Search Through Community Services Grants in Kansas City, Kansas in the U.S.

What does this program do?

This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

What is an eligible area?

Rural areas including cities, villages, townships and towns including Federally Recognized Tribal Lands with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census Data are eligible for this program.

How may funds be used?

Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

• Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
• Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements.
• Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing.
• Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment.
• Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools.
• Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment.
• Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses.

Grant Approval

Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is provided on a graduated scale with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for projects with a higher proportion of grant funds. Grant assistance is limited to the following percentages of eligible project costs:

Maximum of 75 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 5,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 60 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 55 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 12,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 35 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 80 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 15 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 90 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income. The proposed project must meet both percentage criteria. Grants are further limited.

Community Involvement Program Guidelines

We believe that the well-being of our communities has a direct bearing on the success of Hallmark and our employees.

The mission of our Community Involvement Program is simple. We want to help create communities where:

• All children have the chance to grow up as healthy, productive and caring persons;
• Vibrant arts and cultural experiences enrich the lives of all citizens;
• There is a strong infrastructure of basic institutions and services, especially for persons in need; and
• All citizens feel a responsibility to serve their community.

Organizations that serve the communities where we operate facilities and that share this same mission may apply for the following types of support from Hallmark:

• Cash contributions for specific programs, capital improvements and, in some cases, operating support.
• Volunteer assistance. Organizations may request assistance in recruiting Hallmark employees for board membership, program services and other meaningful volunteer experiences. We cannot guarantee that Hallmark employees will agree to volunteer; volunteering is an individual, personal decision made by each employee.
• Product donations.
• Fundraising event sponsorship for organizations based in Kansas City only.

Cash contributions are provided by both Hallmark Cards, Inc., and the Hallmark Corporate Foundation, an endowed foundation funded solely by Hallmark. Although there are some legal restrictions on how funds from the Hallmark Corporate Foundation may be used, the Foundation supports the same mission and employs the same online application process.

Funding Priorities

We focus our grantmaking in a way that honors our founders’ intent and operates in alignment with our mission, vision, and values – to center our work on ensuring all people experience what is possible.

We understand that improving life for all requires an interconnected approach. Therefore, through our grantmaking we seek to increase economic opportunities of all, with an intentional focus on communities of color, those not earning a livable wage, and families experiencing poverty. Kansas City’s community needs will guide us as we work together to create stronger partnerships with communities, nonprofit partners, and foundation colleagues, in order to increase opportunities for all to succeed.

We believe that as we expand our reach and increase our impact through new, strengthened, and reimagined partnerships within our three impact areas, we will help build a community where an improved quality of life is equitable and enjoyable by all.

What we fund and the impact we seek

To achieve our vision of enabling all people in our community to experience what is possible; to achieve their greatest potential, and to create a bigger impact, our grantmaking will focus on three interconnected impact areas:

KC Spirit: Elevating Kansas City

• To ensure that greater Kansas City’s regional assets, cultural organizations, and sense of community make it a thriving and inclusive place to live.
• Make Kansas City stronger by embracing all in our stories & vision for the city through investments in regional assets, arts & culture, and community wide initiatives.

Prospering Communities: Increasing equity for all

• To support families through organizations and initiatives that take a holistic approach to reducing poverty and increasing equity and well-being.
• Communities prosper when there are equitable opportunities to access education, housing, employment, and health care. We prioritize investments that take systemic and comprehensive approaches to increasing opportunities for all to thrive in their neighborhoods of choice.
• Grantmaking focuses on economic inclusion – livable neighborhoods – healthcare – emergency and safety net services.

Growing Minds: Creating strong educational foundation for life

• We prioritize investments that improve outcomes and access to quality programming for children and their families in education.
• Grantmaking focuses on Pre-K, K-12, post-secondary, and wrap-around support services, in addition to out-of-classroom initiatives that address barriers to education and provide additional academic support.

ABOUT REACH

The REACH Healthcare Foundation is a charitable foundation dedicated to improving health coverage and access to quality, affordable health care for uninsured and medically underserved people. The foundation maintains a regional focus, with a six-county service area that encompasses Allen, Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, and Cass, Jackson and Lafayette counties in Missouri.

