A Story Worth Sharing

StoryFest Louisville 2026: Building Momentum

Year two was about proof. Not that the idea works, but that it repeats, deepens, and delivers.

StoryFest Louisville began with a conviction: when nonprofit leaders share their stories, communities grow stronger. Year one lit the spark. Year two asked the harder question... could a single transformative night become a repeatable engine for Louisville's nonprofit sector?

With the continued support of The Tommy Elliott Fund and the vision of founder Maryanne Elliott, the answer arrived on stage in April. Guests kept reaching for the same phrase: StoryFest had grown up.

The Momentum: From Spark to Strategy

Six leaders. Six missions. One shared commitment to telling the truth about why their work matters.

Thirty-two leaders applied for a place in the 2026 cohort. A selection committee of Louisville community leaders, people who know the sector's work firsthand, faced the kind of decision that says everything about this city: too many stories worth investing in, and only one stage.

Know a leader who belongs in this company? Nominations for the 2027 cohort are open now.

The Cohort: Leaders Ready for the Work

A woman with dark hair and hoop earrings speaking or singing into a microphone at an event with soft lighting and blurred background.

Executive Director
"Connect diverse audiences through solidarity"
Enhancing Louisville's Latinx community through education, empowerment, advocacy, and wellness for 20+ years.

A woman with short hair speaking into a microphone and gesturing with her hand, standing in front of a backdrop of pink balloons and decorative elements.

Co-Founder & Executive Director
"Show why transformation matters for Louisville's youth"
Created by a Kentucky Teacher of the Year's classroom, now a therapeutic platform using hip hop for youth healing—growing from grassroots to a movement others want to learn from.

A man in a gray suit with a white shirt and dotted tie is speaking into a microphone at a celebration event with pink and gold balloons and decorative elements.

Vice President of External Affairs
"Tell stories that connect, challenge, and heal"
The region's largest provider of services for survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Crisis intervention, shelter, counseling, and advocacy — working to move these issues from the shadows into public conversation and action.

A woman in a royal blue dress speaking into a microphone at an event, surrounded by balloons and audience members.

President & CEO
"Inspire and expand the passion of our staff, clients, and community"
Protecting and healing children and families since 1883—through early intervention, parenting support, child abuse prevention and recovery. 5,000 children and families served last year.

A woman with reddish hair, glasses, and earrings standing at a microphone, speaking or presenting.

Executive Director
"Foster understanding between community and those who serve"
Founded after her husband was killed in the line of duty. Now supporting the full ecosystem of Louisville Metro policing through officer training, critical equipment, and family wellness. Building bridges between police and the community they serve.

A woman with short, light brown hair and glasses, wearing a peach-colored blazer and floral blouse, holding a bouquet of flowers and standing behind a clear acrylic podium with a microphone in front of her.

President & CEO
"Move funders to invest in what it takes to scale impact"
Part of the world's largest cancer support network. 3,600+ members. 190+ free programs monthly across four Kentuckiana locations. Patients, survivors, caregivers, families—every stage, no cost.

Year two expanded the teaching model. Storyteller Graham Shelby led the cohort through the craft of story itself, guiding leaders as they shaped raw experience into narrative. Director Mera Kathryn Corlett built the cohort's presentation skills, preparing each leader to carry their story to a live audience. And Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kristina Goetz brought it all together with strategic storytelling: not just how to tell a story, but how to choose the right one for the outcome you need.

Alongside the group sessions, each leader worked one-on-one with a dedicated storytelling coach drawn from Louisville's oral storytelling, journalism, communications, and theatre communities.

The Craft: A Deeper Bench

Person in a red jacket with glasses and large hoop earrings listening to a speaker during a meeting in a conference room with photos on the wall and a presentation on a screen.

Session 2 - Story editing

A group of people standing in a circle in a gymnasium, engaging in a conversation or activity. The gym has wooden floors and large windows letting in natural light.

Session 4 - Voice & presence

Five diverse professionals standing in a semi-circle in a modern office, engaging in conversation against large windows showing a cityscape background.

