lexington nonprofits & orgs to know + support

There’s so much good happening in Lexington.

I was reminded of that recently when I asked y’all to share your favorite local nonprofits and organizations—and my inbox filled up fast. It felt like such a small question, but the response was a really powerful reminder of just how many people are showing up for this community every single day.

The world can feel heavy sometimes. But at the same time, there are so many people doing meaningful, impactful work right here in our own backyard. Both can be true.

This list is a starting point—just a few organizations doing incredible work across Lexington. If you’ve been looking for a way to get involved, support locally, or learn more about what’s happening in our city, I hope this helps.

community care & basic needs

• AVOL Kentucky

• OWL (Opportunity for Work & Learning)

• God’s Pantry Food Bank

• The Salvation Army of Lexington

• GreenHouse17

• Catholic Action Center

• Community Action Council for Lexington
  

children, youth & families

• CASA of Lexington

• The Nest

• Step by Step Lexington

• Sunrise Children’s Services

• Common Good

• Operation Secret Santa

• Found for the Holidays

• Box2Box Soccer

• On the Move Art Studio

• Ashland Walk N Roll Bike Bus
  

mental health & wellness

• Kentucky Society for Clinical Social Work

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Lexington

• The Lexington Psychoanalytic Study Group

• New Vista

• Chrysalis House

• Kentucky CancerLink
  

housing & homelessness support

• The Hope Center

• Lexington Rescue Mission

• Arbor Youth Services

• KY Tenants

• New Life Day Center

• Habitat for Humanity Lexington
  

social action, equity & advocacy

• Marafiki Center

• Neighbors Immigration Clinic

• CivicLex

• Build Inclusion

• Kentucky Refugee Ministries

• Community Response Coalition of Kentucky

• PFLAG Lexington

• Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

• MLK Holiday Committee Fund

• Lexington Pride Center

• JustFundKY
  

environment, green space & sustainability

• Seedleaf

• Trees Lexington

• Bluegrass Greensource

• Lexington Parks & Recreation

• Reforest the Bluegrass

• Fayette Alliance
  

arts, culture & humanities

• Levee Collective

• Allegro Dance Project

• Lexington Children’s Museum

• LexArts

• Lexington Writer’s Room

• The Lyric

• Carnegie Center

• Living Arts & Science Center

• Lexington Theatre Company

• Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras

• Lexington Children’s Theatre

• International Book Project
  

food, farming & local economy

• FoodChain

• Black Soil

• Northside Common Market

• Glean Kentucky

• Seedleaf

• SoulFeast Week
  

animal welfare

• Lexington Humane Society

• Paws 4 the Cause

• Woodstock Spay & Neuter Clinic

• MADN (Making a Difference Now)

• Lexington Pet Pantry
  

This list is just a starting point—I know I didn’t get them all. If there’s an organization you love, I’d genuinely love to hear about it. Feel free to reach out or share it with me so I can continue adding to this over time.

And if you’ve been looking for a way to get more connected to Lexington… this is a really good place to start.