THE KALLA FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL LAUNCH, BRINGING NEW HOPE TO DISASTER RELIEF

JANUARY 1, 2026 BY STAFF

Frankfort, Ky. (January 1, 2026) — The Kalla Foundation is excited to announce that they have officially begun operations.

“Our journey began in early 2025, when our hometown was struck by devastating flooding,” shares Vice President Braden Kalla. “Witnessing such loss, we knew we couldn’t stand by. We felt called to step forward and make a meaningful difference.”

“Motivated by these challenges, our family—who, for generations, have dedicated our lives to public service—came together to start a nonprofit committed to meeting disaster-related needs head-on,” says Founder and President Gabriel Kalla. “Since our incorporation in August 2025 and our 501(c)(3) status secured in September 2025, we’ve engaged in meaningful conversations with leaders across the public and private sectors to ensure that our services make a real impact from the very beginning. Today, joined by many members of our community, our friends, and our family, we are humbled and honored to announce that the Kalla Foundation is officially launching, and for our first program, we will be directly investing in the root of all of our communities: our children.”

“So today, we are proudly launching the Kalla Foundation’s Resilience Scholarship,” proclaims Braden. “This scholarship empowers high school seniors to advance their education and careers by equipping them with practical skills needed to address real challenges. Too often, disaster relief focuses on responding after the fact. We believe in a more proactive approach—one inspired by the old adage, ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ By giving students this opportunity, we are building knowledge to make a lasting impact. Investing in our youth means investing in resilience, something that will carry forward from one community to the next.”

To learn more about the Kalla Foundation Resilience Scholarship and our other programs, please refer to the programs webpage on our website.

###

The Kalla Foundation is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping communities prepare for, respond to, and rebuild after disasters. To learn more, please visit https://kallafdn.org.