Final warm up before StoryFest

The Stage: A Night That Grew Up

On April 2, 2026, 350 people filled the Muhammad Ali Center, the largest audience in StoryFest's history. The night's stature was unmistakable: Governor Andy Beshear chose the StoryFest stage to announce a veto in honor of Tommy Elliott, an official act of the Commonwealth carried out in a room built on Tommy's legacy.

Then the stage belonged to the storytellers. Molly Jones of The Pete Foundation, a member of the 2025 cohort, returned to share what a year of leading with her story had made possible. And six leaders stood at the microphone and told the truth about grief, purpose, and the communities they serve.

What came next, no one scripted. Gilda's Club Kentuckiana was announced as the night's winner, receiving $11,000, with $9,000 awarded to each remaining organization. But Karen "Wren" Morrison stepped back to the microphone with news of her own: the cohort had decided, before a winner was ever named, that whatever the outcome, they would split the money evenly.

The structure named a winner. The storytellers had never seen each other as anything but an ensemble.

In the weeks that followed, Wren led additional fundraising to close the gap, and every storyteller carried $10,000 home to their organization.

By the numbers:

350 guests, StoryFest's largest audience yet
$56,000 awarded through The Tommy Elliott Fund
$60,000 total delivered to six Louisville nonprofits, completed by cohort-led fundraising

Scenes from StoryFest Louisville 2026

From powerful moments on stage to joyful faces in the crowd—these images capture the energy, courage, and connection that made the night unforgettable.
Take a look at the people, the stories, and the celebration that brought it all to life.

In The News: Media Coverage & Articles

Three women seated on beige chairs having a conversation in a television studio. There is a small round table with a colorful flower arrangement between them and dark blue WAVE logos on the wall behind them. The time displayed is 11:25, and the temperature is 43°F.

Shannon Cogan interviews Maryanne and Mera

WAVE

Maryanne Elliott and Mera Kathryn Corlett join Shannon Cogan to share what StoryFest 2026 holds, including the seven leaders of this year's cohort.

Adi Schanie interviews Maryanne

WDRB

Adi Schanie reports on how StoryFest helps nonprofit leaders tell stories that move people.

Woman with short black and gray hair, wearing large red glasses and a black hoodie, speaking in a lobby or waiting area with large windows and white walls.

NyRee Clayton-Taylor interviewed on StoryFest

Spectrum News

Cohort members NyRee Clayton-Taylor and Karen Wren Morrison describe how StoryFest is sharpening the way they tell their organizations' stories.

Doug Proffitt covers the success of StoryFest

WHAS

WHAS visits the Ali Center as StoryFest returns to help nonprofit leaders tell the stories behind their missions.

A group of people, including a man in a suit and a man in glasses, are engaged in conversation at an indoor event. Pink balloons are visible in the background, and a news banner at the bottom reads "StoryFest Louisville Returns for a Second Year" at the Muhammad Ali Center, with a time of 11:11 and temperature of 79 degrees.

Congressman McGarvey at StoryFest

WAVE

On the eve of the third anniversary, Maryanne Elliott reflects on a sold-out StoryFest and story as a skill every nonprofit already holds.

Collage of four images from a StoryFest event, including: an audience seated in a conference room with a presentation, a woman speaking at a microphone in a decorated event space, a group of seven people holding large ceremonial checks on stage, and a woman giving a speech on stage in front of an audience.

Photo collage from event

Sophisticated Living

StoryFest featured in the pages of Sophisticated Living Louisville's May/June issue.

The Ripples: Stories Already at Work

This is where year two proves its case. Within weeks of the showcase, cohort members were deploying their stories in the rooms that matter:

One leader used her story in a meeting with the Gheens Foundation, her first time leading a funder conversation with narrative
Another rebuilt the keynote at his organization's largest annual fundraiser around a narrative arc
One presented at a national conference using materials developed through StoryFest
Another brought the practice home, with staff now meeting to develop and practice their own stories

The story doesn't end when the microphone goes quiet. It goes to work.

What We Learned

Momentum is built, not found. Year two taught us that storytelling as a leadership strategy is a skill leaders keep, carry, and pass on. The showcase is one night. The capability lasts.

Nominate a Leader for 2027

Know a nonprofit leader whose story deserves this stage? Nominations are open through September 20.

Nominate Today

Support our impact

Donate Now