Historically, REACH has focused its community investments in areas including primary medical care, mental health, oral health, and health policy and advocacy. Our current funding priorities are outlined within a community investment framework, which describes the foundation’s three outcomes areas:

• Bridge the Coverage Divide,
• Close the Health Equity Gap 
• Strengthen the Safety Net

Each outcome area aligns with the foundation’s commitment to achieving equitable health outcomes throughout our six-county service area. These outcome areas, and the strategies within each, guide our work, partnerships and where we invest.

To maximize our resources, the foundation directs its grantmaking primarily toward strategies within three outcome areas. REACH staff is available to meet and discuss on an individual basis.

Collaborations

Collaborative efforts are eligible to apply provided the applicant organization meets the Foundation’s eligibility criteria and is exempt under Section 501(c)(3).

Since its inception, the Foundation, which is still led by Lester T. Sunderland's descendants, has focused on supporting construction projects, awarding grants to nonprofits in the Kansas City region and other markets traditionally served by the Ash Grove Cement Company. 

 The Foundation prefers to make grants for construction and special interest projects rather than for annual operating expenses. 

Grants for planning, design, construction, renovation, repairs and restoration of facilities are considered. Areas of interest include higher education, youth serving agencies, health facilities, community buildings, museums, civic projects and energy efficient affordable housing projects sponsored by qualified tax-exempt organizations. 

Funding Areas

In recent grant cycles, the Board of Trustees has awarded the majority of grants in four broadly defined areas:

Higher Education

In 2022, the Foundation awarded $49 million to more than 35 educational organizations. Grantees included community colleges, private colleges, and public universities.

Human Services

The Foundation awarded $30 million to human service nonprofits in 2022, and many grants in this area went to groups that provide essential services to youth and families. Grantees included a range of youth-focused groups, including Reconciliation Services, the Nebraska Youth Justice Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska and the Sno-Valley Senior Center in Carnation, Washington. 

Arts and Culture

Arts and culture projects received $23 million in 2022, including grants to the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Missouri, the Omaha Zoo and the Seattle Aquarium in Seattle, Washington. Health Care and Hospitals.

Health Care and Hospitals

This is a growing area of need in many communities the Foundation serves. In 2022, $65 million was awarded to hospitals and health-care groups to build and improve their facilities.

Chiefs Charity Game

The Hunt Family Foundation, formerly the Chiefs Children’s Fund, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by the Hunt family in 1983 to support charitable agencies in the greater Kansas City community. The Hunt Family Foundation is committed to making a positive impact on those in need in the communities where we live and work through philanthropy, programming and volunteerism. The Chiefs Charity Game is one of the largest of its kind in the National Football League.

The Kansas City Chiefs will select one organization to have the opportunity to be the beneficiary of the Chiefs Charity Game for next year. The chosen organization will receive 90% of the proceeds from the Chiefs Charity Game, with the remaining 10% of the proceeds dedicated to the sustainability of the Chiefs Charity Game and its future beneficiaries through the Hunt Family Foundation. Annually, the game raises approximately $400,000 - $600,000.

Description

The Chiefs Charity Game represents an opportunity for the selected organization to establish a signature partnership with the Kansas City Chiefs on a large-scale fundraising event. The selected beneficiary will solicit Chiefs Charity Game donors and sponsors from the selected organization’s existing individual and corporate donors as well as new donors. As the Chiefs Charity Game (and smaller game related events occurring throughout the year) will be the major fundraiser for the beneficiary, organizations should keep in mind that it may be difficult to appeal to your donor base for both the Chiefs Charity Game and other large fundraisers. Please note the date of the Chiefs Charity Game will not be announced until the team's schedule is released. The Chiefs Charity Game traditionally takes place in August each year.

The selected beneficiary will receive a minimum of 3,000 pre-season and regular season game tickets valued at $75,000. The charity will, in turn, be able to package those tickets with other Kansas City Chiefs assets to create multiple sponsorship opportunities for potential donors. Assets may include, but are not limited to, trips to Kansas City Chiefs road games, donated suites at Arrowhead Stadium, on-field pre-game opportunities and Training Camp VIP tent access.

