Kentucky appropriation meant to cover local matches for federal grants could spin off huge returns

FRANKFORT, Ky. — For years, Ballard County has longed to build a riverport to capitalize on its strategic location at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. “From the state’s perspective that’s a fantastic return on investment,” said Hannah Conover, executive director of Grant Ready Kentucky, a charitable program that offers technical support to communities and nonprofits struggling with the complexities of submitting federal grant requests. The Kentucky law that created the GRANT program passed with little fanfare in 2023, but the prospect of leveraging state dollars to win much larger federal grants is drawing considerable attention from communities and nonprofits. Officials are hoping for stepped up efforts statewide to assist communities and nonprofits in requesting federal grants, with the proposed new round of state support looming to cover local matches. Andy Beshear says the program has “tremendous potential to help communities across Kentucky secure much-needed federal funding.” Republican Rep. Richard Heath, the lead sponsor of last year’s measure, says it’s a “once-in-a-life opportunity to get some things done that probably would never have gotten done.” “We’re not looking for murals on walls,” Heath said recently.