LOUISVILLE — The Louisville Pride Foundation has paused its vaccine program which provided preventive care, vaccines, education, and employment for more than a dozen LGBTQ+ community health workers, after the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency cut $149 million in COVID-19 public health funding in Kentucky and Indiana.

The vaccine program, “Immunity in the Community,” is funded through a reimbursement grant in partnership with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Centers for Disease Control. With a total budget of $250K, $150K has already been spent, and it is unclear if the remaining $100K will be received.

According to a statement emailed to Queer Kentucky from LPF Executive Director Ebony Cross, Immunity in the Community launched in February 2024 with the goal of increasing vaccine access and health equity among LGBTQ+ Kentuckians. The program prioritized culturally responsive, affirming care by meeting people where they are: physically in bars, festivals, community events, and digitally through apps and social platforms.

“On March 28, 2025, we received official notice from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services that the funding stream supporting this program had been ‘terminated with cause,’ retroactive to March 24,” Cross said. “This decision eliminates more than $100K in resources and immediately halts several months of planned public health programming.”

During the course of the program, LPF has administered 1,000 free vaccines for mpox, COVID-19, influenza, and HPV. In addition to immunization, the initiative connected individuals with tools to monitor their health, understand potential side effects, and seek compensation in the rare event of serious adverse outcomes.

“Our outreach was grounded in public health data and informed by the lived experiences of LGBTQ individuals, particularly those at higher risk,” Cross said.

At least $11K of the cut funding had supported the employment of LGBTQ+ community health workers. Health workers, many of whom are also drag performers, would attend events at bars or pride events and educate the public about vaccines, PrEP and other public health topics.

Gov. Andy Beshear acknowledged some of the grant cuts and said Kentucky will fight them.

“We have received notice of grants being cancelled,” Beshear said. “It’s an unlawful cancellation and we’ll challenge it. These are contracts that we have. The contracts can only be terminated for cause, which means somebody did something wrong and they are trying to define cause as the pandemic. That’s not a legal argument.”

While the loss of funding creates unique challenges and uncertainty for LPF, Cross said they are looking for other funding source to make up for the loss and stay focused on increasing the health equity of Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ community.

“We extend our gratitude to the many individuals, volunteers, and partners who supported Immunity in the Community and reaffirm our dedication to advancing health access for all,” she said.