The beneficiary will be required to devote at least one (1) full-time staff member to the game for the year prior to the game, and, at times, will need additional staff support to plan and carry out fundraising. The beneficiary will need full support from its board, one (1) or two (2) visionary event chairpersons and a volunteer base to assist with fundraising and other needs. 

The beneficiary will have the opportunity to use the Chiefs Charity Game logo within its promotional materials and will work with the Kansas City Chiefs to understand the expectations for fundraising activities, pre-game activities and game day.  A more detailed Memorandum of Understanding that establishes the responsibilities of the beneficiary and the Kansas City Chiefs will be executed prior to the announcement of the selected organization.

The Kansas City Chiefs will select an organization to be the beneficiary for the Chiefs Charity Game. The selected organization will continue to be the beneficiary for up to two additional years so long as the conditions of the partnership are met each year.

Increasing access to essential goods and services in downtown or main street districts as well as other non-residential buildings in the community, this program funds the removal of architectural barriers that restrict the accessibility or mobility of elderly or severely disabled adults.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding is one of the few non-local public resources available to help pay for ADA Improvements in public and private buildings.

$500,000 has been allocated for the ADA Improvement Program in 2024. Communities can receive up to $50,000 per building, or up to $200,000 for a city-wide project. Administration costs are limited to $10,000 for a single building, or $20,000 for a city-wide project.

What is Impact 100?

The Impact 100 represents organizations working to meet the most critical health and human service needs facing our region today. Each nonprofit must meet a high bar of organizational accountability in terms of finances, governance and community impact. Selected organizations are diverse in human service domains, geographic reach, and populations served.

United Way of Greater Kansas City is seeking proposals from area nonprofit organizations that are part the community’s health and human service ecosystem for inclusion in the 2025 United Way Impact 100, a network of high-impact health and human service providers supported by United Way of Greater Kansas City.

Impact 100 Funding Opportunity

Organizations selected for the Impact 100 receive a one-year, unrestricted grant in support of the organization’s mission. In addition, grantee organizations become part of United Way’s network, gaining exposure to United Way’s community of donors and corporate partners. In weighing whether to apply for this opportunity, organizations should consider their alignment with areas of investment across the three pillars of Health, Education and Financial Stability, as described in United Way’s Community Needs Index as well as selection criteria and related goals established by United Way to ensure the greatest impact across the region.

United Way Areas of Community Investment and Program Demographic Reporting

United Way awards a single, unrestricted grant to organizations that are selected for the Impact 100. To ensure that United Way leaders understand and communicate effectively about the impact of that investment, United Way also collects a limited amount of programmatic data from applicant organizations. Specifically, you are asked to complete a program demographic form for your organization’s top three programs (or 1 or 2, if you have fewer than three) and provide participant demographic data for each. In this form, you are asked to provide a brief description of the program and select up to two program categories with which the program aligns. The categories appear in a drop-down menu in the program demographic form:

• Access to Healthcare and Supportive Services
• Aging and Senior Support Services
• Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Intervention & Treatment
• Child Welfare
• Community and Family Violence Prevention and Intervention
• Early Childhood Education and Development
• Financial Stability and Employment
• Food and Nutrition Security
• Housing Security
• Services for Individuals with Disabilities
• Supports for People with Involvement in the Justice System
• Youth Development, K-12 Academic Supports and Postsecondary Pathways

Overall Portfolio Criteria

In addition to the above criteria for assessing individual applicants, United Way’s selection of Impact 100 grantees will also be guided by the following goals in ensuring a broad-based and inclusive portfolio of grantees that, together, improve the quality of life for all people across the region.

