Entrepreneurship & Nonprofits
Starting your own business or nonprofit is hard work, but we can help you locate the tools you need to get your ideas off the ground.
These services can be accessed for free with your library card. Book a Librarian for a quick, one-on-one tutorial.
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Download the LinkedIn Learning app!
(Note: To log into the mobile app, enter lex for your Library ID. You will be prompted to enter your library card number and PIN.)
Lexington Public Library is a Candid Funding Information Network partner. These resources have been carefully selected to aid your 501(c)(3) in the grant seeking process.
Foundation Directory: Most exhaustive and up-to-date knowledge and insight on the social sector to fuel any fundraising mission. Expanded, in-depth profiles of each grantmaker plus inside looks at the grants they've actually made keep your organization operating at peak effectiveness. Available only to customers inside the Central Library.
Candid Learning: Candid Learning is your destination for all of Candid’s live and on-demand trainings, webinars, and other resources designed to improve your fundraising, overall sustainability, grantmaking, and transparency.
These sites provide additional business-related information:
Commerce Lexington: Commerce Lexington Inc.'s economic focus centers on promoting entrepreneurial start-ups, business expansion and retention, and new job creation; advocacy; workforce development; connecting people and businesses; community, minority, and small business development; and the cultivation of local and regional leadership.
Kentucky Business One Stop: From starting your business plan to registering your business with the Commonwealth, this portal is a "one stop shop" with tools necessary to assist you in registering and operating your business in Kentucky.
Kentucky Small Business Development Center in Lexington: The Kentucky SBDC in Lexington provides one-on-one coaching at no cost to existing and potential entrepreneurs in Central Kentucky. The Kentucky SBDC in Lexington also meets the educational needs of the local small business community by offering a variety of low cost training programs taught by industry experts and qualified SBDC Consultants.
KY Innovation: KY Innovation targets resources to support startups, traditional small businesses and innovation-driven entrepreneurs across the business life-span with the aim of dramatically improving Kentucky’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and significantly increasing the number of new company startups annually.
Kickstarter: Kickstarter helps artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and other creators find the resources and support they need to make their ideas a reality. To date, tens of thousands of creative projects — big and small — have come to life with the support of the Kickstarter community.
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government: Local government resources are available to assist entrepreneurs. Here are some examples:
- How to Start a Business in Lexington
- How to Become a Certified Minority, Veteran and Woman Owned Business
- Minority Business Enterprise Program
SCORE: The Lexington Kentucky Chapter of SCORE is part of a national nonprofit association and a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration. SCORE is volunteer based and provides free professional guidance and education through one-on-one face-to-face, telephone or email counseling to America's existing and emerging small businesses, entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Google for Startups: A collection of tools, best practices, and communities to help with your new startup, cultivated by the folks at Google.
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