additional resources needed to end the family waitlist for shelter and ensure that homelessness for families with children is rare and short-lived,” said Natalie Harris, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless.
Family homelessness in the U.S. rose dramatically from 2022 to 2023, and families now represent more than 28% of the country’s homeless population, according to a 2024 report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
With help from the one-time Day 1 Families Fund grant, the Coalition for the Homeless will partner with nonprofits and community leaders to coordinate solutions to address and end homelessness including shelter, case management and permanent housing.
Since 2018, the Day 1 Families Fund has awarded 248 grants totaling nearly $750 million to organizations serving families in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
This year, the Fund issued a total of $110.5 million in grants to 40 organizations, and for the first time, nonprofits in Kansas and New Jersey are among the awardees.
The other organization receiving a grant in Kentucky this year is Welcome House, Inc. in Covington.
To see the full list of awardees, click here.