CLOUT

Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together (CLOUT) is a grassroots, community led, non-partisan, nonprofit that has been working in Louisville for 35 years to create systemic change to make Louisville a better and more equitable place.

We’re made up of 26 religious congregations from all parts of the city who have come together to work for improvements on problems such as housing, mental health & addiction, transportation, education,  policing, and many more. We are religiously, racially, and economically diverse and always seek to grow our base of congregations. 

We are not a social service organization. We don’t provide services to treat the symptoms of community problems. Instead, we find systemic solutions to problems, and we bring together large numbers of people to hold public officials accountable to implement those solutions. Each year, CLOUT’s assembly is the largest gathering of citizens in Louisville to solve serious community problems, with around 1,000 people attending each year. 

As a grassroots organization our work is driven by hundreds of volunteer leaders across the county. Everything we address is surfaced in our annual community-wide listening process and voted on by members. Our research teams and spokespeople are everyday members of our community who are committed to improving Louisville for future generations. The largest part of the CLOUT budget goes to training these grassroots leaders in national best practices for this work.

Our current work:

• Over the past two years, we pushed for the creation of a 24/7 all-ages mental health crisis drop-in center, which opened in September 2026! We are currently working with the Mayor and Chief of Police to develop policies and trainings to standardize LMPD’s use of the crisis center as an alternative to jail.
• We are working to ensure that Louisville Metro Government invests in the creation of more Permanent Supportive Housing units to address chronic homelessness.
• We are continuing our work to expand Restorative Practices and improve literacy within JCPS.
• We are serving on the Community Safety Commission to monitor the implementation of the Consent Decree reforms for fair policing.

• The investment of over $110 million into the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which has resulted in the creation or preservation of 6,000 (and growing!) units of affordable housing
• The enrollment of over 60,000 additional uninsured children in the KCHIP (Kentucky Child Health Insurance Program)
• The increased utilization of Drug Court and court diversion to reduce incarceration

Learn more about the impact of our work here!