Jerry E Baker Foundation Inc.

The Jerry E. Baker Foundation Inc. is a Bowling Green, Kentucky–based private foundation established in 1991 by Jerry E. Baker (1931–2017), a self-made businessman who practiced "quiet philanthropy" — supporting numerous causes without seeking recognition. With approximately $28.1 million in assets (FY2024), the foundation is a hyper-local funder: 100% of recorded grants flow to organizations in Warren County, Kentucky, with Western Kentucky University (WKU) as the undisputed anchor recipient ($2.2 million across 4 grants, representing roughly 93% of all tracked grant dollars in the database).

The foundation simultaneously operates the Baker Arboretum and Downing Museum at 4801 Morgantown Road — a living legacy of Baker's passions for horticulture and the arts. This dual identity as both operator and grantmaker shapes the approach: staff (President J. Robert Hilliard, ~$122K compensation; Secretary/Executive Director Keith Carwell, ~$139K compensation) manage the foundation as a professional going concern, not as volunteers. Relationship capital with these two individuals is the primary prerequisite for any funding consideration.

The foundation's IRS Form 990-PF indicates it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds." However, its own published application instruction states: "Written request stating how any contributions from the foundation will be used." This apparent contradiction resolves practically: the inner circle of repeat grantees (WKU, Boys & Girls Club, Med Center Health Foundation, Operation Pride, Friends of Mammoth Cave) is well-established, but community-connected organizations may gain access through a direct, relationship-anchored written request.

There is no formal application cycle, no online portal, and no published deadline. First-time applicants should invest in relationship-building before submitting. The most credible entry points are WKU's development office, the Community Foundation of South Central Kentucky (CFSKY) — which Baker co-founded in 1995 — and civic leaders in the Boys & Girls Club or local arts community. Organizations aligned with Baker's explicit legacy areas (arts in music, dance, theatre, and visual art; horticulture; community health; environmental stewardship; youth development) in the Bowling Green/Warren County area stand the strongest chance of consideration.

Annual grants-paid figures (the cash flowing to external grantees, separate from Arboretum/Museum operating costs) have ranged from $547,556 (FY2022) to $678,326 (FY2021) across the most recent four-year window: $678,326 (FY2021), $597,446 (FY2020), $574,938 (FY2023), and $547,556 (FY2022). Total charitable disbursements — including operating the Arboretum and Museum — reached $1.517 million in FY2024 and $1.9 million in FY2023.

Dollar concentration is extreme and bifurcated. Of the 40 discrete grants recorded across multiple IRS filings, WKU Foundation received $2,201,134 across 4 grants (average $550,284 per grant), accounting for approximately 92.8% of all tracked grant dollars. Excluding WKU, the remaining 36 grants total $169,750 — an average of $4,715 per grant. This reveals two distinct tiers:

• Tier 1 — Anchor institutional partnership: Large recurring disbursements to WKU, functioning as installment payments on a $10 million scholarship endowment commitment made in 2018. Individual disbursements average ~$550K and fund the Jerry E. Baker Student Scholarship Fund across music, dance, theatre, visual art, and horticulture programs.

• Tier 2 — Community micro-grants: Recurring small grants to 18+ local nonprofits, typically $1,000–$25,000. The median grant size across all recipients is $3,000 (per IRS-derived typical grant size data; full range $100–$616,976). Top Tier 2 recipients include Boys & Girls Club ($60,000 across 4 grants, avg $15,000/year), Med Center Health Foundation ($25,000, 1 grant), Commonwealth Health Foundation ($25,000, 1 grant), Operation Pride ($20,000 across 4 grants), Friends of Mammoth Cave ($10,500 across 4 grants), Aviation Heritage Park ($6,000), and Warren County Public Library ($6,000).

Geographically, 100% of grants are within Kentucky — concentrated in Bowling Green (Warren County), with Friends of Mammoth Cave representing the only grant to an organization outside the immediate metro area. By program area, education (WKU arts and horticulture scholarships) absorbs the dominant share by dollars. Arts and culture (Orchestra Kentucky, Phoenix Theatre, Aviation Heritage Park) and community health/human services (Boys & Girls Club, Med Center, Operation Pride) form the core of community-tier giving. Environmental stewardship and civic library access are also represented. Total foundation assets have declined from $32.5 million (FY2021) to $28.1 million (FY2024), reflecting years where disbursements exceeded investment income.