• United Way strives to invest in a wide variety of strategies and approaches to improving community conditions, including programming that responds to immediate critical needs and preventative strategies to prevent critical needs from emerging, as well as both direct-service programming and systems-level approaches.
• United Way is committed to investing in a wide range of health and human service domains, addressing community needs across the three pillars of Health, Education and Financial Stability. 
• United Way supports a wide range of organizations, in terms of scope and scale—including multicounty organizations and those with a narrow geographic focus; those with large budgets, as well as small- and medium-sized budgets; and those that provide a single service as well as those with a multi-faceted set of services.
• United Way is committed to maximizing the impact of its investments.
  • This means reaching as many lives as possible through those investments.
  • We also consider the depth of impact and recognize that some organizations serve a small number of people but make a deep and lasting impact.
  • We strive to strike a balance between these considerations when selecting Impact 100 grantees.

Not every organization that aligns with United Way’s interest areas and effectively meets selection criteria will be able to receive funding. Organizations that are not selected for the Impact 100 will be eligible for donor-directed giving and, as such, will have the opportunity for inclusion in United Way’s broader network of community partners.

The Menorah Heritage Foundation is guided by the following principles in awarding grants:

• Perpetuate the Jewish Community
• Anticipate and adapt to changing needs
• Invest in transformational change
• Address critical/severe needs
• Support meaningful programs that benefit the Greater Kansas City Community

The Menorah Heritage Foundation seeks to support organizations who:

• Maintain a history of compassion and excellence
• Address the needs and represent the interests and viewpoints of their clients
• Possess the leadership, management, efficiencies and resources necessary to achieve the organizational objectives
• Collaborate with other providers whenever feasible and appropriate
• Establish financial stability and present a sense of awareness regarding the details of operations

Healthy For Life Cycle

Our Healthy for Life Cycle supports strategies that proactively improve health and wellness by fostering transformational change in individual and community behaviors, with a particular focus on disparities in under resourced communities.  The ideal grant in this category would address at least one identified social determinant of health and holistically impact mind, body and spirit. Successful grant applications include programs or projects which remove barriers to self-actualization and often reflect different types of social entrepreneurship.

In this cycle, we provide seed money to early-stage and/or innovative strategies to develop impact and supporting data necessary to draw other philanthropic and/or governmental resources as the strategies mature.  Healthy for Life grants serve as a limited term source of financial support for the creation and initial establishment of such proactive initiatives.  Organizations who are interested in applying in our Healthy for Life Cycle should contact our Program Officer, Kim Lewis, to schedule a preliminary conversation.

The Helen S Boylan Foundation

The mission of the Helen S. Boylan Foundation is to enhance the quality of life in our communities of Carthage, Missouri, the Greater Kansas City Area, and Lindale, Texas. We actively distribute quarterly grants to local non-profit organizations serving arts & education, women & children, health & wellness and the beautification of our communities.

Grant Guidelines

The Helen S. Boylan Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1982 to continue the family tradition of commitment to enhancing the quality of life of the community through grants to qualified charitable organizations. In carrying out its mission, the Foundation considers a wide range of proposals within the following areas: arts, education, health, human services, environment, and public interest.

ArtsKC Grants are investments in people, programs, and projects that make the arts more accessible, sustain a vibrant arts community, and recognize excellence, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the arts. Disciplines include visual, dance, music, theater, poetry, and interdisciplinary art.

Inspiration Grants

Inspiration grants are project grants for individual artists or small groups of artists. The purpose of these grants is to support ambitious projects of risk, growth, and change for the artist and/or projects that make a positive impact on the community. Visual, dance, music, theater, literature/poetry, fashion, film, and interdisciplinary art applications are welcome. ArtsKC made 12 grants totaling $30,000 in Spring 2024. 14% of applicants received a grant.

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

What is an eligible area?

Rural Business Development Grant money must be used for projects that benefit rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Check eligible areas. 

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. There are two types of RBDG projects, Opportunity grants and Enterprise grants.

• Opportunity type grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.
• Enterprise type grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application.

How may Enterprise type funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports, or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Rural distance learning for job training and advancement for adult students.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

How may Opportunity type funds be used?

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.

Youth Civic Engagement Mini-Grant 

Research shows that youth civic engagement is critical for a variety of reasons. Youth engagement can lead to increased academic performance and improved social-emotional well-being. It builds safe and inclusive school and community cultures and decreases dropout rates. When young people develop healthy civic habits, skills, and commitments, they become more active in community decision-making which leads to broader representation and beneficial to communities.

