About the KBF
Guided by a clear purpose and a deep sense of responsibility, the Kentucky Bar Foundation is committed to fueling access to justice and expanding legal knowledge throughout the Commonwealth. We envision a Kentucky where justice is within reach for all and we bring that vision to life through values rooted in integrity, compassion, service, collaboration, and a commitment to continuous growth.
Everybody Deserves Help
Justice is one of the foundational promises of our society, but access to it is not always guaranteed.
Across Kentucky, individuals and families face legal challenges that impact their safety, stability, and future. For many, the cost of legal help puts that promise just out of reach. The gap between need and access is real, and it’s where the Kentucky Bar Foundation steps in.
Thank you to Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company of Kentucky for making this film possible.
The Charitable Heart of Kentucky’s Legal Community
The Kentucky Bar Foundation is the charitable heart of Kentucky’s legal community that brings together attorneys, judges, and partners who believe in using their profession as a force for good.
Since 1958, the Foundation has been a trusted steward of the legal community’s collective generosity, channeling it into meaningful, measurable impact. As the only statewide grantmaking foundation dedicated exclusively to law-related causes and access to justice, KBF plays a unique and essential role in strengthening communities across the Commonwealth.
Real change happens when the right resources reach the right places.
Through thoughtful, strategic grantmaking, the Kentucky Bar Foundation invests in organizations working on the front lines of legal access and education, including those helping individuals navigate complex systems, protect their rights, and build more stable futures. From supporting families in times of crisis to empowering individuals with knowledge and advocacy, these efforts create lasting ripple effects across communities.
At the same time, KBF serves as a trusted steward for Kentucky’s legal community by offering a credible, collective way to give back without the burden of navigating where and how to invest. Every contribution is carefully vetted, thoughtfully directed, and kept within the Commonwealth to ensure it delivers meaningful, measurable impact where it’s needed most.
HOW WE CREATE STATEWIDE IMPACT
$5.5+ million granted to law-related programs
200+ nonprofit partners supported
All 120 counties served
Since 1958, KBF has helped ensure that justice is not limited by geography, circumstance, or income. Behind these numbers are real people, real challenges, and real outcomes.
Lives have been changed because someone had access to the help they needed.
Access to justice is not the responsibility of any one person or organization. It is a shared commitment. KBF exists to bring that commitment to life, uniting Kentucky’s legal community around a common purpose: ensuring fairness, dignity, and justice are within reach for every Kentuckian. Because at the end of the day, this work is about something simple and deeply human.
Everybody deserves help.
Meet Our Team
-
Susan Duncan
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
-
Gwen Smallenburg
PROGRAM MANAGER
-
M. Eric Cox
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
Board of Directors
Officers
President: Melinda T. Sunderland
President-Elect: J. Hadden Dean
Vice President: Rachel Wagner Kennedy
Secretary/Treasurer: Miranda D. Click
Immediate Past President: Emily E. Walters
IOLTA Chair: Clay M. Stevens
Directors
First Supreme Court District
Jack N. Lackey, Jr., Hopkinsville
Natasha Camenisch Little, Madisonville
David T. Riley, Paducah
Second Supreme Court District
Lee Cassie Clagett, Elizabethtown
Lindsay H. Hinton, Bowling Green
Elizabeth W. Sigler, Bowling Green
Third Supreme Court District
J. Hadden Dean, Danville
Marcia A. Smith, Corbin
Shawna M. VanHook, Somerset
Fourth Supreme Court District
Bradley A. Case, Louisville
Caitlin J. Grimes, Louisville
Deena G. Ombres, Louisville
Melinda T. Sunderland, Louisville
Fifth Supreme Court District
Stephen G. Amato, Lexington
Aaron Ann Cole-Funfsinn, Lexington
Elizabeth A. Combs, Lexington
Rewa M. Zakharia, Frankfort
Sixth Supreme Court District
Jessica L. Craven, Crescent Springs
S. Beth Moore, Brooksville
Emily E. Walters, Covington
Seventh Supreme Court District
Miranda D. Click, Pikeville
Rhonda M. Copley, Ashland
Rachel Wagner Kennedy, Pikeville
Ex-Officio Directors
Kentucky Supreme Court
Justice Kelly Thompson, Bowling Green
Kentucky Court of Appeals
Judge Jacqueline M. Caldwell, Springfield
Kentucky Circuit Judges Association
Judge M. Brent Hall, Elizabethtown
Kentucky District Judges Association
Judge Paul E. Craft, Greenup
Chair, Kentucky IOLTA Fund
Clay M. Stevens, Louisville
KBA President Representative
Todd V. McMurtry, Ft. Mitchell
KBA Past President Representative
Rhonda Jennings Blackburn, Pikeville
KBA Young Lawyers Division Representative
Zoe Jessie, Frankfort
Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law
Dean Judith Daar, Highland Heights
University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law
Interim Dean James C. Duff, Lexington
University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law
Dean Melanie B. Jacobs, Louisville