Sam Swope Family Foundation Inc.

The Sam Swope Family Foundation is a preselected-only funder, which means the conventional application playbook does not apply. There is no portal, no LOI form, and no public deadline. Your path to funding runs through relationship-building with the Swope family directors — Brad Swope, Patricia G. Swope, and Susan Swope — who govern the foundation with minimal staff overhead (total compensation under $17K annually, suggesting near-volunteer management).

Start by understanding the foundation's origin story. Sam Swope built the largest auto dealership network in Kentucky before his death in 2014, and his philanthropy was deeply personal and community-rooted. The foundation bears the imprint of a family that sees Louisville and Central Kentucky as home. Organizations that demonstrate deep local embeddedness — not just a Kentucky mailing address, but genuine community presence — align with how this family thinks about giving.

The most productive entry point is through shared nonprofit networks. The foundation's grantee list reads like a who's-who of Louisville's established youth-serving and human services organizations: Family Scholar House, West End School, Boys & Girls Club, Home of the Innocents, CASA, and Maryhurst. If your organization collaborates with or serves alongside any of these grantees, that shared ecosystem is your warmest introduction path.

Do not cold-email a proposal. Instead, seek introductions through Louisville's philanthropic community — Give for Good Louisville events (where the Swope family has invested over $1.3M since 2015), community foundation gatherings, or board members of current grantees. A personal introduction from a trusted peer is worth more than any written proposal with this type of family foundation.

Finally, recognize that the foundation's listed website (samswope.org) actually belongs to a different Sam Swope — an author and educator in New York. The foundation has no public web presence, which reinforces that all engagement must happen through direct relationships, not online channels.

The Sam Swope Family Foundation distributes approximately $1.2M annually from an asset base of $16.5M, representing a payout rate of roughly 7.3% — well above the IRS-required 5% minimum for private foundations. This above-average payout signals genuine philanthropic intent rather than asset preservation.

Grant counts have consolidated dramatically over recent years. The foundation went from 54-56 grants annually in 2020-2021 to just 13 grants in 2023-2024. This consolidation means individual grant sizes have increased substantially: the median grant is now $80,000 with a range of $5,000 to $200,000. The largest 2024 grant — $200,000 to the Kentucky Humane Society — reflects Sam Swope's personal legacy (he funded the KY Humane Society Sam Swope Pet Treatment and Lifesaving Center during his lifetime).

The foundation's revenue comes entirely from investments: dividends (41.5%), asset sales (52.9%), interest (2.5%), and other income (3%). There are zero outside contributions, confirming this is a closed family endowment drawing down on Sam Swope's original corpus.

Giving clusters around several clear categories: youth services and children's welfare (Family Scholar House, West End School, Boys & Girls Club, St. Joseph Children's Home, Home of the Innocents, Maryhurst, CASA, Bellewood & Brooklawn), animal welfare (Kentucky Humane Society), and higher education (University of Louisville Foundation with multiple $100K grants). The youth-serving cluster receives the majority of grants by count, while individual grants to the Humane Society and University of Louisville tend to be the largest.

Geographic concentration is almost exclusively Louisville and surrounding Kentucky communities, with occasional grants to organizations in Ohio, Florida, and Washington D.C.

The Sam Swope Family Foundation sits in the mid-tier of Kentucky private foundations — large enough to make meaningful grants but small enough to operate as a true family enterprise without professional staff. The table below positions it against its closest Kentucky peers by asset size.

Key differentiators: The Sam Swope Family Foundation's 7.3% payout rate exceeds most peers in this asset band, which typically distribute 5-6%. Its sharp consolidation from 56 grants to 13 grants between 2020 and 2024 is unusual — most peer foundations maintain a stable grant count. This suggests the directors are intentionally concentrating impact on fewer organizations with larger grants. The foundation's youth-services and animal-welfare focus gives it a distinct niche among Louisville-area funders, where peers like the Owsley Brown III Foundation lean toward arts and culture.

In 2024, the Sam Swope Family Foundation awarded 13 grants totaling approximately $1.2 million. The largest grant went to the Kentucky Humane Society ($200,000), continuing the foundation's longstanding relationship with the organization — Sam Swope personally funded their Pet Treatment and Lifesaving Center. Family Scholar House received $130,000, and West End School received $110,000, both reflecting the foundation's commitment to youth education and family stability.

The University of Louisville Foundation received multiple grants totaling at least $100,000, consistent with Sam Swope's honorary Doctorate in Public Service from the university. Kosair Charities and St. Joseph Children's Home each received $100,000. Six additional organizations — Bellewood & Brooklawn, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Club, CASA, Home of the Innocents, and Maryhurst — each received $65,000, suggesting a standardized tier of support for established youth-serving organizations.

The foundation has been active in Give for Good Louisville, the region's largest day of online giving, investing over $1.3 million in Kentuckiana organizations through that platform since 2015. This community giving day participation provides one of the few public-facing touchpoints for the otherwise private foundation.

The foundation's asset base appears stable at approximately $16.5M, funded entirely by investment returns with no new contributions. Revenue in 2024 was $1.19M against expenses of $1.43M, indicating a modest draw-down of corpus — sustainable at current rates for decades.

1. Do not submit unsolicited proposals. The foundation explicitly states it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. Cold applications will not be reviewed.

2. Build relationships through Louisville's nonprofit ecosystem. The foundation's grantees — Family Scholar House, West End School, CASA, Home of the Innocents, and others — form a tight network. Board members, executive directors, and program staff at these organizations are your best path to an introduction to the Swope family directors.

3. Attend Give for Good Louisville. The Swope family has participated actively since 2015, investing over $1.3M through the platform. This annual giving day is one of the few public settings where the foundation engages with the broader philanthropic community.

4. Demonstrate deep Louisville/Kentucky roots. Nearly all grants go to organizations with long histories in the Louisville metro area. National organizations with Kentucky chapters are less likely to receive support than locally founded, locally governed nonprofits.

5. Align with youth services, children's welfare, or animal welfare. These three areas account for the vast majority of grants. Education (especially K-12 and higher ed through University of Louisville) is also funded. Health and environment receive occasional support but are not primary focus areas.

6. Expect grant sizes in the $65,000-$200,000 range. The foundation has consolidated from 56 small grants to 13 larger ones, with $65,000 as the apparent floor for current grantees and $200,000 as the ceiling. New grantees would likely enter at the lower end of this range.

7. Be patient. With only 13 grants per year and a preselected model, turnover in the grantee portfolio is slow. Building a relationship with the Swope family is a multi-year endeavor, not a single-cycle effort.