LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Goodwill Kentucky has received $81,430 in federal funding to support its Aspire Program in Pulaski and Whitley Counties as part of a more than $2.1 million Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) to 17 Kentucky agencies.
The Aspire program provides incarcerated individuals within 90 days of release from prison with pre-release job training and supportive services. Once released, Goodwill Kentucky guides participants through barrier-removal services, job placement, career coaching, family reunification, and more holistic resources. Participants then participate in a work-and-learn program for a minimum of 90 days. While employed, they study to earn credentials and participate in incentivized Aspire workshops, where mentoring, mental health, and job-readiness are highlighted at Goodwill Kentucky Opportunity Centers.
On September 21, 2026, Gov. Andy Beshear announced the federal funding to fight drug trafficking and continue building a New Kentucky Home. The funding will allow agencies, drug task forces, and nonprofit organizations to purchase resources, provide drug prevention programming to community residents, ensure officers receive specialized training, and work with individuals leaving incarceration to develop successful reentry skills, according to a release from the Commonwealth.
“Every Kentuckian deserves to be safe and to feel safe, and keeping dangerous drugs off the streets is vital in doing that,” Gov. Beshear said in the release. “This grant funding will allow us to keep working with our partners to build that safer New Kentucky Home.”
For a full list of award recipients, click here. For more information about Goodwill Kentucky, visit GoodwillKY.org.
About Goodwill Kentucky
For more than 100 years, Goodwill Kentucky has helped Kentuckians find pathways out of poverty through the transformative power of work. Operating in 103 of Kentucky’s 120 counties, Goodwill Kentucky places over 3,000 Kentuckians into jobs each year through its 1,400-plus employer partners and its own retail stores. These life-changing opportunities are made possible through donations to Goodwill Kentucky stores and community support. The organization reinvests approximately 90 cents of every dollar earned in its retail stores into job training and workforce programs. When you give to Goodwill, you do a lot of good.