KM2023
Kaden Marshall
Scholarship recipient
Louisville, Kentucky · 501(c)(3)
Every scholar deserves a soft place to land.
The Impact Scholars Network funds nursing, trade, and undergraduate students across Kentucky — then stays in their corner. Founded in Louisville, rooted in legacy, built for what comes next.
NursingTrade & workforceUndergraduateTax-exempt nonprofit
Three ways we help
3
Scholarships
KY
Statewide
2023
Established
Scholarships
Three doors, one belief: education should not be a closed room.
Each scholarship is named for someone who believed in showing up for others. Apply to the one that fits your path — or reach out and we will help you find it.
01
Nursing
Precious Leshay Johnson Nursing
For mothers pursuing a nursing degree while raising a family.
See eligibility02
Trade & Workforce
Trade & Workforce
For students earning a certificate or credential in the skilled trades.
See eligibility03
Undergraduate
Tracy Wheeler Undergraduate
For sophomores, juniors, and seniors finishing a first bachelor's degree.
See eligibilityOur founder
Deborah Kemp built this network the way she builds community — quietly, and for the long haul.
A lifelong advocate for education and community development, Deborah founded the Impact Scholars Network on a belief that access to education changes the direction of a family. What began with two named scholarships in Louisville has grown into a network of scholars, sponsors, and neighbors who refuse to let money be the reason a student stops.
Every spring, that work gathers in one room for the Derby Brunch — our scholars, our supporters, and the city that raised them.
Read our storyDeborah Kemp, Founder & President
Our signature fundraiser
Deb & Anthony's Derby Brunch
Derby week, Louisville gathers for brunch with a purpose. Every table sold becomes a scholarship awarded — nursing students, apprentices, and undergraduates who get to keep going because this room showed up for them.
Rose Circle · $10,000Winner's Circle · $5,000Bluegrass · $2,500Grandstand · $1,000
Our scholars
The room keeps growing.
Behind every award is a name, a family, and a future that got a little more certain.
HD2024
Hailey Davis
Scholarship recipient
Join the network
Explore. Connect. Impact.
Whether you are a student, a sponsor, or a neighbor who wants to help — there is a place for you here. Tell us how you would like to be part of it.
Gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.