No formal peer data is present in the foundation database for this funder. The table below compares the Baker Foundation to regional Kentucky funders of varying scale based on publicly available IRS filings and foundation websites (asset figures estimated from most recent available data):

The Baker Foundation sits at the smaller, hyper-local end of Kentucky philanthropy. Unlike CFSKY — which Baker co-founded and which runs open competitive grant cycles accessible to any Bowling Green-area nonprofit — the Baker Foundation channels the vast majority of its dollars through a single preselected institutional relationship (WKU). This makes it substantially less accessible than CFSKY for most nonprofits. Organizations already in the Baker Foundation's community tier tend to use CFSKY as a complementary and more reliably accessible funding source. Compared to the Gheens Foundation or James Graham Brown Foundation, the Baker Foundation's giving is far more geographically concentrated and relationship-gated, with no published application guidelines, review criteria, or grant ranges.

No press releases, grant announcements, or news items specific to 2025 or 2026 were found in any public source. The leadership team — President J. Robert Hilliard and Secretary Keith Carwell — has been stable for over a decade, and no new board members, program areas, or strategic pivots have been publicly announced.

The most recent major documented activity is from May 2018, when the Baker Foundation formalized a $10 million endowment commitment to WKU, with a first-year disbursement of $450,000. The Jerry E. Baker Student Scholarship Fund now distributes approximately $500,000 annually across five departments: music, dance, theatre, visual art, and horticulture. Foundation President Bob Hilliard stated at the time: "We are pleased to continue to work closely with the University in programming."

Founder Jerry E. Baker died in 2017, at which point his $1 million estate gift to CFSKY was activated — the largest single gift in that organization's 21-year history. Baker had earlier donated 115 acres off Morgantown Road to WKU in 2006 (valued at approximately $17 million), providing the land for the Baker Arboretum.

The most recent financial filing (FY2024) shows charitable disbursements of $1.517 million against total expenses of $2.003 million and revenue of $1.128 million, producing a net loss of approximately $875,000. Total assets have declined from $32.5 million (FY2021 peak) to $28.1 million (FY2024), a pattern consistent with measured spending from endowment principal. The Arboretum and Museum remain open to the public Tuesday through Saturday at the Morgantown Road campus.

Because the Baker Foundation designates itself as "preselected only" on its IRS filings, the standard grant-seeking playbook does not apply. These tips address the practical reality of how this funder operates:

Lead with a written request, not a form. The foundation's only published application instruction is: "Written request stating how any contributions from the foundation will be used." There is no online portal, no grant form, and no published review cycle. Write a concise 1–2 page letter addressed specifically to Keith Carwell, Secretary, at info@jerryebakerfoundation.org or PO Box One, Bowling Green, KY 42102. Phone: 270.842.7415.

Earn the relationship before writing. No cold LOI has been publicly documented as succeeding with this foundation. The realistic pathway for a new organization is via a warm introduction through WKU's development office, CFSKY board or staff, the Boys & Girls Club of Bowling Green, Operation Pride, or civic leaders in the local arts community. Attendance at public Baker Arboretum events is a low-cost way to establish a face before a formal request.

Anchor explicitly to Baker's legacy. Proposals must credibly connect to horticulture, the arts (music, dance, theatre, visual art), youth development, community health, or environmental stewardship in Warren County. Generic language about "serving the Bowling Green community" will not differentiate your request — cite specific alignment with the Baker scholarship programs, the Arboretum's educational mission, or a named legacy recipient.

Size your ask for the community tier. For a first engagement, target $1,000–$25,000. Tier 2 community grants cluster in this range (median $3,000; top-of-tier at $25,000 for health foundations). A six-figure request from an organization without an established relationship would be incongruous with all observed giving patterns outside the WKU anchor.

Document your local embeddedness specifically. Every tracked recipient is a Warren County institution. Emphasize Bowling Green community impact, local leadership, local facilities, and named community members served. State the county or neighborhoods your program operates in.

Plan for no response timeline. No published deadline or review cycle exists. If you receive no response within 60 days of a written request, a single polite follow-up phone call to 270.842.7415 is appropriate. Do not email repeatedly or follow up on social media.

Build toward multi-year relationships. Community-tier grantees such as Boys & Girls Club ($15,000/year over 4 years) and Operation Pride ($5,000/year over 4 years) demonstrate that the foundation rewards consistent organizational presence with annual renewals. A successful first grant followed by an impact report is the clearest path to ongoing support.