COVINGTON, Ky. – Today, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman announced $22,481,400.45 in funding for law enforcement, tourism, cleaner water and nonprofit organizations in Kenton County.

“Investments in our communities through clean water, nonprofits, law enforcement and tourism provide Kentucky a solid foundation for building tomorrow’s economy,” Lt. Gov. Coleman said. “Opportunity is coming to all corners of the commonwealth. As a mom and as Lieutenant Governor, it is exciting to be a part of building a better Kentucky for everyone.”

“The funding announced today will go a long way in Kenton County by supporting our local law enforcement, bettering our transportation, increasing cleaner water and aiding non-profit organizations,” said Rep. Stephanie Dietz of Edgewood. “Many in our community rely on our nonprofits, with each organization having a unique mission. They provide improve quality of life for families with aid and advocacy.”

Law Enforcement
Lt. Gov. Coleman announced $13,203.26 in funding to the Elsmere, Park Hills and Taylor Mills police departments from the Law Enforcement Protection Program (LEPP).

“The Elsmere Police Department would like to thank the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security for the recent grant award through the LEPP Grant,” said Elsmere Police Chief Joseph Maier. “This grant funding provided 16,000 rounds of practice ammunition for our department for increased range training. This ammunition will also be used for weapon qualifications that are mandated by the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council and the Department of Criminal Justice Training.”

“Thank you to my Chief Stanley for his always being on top of what he can do for our police and city, and for the Law Enforcement Protection Program for awarding us this,” said Park Hills Mayor Kathy Zembrodt. “It is very helpful to a small city.”

Tourism Funding
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman awarded $9,593,787 to MeetNKY. Over $4.5 million of the funding supports travel marketing and promotion, and $5 million attracts meetings and conventions.

“The entire Northern Kentucky tourism community thanks Governor Beshear and the administration as well as the Kentucky Legislature, including Leader Damon Thayer and Senate A&R Chair Chris McDaniel, for once-in-a-lifetime recovery funds to help one of the hardest hit industries during the pandemic,” said Julie Kirkpatrick, MeetNKY president and CEO. “Thanks to this support, MeetNKY has begun aggressive campaigns focused on bringing new visitors to the region from all over the world and will especially be leveraging the recovery funds to bring new conventions, meetings and events to our region.”

The Lieutenant Governor awarded $305,000 to the Kentucky Faith Trail project to support marketing efforts for the multicounty collaborative tourism project focusing on faith-related attractions, including a passport program and wayfinding signage system.

“The Kentucky Faith Trail multi-jurisdictional grant is very exciting as we partner with Logan, Grant, Mercer, Monroe, Nelson and Wayne counties on showcasing a unique history of Kentucky settlement as well as current faith attractions in the commonwealth,” said Josh Quinn, Product Development Director for MeetNKY.

These awards are part of the $75 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding supported by the Governor and allocated by the General Assembly in 2022 to boost the state’s tourism industry and economy following the decline in visitors brought on by the pandemic. The Governor announced the awards in July.

Cleaner Water Program
Lt. Gov. Coleman announced the commitment of $10,269,739 in funding from the Cleaner Water Program to Sanitation District No. 1 (SD1) of Northern Kentucky. The funding will add 19,000 feet of new water lines and 14 grinder pumps, as well as extend service to 126 unserved households.

Funded by ARPA and administered by the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority, $500 million has been appropriated since 2021 through a bipartisan agreement with the General Assembly to provide clean drinking water and wastewater grants to fund projects across Kentucky. The 2022 funding will be allocated based on each county’s proportion of the state’s population, except for Jefferson County’s share, which is discounted by 50% based on its high per capita allocation from the federal act. As projects progress, utilities will be reimbursed.

“SD1’s mission is to protect public health, property and the environment while supporting the economic vitality of our community,” said SD1 Executive Director Adam Chaney. “These projects advance that mission in a number of ways by expanding the public sewer system to serve more local residents and eliminating failing septic systems that can pose a significant risk to public health and the environment. We’re thankful that the state and federal government understand the importance of our nation's wastewater infrastructure and we look forward to working with Kenton County on these projects.”

Nonprofit Assistance Fund
Lt. Gov. Coleman announced $2.2 million in funding to 28 Kenton County nonprofits from Gov. Beshear’s Nonprofit Assistance Fund, which helps organizations across Kentucky recover from the effects of the pandemic. The funding comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and the Governor supported the allocation of funds by the 2022 General Assembly. This fund will provide one-time direct relief payments to support the mission and long-term sustainability of each eligible nonprofit. The awards include:

    Diocesan Catholic Children's Home: $100,000
    Redwood School and Rehabilitation Center; $100,000
    Samaritan Car Care Clinic: $100,000
    Welcome House: $100,000
    Kenton Housing: $100,000
    Covington Ladies Home: $100,000
    Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky: $100,000
    Baptist Convalescent Center: $100,000
    Northern Kentucky Council of St. Vincent de Paul: $100,000
    The Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center: $100,000
    Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky: $100,000
    UMCFOOD: $100,000
    Life Learning Center: $100,000
    The Ion Center for Violence Prevention: $100,000
    Renaissance Covington: $100,000
    Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington: $100,000
    United Way of Greater Cincinnati: $100,000
    Learning Grove: $100,000
    Covington Partners: $100,000
    Ten/Ten Program: $98,174
    Behringer-Crawford Museum Board of Trustees: $93,564.29
    CASA of the Northern Bluegrass Region: $82,102.81
    Northern Kentucky Legal Aid Society: $52,926
    My Nose Turns Red Theatre Company: $47,278
    Wesley United Methodist Church: $11,761.09
    Northern Kentucky Mental Health: $10,000
    Action Ministries: $2,311
    The Friends of NorthKey Community Care: $1,554

“The Friends of NorthKey Community Care would like to thank Gov. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Coleman, their administration and the Team KY Nonprofit Assistance Fund Program for providing these funds in helping to further the emphasis on providing quality mental health, substance use and developmental disabilities services in the Northern Kentucky region,” said Deana Combs, chair and president of The Friends of NorthKey Community Care. “These funds will assist individuals and families in Northern Kentucky challenged with mental health, substance use and developmental disabilities receive the care they need to address those challenges.”

