Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Something doesn't add up in Letcher County — and tonight, we're following the money.
A nonprofit called the EKY Heritage Foundation has been active in Eastern Kentucky, connected to federal AMLER dollars meant to revitalize our coal communities.
But when you look at their numbers, $39,655 in revenue against nearly $283,000 in expenses — somebody has to be asking where the rest is coming from.
Tonight on Hillbilly Crime, we're asking that question out loud. With receipts.
WHAT WE'RE COVERING TONIGHT:
What the AMLER program is and how much federal money flows into Kentucky every year — and who's supposed to be watching it
The EKY Heritage Foundation: who they are, what they claim to do, and what their own IRS filings reveal
Federal audit findings from the OSMRE Office of Inspector General — problems found at the state level that open a much bigger question about what's happening downstream
A deep look at their financials — nearly $283,000 in expenses on less than $40,000 in reported revenue, and $183,767 sent to SOAR for tourism in a single year
The oversight gap: how money moves from federal agencies to states to nonprofits — and where accountability disappears
The 7 questions we are formally pursuing, and how YOU can help us get answers
KEY FACTS FOR TONIGHT'S INVESTIGATION:
EKY Heritage Foundation — Fast Facts
Organization: EKY Heritage Foundation
Status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit — Whitesburg, Letcher County, KY
Formed: 2019
EIN: 83-4087615
Executive Director: Jeffery Justice (per IRS Form 990)
2024 Reported Revenues: $39,655
2024 Reported Expenses: $282,992
2023 Grant to SOAR (tourism): $183,767
2023 Grant to Cajun Navy (flood relief): $39,600
Kentucky AMLER allocation (FY2026): ~$29.5 million/year
Kentucky AMLER allocation (FY2025): ~$28.67 million
AMLER program in operation: 2016–present under federal law
GOT A TIP OR DOCUMENTS?
📧 Email: hillbillycrime@gmail.com
We protect our sources. If you have documents related to EKY Heritage Foundation, AMLER subgrants, or Letcher County financials — we want to hear from you.
FOIA YOUR OWN COUNTY:
Kentucky Open Records Act requests can be filed by any citizen — no lawyer needed.
Ask us in the chat tonight and we'll point you in the right direction.
Hillbilly Crime is a grassroots investigative journalism channel rooted in Appalachian Eastern Kentucky.
We follow the money, file the records requests, and tell the truth — plain-speak, no agenda except accountability.
#HillbillyCrime #EasternKentucky #AMLER #AppalachianJustice #LetcherCounty #InvestigativeJournalism #GrassrootsMedia #EKYHeritageFoundation #FollowTheMoney #KentuckyPolitics #CoalCountry #AppalachiaRising #WhistleblowerNation #Appalachia #CommunityAccountability #Whitesburg #NonprofitAccountability #FederalFunds #PublicRecords #OSMRE #KDAML #SOAR #AbandonedMineLands #EKY #AppalachianKentucky
🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 streamyard.com/pal/d/5077529659834368
Something doesn't add up in Letcher County — and tonight, we're following the money.
A nonprofit called the EKY Heritage Foundation has been active in Eastern Kentucky, connected to federal AMLER dollars meant to revitalize our coal communities.
But when you look at their numbers, $39,655 in revenue against nearly $283,000 in expenses — somebody has to be asking where the rest is coming from.
Tonight on Hillbilly Crime, we're asking that question out loud. With receipts.
WHAT WE'RE COVERING TONIGHT:
What the AMLER program is and how much federal money flows into Kentucky every year — and who's supposed to be watching it
The EKY Heritage Foundation: who they are, what they claim to do, and what their own IRS filings reveal
Federal audit findings from the OSMRE Office of Inspector General — problems found at the state level that open a much bigger question about what's happening downstream
A deep look at their financials — nearly $283,000 in expenses on less than $40,000 in reported revenue, and $183,767 sent to SOAR for tourism in a single year
The oversight gap: how money moves from federal agencies to states to nonprofits — and where accountability disappears
The 7 questions we are formally pursuing, and how YOU can help us get answers
KEY FACTS FOR TONIGHT'S INVESTIGATION:
EKY Heritage Foundation — Fast Facts
Organization: EKY Heritage Foundation
Status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit — Whitesburg, Letcher County, KY
Formed: 2019
EIN: 83-4087615
Executive Director: Jeffery Justice (per IRS Form 990)
2024 Reported Revenues: $39,655
2024 Reported Expenses: $282,992
2023 Grant to SOAR (tourism): $183,767
2023 Grant to Cajun Navy (flood relief): $39,600
Kentucky AMLER allocation (FY2026): ~$29.5 million/year
Kentucky AMLER allocation (FY2025): ~$28.67 million
AMLER program in operation: 2016–present under federal law
GOT A TIP OR DOCUMENTS?
📧 Email: hillbillycrime@gmail.com
We protect our sources. If you have documents related to EKY Heritage Foundation, AMLER subgrants, or Letcher County financials — we want to hear from you.
FOIA YOUR OWN COUNTY:
Kentucky Open Records Act requests can be filed by any citizen — no lawyer needed.
Ask us in the chat tonight and we'll point you in the right direction.
Hillbilly Crime is a grassroots investigative journalism channel rooted in Appalachian Eastern Kentucky.
We follow the money, file the records requests, and tell the truth — plain-speak, no agenda except accountability.
#HillbillyCrime #EasternKentucky #AMLER #AppalachianJustice #LetcherCounty #InvestigativeJournalism #GrassrootsMedia #EKYHeritageFoundation #FollowTheMoney #KentuckyPolitics #CoalCountry #AppalachiaRising #WhistleblowerNation #Appalachia #CommunityAccountability #Whitesburg #NonprofitAccountability #FederalFunds #PublicRecords #OSMRE #KDAML #SOAR #AbandonedMineLands #EKY #AppalachianKentucky
🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 streamyard.com/pal/d/5077529659834368
