A Northern Kentucky nonprofit will use a $70,000 grant to build career learning programs in rural school districts across the region.

Learning Grove, which operates 11 locations in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, received the funding Wednesday, July 22, through Interact for Health's 2026 Rural Changemaker Grant. The project, titled "Co-Creating Career Pathways to Strengthen Health in Rural Northern Kentucky," will develop career-focused learning programs in rural schools aligned with local workforce needs.

"We continue to see innovative solutions from our partners to respond to the unique needs and strengths of our rural communities," Kate Schroder, president and CEO of Interact for Health, said in the announcement.

Interact for Health, an independent foundation serving 20 counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, awarded a total of $231,000 to three organizations in this first round. The Gathering Wing in Pendleton County received $80,500 for food pantry and resource building expansion, and Ohio Voice, as fiscal sponsor for SOAR 4031 Foundation, received $80,500 for a post-incarceration workforce development pilot in Ohio.

The Rural Changemaker Grant is the signature funding opportunity of Interact for Health's Rural Investment Strategy. Fourteen of the foundation's 20 service-area counties are classified as rural. In Kentucky, the eligible rural counties are Bracken, Gallatin, Grant, and Pendleton. Boone County is not among the eligible counties, though the career pathways work funded through Learning Grove targets rural Northern Kentucky school districts in neighboring communities.

Second round open through September 8

Organizations serving eligible rural counties can still apply for the second and final round of 2026 Rural Changemaker funding. Grants range from $10,000 to $70,000 over 12 to 18 months.

The deadline is September 8, at 5 p.m. Applications are submitted through Interact for Health's Grants Portal at grantinterface.com.

Interact for Health will host two optional virtual office hours sessions for prospective applicants: August 6, from 2 to 4 p.m., and August 27, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Applications are reviewed and scored by the Rural Community Council, a group of community members who live or work in the eligible rural counties.

Upcoming dates

  • Thursday, August 6 — Virtual office hours, 2–4 p.m.
  • Thursday, August 27 — Virtual office hours, 10 a.m.–noon
  • Tuesday, September 8 — Application deadline, 5 p.m.