Founded on September 15, 2010, the Snowy Owl Foundation supports Louisville and Kentucky-area organizations working in land conservation, the arts, education, and human need. Guided by a mission to nourish good organizations with imagination, the foundation provides charitable grants that strengthen communities and create lasting impact.

Explore our Grantees to see a sample of past recipients and the work they do in our community.

How the Foundation was named

“Years ago, while on a trip to the Arctic I was inspired by the Snowy Owl.

Staying in a tent by the Beaufort Sea, in Northern Alaska, I could hear the ice crack and sing. A she-grizzly and her cubs walked by. A wolverine bathed in a puddle by my tent. Swans nestled together in the white fog above sea ice.

Leaving in a bush plane, the pilot pointed out two lines of snowy owls. They made a path for the low plane’s passage. It was a sight he had never seen before.

Walking in the tundra, I had seen the Snowy Owl nest. As a practice, she leaves a circle of lemmings for her chick in the center. While she is gone hunting – or in case of her disappearance – the chick has a chance to survive in her circle of plenty.

The plenty I will leave through the Snowy Owl Foundation may give strength to the ones who need it.”

–Nana Lampton