Our History of Serving Kentucky
Since 1990, The Family Foundation has served Kentucky’s families by facilitating, strengthening, and expanding the pro-family work being done throughout the Commonwealth. It has grown to be the leading pro-family organization in Kentucky standing for the values that make families strong.
Founding: A leader for faith, family, and freedom
In 1990, Kent Ostrander founded The Family Foundation as a Kentucky nonprofit organization working in association with Dr. James Dobson and Focus on the Family to represent the Judeo-Christian system of values and defend the interests of families in Kentucky.
Its purpose was to strengthen the work of existing pro-family organizations, to support the establishment of new pro-family organizations, and to facilitate and coordinate the cooperation of those groups.
The Family Foundation quickly facilitated the largest gathering of pro-life leaders in Kentucky’s history and helped home and Christian educators organize.
It also aided citizens’ groups fighting pornography and parents’ groups speaking up for the rights of families during education reform.
Growth: Faithfully Serving for over 30 years
Through the years, The Family Foundation grew to become the leading pro-family organization in the Commonwealth and saw the Lord greatly bless our work.
Our pro-life work has included helping establishing a network of pregnancy resource centers throughout the Commonwealth, stewarding the “Choose Life” license plates, helping build the Kentucky Memorial for the Unborn in Frankfort, and assisting in the passage of every successful pro-life bill of the past 30 years.
We’ve spoken at hundreds of churches in the cities and farmland of our Commonwealth; passed Kentucky’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act; produced the Kentucky Citizen newsletter, which is mailed to tens of thousands of Kentuckians; and conducted the Kentucky Candidate Information Survey to inform voters.
We were the driving force behind the Kentucky Marriage Amendment defining marriage as between one man and one women, which Kentuckians passed overwhelmingly before the U.S. Supreme Court egregiously decided Obergefell v. Hodges.
Since the early 1990s, The Family Foundation has exposed the wave of gambling half-truths seeking to expand gambling in the Commonwealth and protect Kentucky families from the proven harms that gambling causes. The Family Foundation successfully kept the expansion of gambling at bay for 16 years, then so-called “historical horse racing” (slot gaming) was introduced in 2010.
An 11-year legal battle surrounding so-called “historical horse racing” ensued, with The Family Foundation winning three unanimous victories before the Kentucky Supreme Court before the General Assembly claimed to legalize the machines in 2021, by passing a constitutionally flawed bill redefining “pari-mutuel wagering” to mean something antithetical to its long history and the Court’s unanimous decisions.
The Next Generation: Advocating timeless truths for future generations
After more than 30 years of faithful service to The Family Foundation and Kentucky’s families, Kent Ostrander retired in 2021. After a nationwide search led by Kent and the Board of The Family Foundation, David Walls was chosen to build upon 30 years of fruitful work and to expand our education and advocacy for the next generation.
Under David’s leadership, The Family Foundation continues to advocate for God-honoring public policy based on biblical values so that Kentucky’s families will be strengthened.
Together, we can create a Kentucky where God is honored, religious freedom flourishes, families thrive, and life is cherished in public policy. Will you join us?
