Kentucky Derby Museum Announces Multi-Year Partnership With Churchill Downs to Support Museum’s Educational Programs

LOUISVILLE, KY., (September 4, 2024) –

The Kentucky Derby Museum is proud to announce a new multi-year partnership with Churchill Downs that will support the museum’s longstanding commitment to educating students about the Kentucky Derby®.

This partnership, with a financial commitment of $150,000 over three years, will bolster the museum’s in-house field trips and outreach programs, ensuring that tens of thousands of students across Kentucky and beyond can experience the magic of the Derby.

Education has been a cornerstone of the Kentucky Derby Museum’s mission since opening its doors in 1985. As a nonprofit organization, the museum has provided generations of students with enriching, standards-aligned programming that brings the history, science, and cultural significance of the Kentucky Derby to life. In fiscal year 2024 alone, the museum’s Education Department reached more than 32,000 students through its diverse educational offerings.

“We are excited to partner with Churchill Downs on this important initiative that directly supports our mission to engage, educate, and excite students about the Kentucky Derby,” said Patrick Armstrong, President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Museum. “This generous commitment allows us to continue offering free educational programs that our instructors are so passionate about. With our organizations’ shared love of education, we’re proud to work together with Churchill Downs to not only preserve the Derby’s legacy but also inspire the next generation.” 

Through this partnership, Churchill Downs will support the museum’s efforts to make these educational experiences more accessible. The funding will specifically allow the museum to continue offering free in-house field trips during January and February and free outreach programming throughout the school year, extending the museum’s reach to schools that may not be able to travel to Louisville.

“Churchill Downs is thrilled to come together with the Kentucky Derby Museum, one of our long-time partners on this incredible education initiative,” said Mike Anderson, President of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “Educating the next generation of horse racing fans is so important to the vitality of the sport. The Kentucky Derby Museum has a long history of educating the next generation on the history, richness, and legacy of the Kentucky Derby, and we are excited to partner with them to continue this great work.” 

BACKGROUND

Field trips traditionally come at a cost for schools across the country, whether for transportation, meals, or a fee per student. The museum budgets every year to absorb as much of the cost as possible in order to make field trips accessible to all schools in the region.

In addition, the museum started offering other options at no cost to schools to try and eliminate all barriers. Free field trips during the slower winter months of January and February date back to at least the 1990s. Since the free outreach program started in the early 2000s, museum educators have traveled to schools in each of the 120 Kentucky counties to provide the same programming. Then, during the pandemic, the Education Team added free virtual field trips as another tool of the outreach program, expanding to schools all across the country. 

“The Kentucky Derby Museum has always been dedicated to bringing the history and excitement of the Derby to students across Kentucky,” said Chris Goodlett, Senior Director of Curatorial and Educational Affairs. “Our educational programs are designed to spark curiosity and foster a deep connection to Kentucky’s cultural heritage. This partnership with Churchill Downs helps support our efforts, making sure cost is not a barrier to learning about the rich history of the Kentucky Derby.”

BY THE NUMBERS

The Kentucky Derby Museum’s Education Department offers a wide range of standards-aligned content that spans history, science, math, cultural studies, social-emotional learning, and career studies through 19 different in-house and 12 outreach programs.

This winter, the museum’s Education Team of three full-time educators facilitated 76 free in-house field trips with a total of 6,213 students, teachers, and chaperones. During the 2023-2024 school year, the free outreach program totaled 59 in-person trips and 17 virtual field trips, reaching a total of 22,854 people.

The partnership takes effect in September 2024 and will run through August 2027. As part of the partnership, the Churchill Downs logo will be added to the Education Department’s outreach vehicle, team uniforms, nametags, materials, and other displays.