For funders & partners
Invest in a place that has never stopped showing up
A century of mountain gathering — from Carcassonne Boarding School in 1924 to a volunteer-run community center since 1969 — in one of the most under-resourced counties in the country. Here is what we do, what we need, and what your investment would build.
Organization snapshot
Carcassonne Community Center, Inc.
- Status
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit
- EIN
- Available on request
- Boarding school
- July 1924
- Incorporated
- 1969
- Location
- 225 Square Dance Rd, Blackey, KY 41804
- Service area
- Letcher County, Kentucky
- Primary contact
- Michael Caudill, Chairman · admin@carcassonnecommunitycenter.org
102
Years serving Letcher County
What began as a one room boarding school in 1924 grew into and was Incorporated in 1969 and operating continuously since.
A Bunch!
Years of continuous square dance
Kentucky's longest running square dance.
~1000+
Visitors welcomed each year
Come out and be apart of the fun!
~20+
Events hosted each year
Square Dances, Rentals, Community Meals, and many community rooted programming.
~1000+
Volunteer hours contributed
The center is volunteer-run and part of the public domain.
~50+
Youth reached through music programs
Pick & Bow and related programming.
The case
Why Carcassonne
This schoolhouse first opened as Carcassonne Boarding School in July 1924. The Carcassonne Community Center, Inc. was incorporated in 1969 to work for the general community and for the betterment of the Carcassonne area of Letcher County, Kentucky — keeping that century of gathering going under the same roof. It is community-owned, community-governed, and operated by an unpaid council of six.
In a county facing population loss, economic transition, and repeated catastrophic flooding, this building is one of the few remaining places where the whole community can physically assemble. It hosts Kentucky's longest running square dance, funeral dinners, reunions, workshops, and disaster-response gatherings — often for free, always without paid staff.
Our constraint is not demand or volunteer commitment. It is infrastructure: an aging building, limited accessibility, and no operating cushion. Targeted capital and capacity investment converts decades of volunteer equity into a facility that can serve the next century as faithfully as the last.
Expansion priorities
What we're raising for
Ranked by urgency. We are glad to scope any of these to a funder's priorities or fund a discrete phase.
Expansion priorities will appear here once added from the admin dashboard.
Due diligence
Documents
- IRS 501(c)(3) Determination LetterOn request
Federal tax-exempt status confirmation.
- W-9On request
Current signed W-9 for grant disbursement.
- Board of Directors ListOn request
Current council roster with roles and terms.
- Annual Operating BudgetOn request
Most recent approved operating budget.
- Annual ReportOn request
Programs, attendance, and outcomes for the most recent year.
- Financial StatementsOn request
Most recent financial review or audit.
- Logo & Brand PackOn request
Logos and usage guidance for funder recognition.
- High-Resolution PhotographyOn request
Print-quality images for funder publications.
Anything not posted here is available on request — email admin@carcassonnecommunitycenter.org.
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