“Thank you to the Governor and General Assembly for the Team Kentucky Nonprofit Assistance Fund. Life Learning Center is using the funds to support permanent transformational change with an education and care continuum for the ‘at risk’ population to get them back in the workforce at a living wage,” said Alecia Webb-Edgington, president and CEO of Life Learning Center.

“Funds received from the Team Kentucky Nonprofit Assistance Fund were critical to keep the doors open and staff paid. The Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky was able to continue to offer immediate entrance, low-barrier shelter and services to help our guests have a safe place to sleep at night and also find gainful employment, income-based affordable housing and recover from physical, emotional, medical and substance abuse,” said Kim M. Webb, Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky executive director. “These funds show the commitment our state has to support nonprofits and recognize the value we bring as a provider and employer in Kentucky.”

“CASA of the Northern Bluegrass Region is beyond thankful for the funding from the Team Kentucky Nonprofit Assistance fund. These funds allow our program to continue its mission to advocate for children that have experienced abuse and neglect in the family court system of Kenton, Campbell, Pendleton, Harrison, Carroll, Owen and Grant counties,” said Nicky Jeffries, executive director of CASA of the Northern Bluegrass Region. “The program will be able to recruit additional volunteer advocates and provide high quality supervision for the best interest advocacy of the region’s most vulnerable children.”

“The funds in support of Victorian at Riverside were a true blessing to our work of ensuring that senior residents in our assisted-living home can thrive, living a meaningful life with as much independence as possible,” said Victorian at Riverside Board President Ron Padgett. “We are using the funds to support our new behavioral memory-care unit that provides a higher level of care in our new wing that opened in 2021.”

“Kentucky has the highest rate of interpersonal violence for women in the country at 45.3%. The national average is 23.3%. Between FY18-FY 20, there was a 25% increase in unmet needs for shelter to escape violence in Kentucky. These resources will help us continue the important work of serving victims of power-based personal violence and reducing it in our communities,” said the CEO of the Ion Center for Violence Prevention, Christy Burch.

“As COVID-19 interrupted the successful partnerships between Behringer-Crawford Museum and area schools, educational service to support teachers and their curriculum came to a halt.  With this funding, we plan to restore these partnerships and provide educational services to 9,000 Kenton County elementary students and create better access and equity for all students through bilingual informational and educational materials,” Laurie Risch, executive director of the Behringer-Crawford Museum.

“We want to thank Team Kentucky for making ends meet to carry out the work of My Nose Turns Red,” said Jean St. John, executive director.

“The Samaritan Car Care Clinic addresses transportation barriers faced by low-income families in the Northern Kentucky area. On behalf of the hundreds of families the clinic helps each year, the clinic offers one big thank you for the Team Kentucky Nonprofit Assistance grant,” said Bruce Kintner, director of the Samaritan Car Care Clinic. “The clinic has used the grant to help build the region's first non-profit vehicle repair shop.”

“DCCH Center for Children & Families is honored and blessed to be selected to receive the Team Kentucky Nonprofit Assistance Fund. This gift will support critical and life changing trauma-informed therapy for the survivors of child abuse and neglect who are in our Residential Treatment Program,” Executive Director Diocesan Catholic Children’s Home, Denise Govan.

“We’re so grateful for the financial support from the Team Kentucky Nonprofit Assistance Fund. We’re thrilled, too, for the broader message of support for children and families that this sends from the commonwealth of Kentucky. An investment like this shows us that we all truly stand shoulder-to-shoulder in our efforts to bring the best outcomes for all Kentuckians,” said Learning Grove CEO Shannon Starkey-Taylor.

“As Kentuckians continue to struggle paying for everyday needs, we believe courts and the law should remain available to everyone. This generous award places high quality attorneys within reach of those who could not otherwise learn and know their rights,” Karen Hoskins Ginn, advocacy director for the Legal Aid of the Bluegrass.

“We are grateful to the Team Kentucky Nonprofit Assistance Fund for granting Welcome House, Inc.,” says Welcome House Inc. CEO Danielle Amrine. “This funding will allow us to continue to fulfill our mission of providing a continuum of services that takes everyone we serve from housing uncertainty to housing stability. Last year, we served 4,962 Kentuckians who were experiencing homelessness.”

“This funding has been a blessing to those we serve. Our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet in our current inflationary environment. These funds have helped us close the gap for many Northern KY neighbors, struggling to pay their utilities, keeping them safe in their homes,” Karen Zengel, executive director of Northern Kentucky Council of St. Vincent de Paul.

“The nonprofit awards from Team Kentucky that were distributed to nonprofits around the commonwealth have made an exciting contribution to Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky/CHNK Behavioral Health. Thanks to the investment, CHNK is able to expand access to mental healthcare services such as partial hospitalization for adults and youth, intensive outpatient services and telehealth offerings. The nonprofit award at CHNK will ensure an easier path to mental health with full service mental healthcare when and where you need it,” Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky said in a statement.