Young people have unique perspectives on local issues, they often bring new ideas to the table, and they can be an unlimited source of energy and passion for social change. There are troubling opportunity gaps and inequities—by race, gender, education, socioeconomic status, and many other factors—that prevent individuals and communities from thriving. One source of this inequality is underrepresentation in civic and political life as a result of marginalization or oppression. Too often voices go unheard, problems go unaddressed, and a circle of disengagement and neglect perpetuates injustice. Focusing on youth civic engagement is a critical task in the work to promote a more just and equitable society. In addition, by starting participation early (grades K-12), individuals and communities can yield long-term benefits by creating a habit of civic engagement that lasts a lifetime (Adapted from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement).

To support this purpose, the Kansas Volunteer Commission, a program of the Kansas State Department of Education, announces the availability of grant funds to support the civic engagement of youth in grades K-12. For this grant, applicants must engage youth in the planning and implementation of grant activities. 

Examples of such projects include, but are not limited to:

• Develop service-learning activities or lead a community service project.
• Start or support a program to help youth placement in advisory roles on local boards.
• Develop opportunities for underrepresented youth to share their voice.
• Encourage a governance shadowing project where youth are paired with local community representatives.
• Start or support a program that encourages youth to attend and participate in regular public commission and school district meetings.

Supported projects and training must be nonpartisan and must encourage an informed and vibrant democracy without promoting particular political parties or policies

Funding

The Kansas Volunteer Commission will make available up to $30,000 in grants and expects to award up to $5,000.00 per eligible entity. 

The Menorah Heritage Foundation is guided by the following principles in awarding grants:

• Perpetuate the Jewish Community
• Anticipate and adapt to changing needs
• Invest in transformational change
• Address critical/severe needs
• Support meaningful programs that benefit the Greater Kansas City Community

The Menorah Heritage Foundation seeks to support organizations who:

• Maintain a history of compassion and excellence
• Address the needs and represent the interests and viewpoints of their clients
• Possess the leadership, management, efficiencies and resources necessary to achieve the organizational objectives
• Collaborate with other providers whenever feasible and appropriate
• Establish financial stability and present a sense of awareness regarding the details of operations

The Menorah Heritage Foundation seeks to support organizations who:

• Maintain a history of compassion and excellence
• Address the needs and represent the interests and viewpoints of their clients
• Possess the leadership, management, efficiencies and resources necessary to achieve the organizational objectives
• Collaborate with other providers whenever feasible and appropriate
• Establish financial stability and present a sense of awareness regarding the details of operations

Unrestricted Operating Support Cycle

Our Unrestricted Operating Support Cycle provides mission-based operating support through unrestricted grants to organizations providing emergency assistance, shelter, safety-net health care, child welfare and youth services and other critical human services. This unrestricted funding may be used for organizational expenses which are part of a board-approved annual budget, including administrative salaries, employee benefits, utilities, office supplies and equipment, technology, rent and professional development. Eligible organizations must be based in and provide the majority of their services in the metro Kansas City area.  

Examples of General Community Core funding might include the following:

• Audit expenses
• Rent
• Utilities
• Office Equipment
• Technology Upgrades and Training
• Benefits and Insurance

The Menorah Heritage Foundation is guided by the following principles in awarding grants:

• Perpetuate the Jewish Community
• Anticipate and adapt to changing needs
• Invest in transformational change
• Address critical/severe needs
• Support meaningful programs that benefit the Greater Kansas City Community

The Menorah Heritage Foundation seeks to support organizations who:

• Maintain a history of compassion and excellence
• Address the needs and represent the interests and viewpoints of their clients
• Possess the leadership, management, efficiencies and resources necessary to achieve the organizational objectives
• Collaborate with other providers whenever feasible and appropriate
• Establish financial stability and present a sense of awareness regarding the details of operations

Jewish Community Cycle

Our Jewish Community cycle includes grants for the following:

• Health focused grants programs which promote short-term and long-term physical or mental health. This category also includes healthcare-related social services. Examples include: nutrition counseling and food assistance, health education, medication assistance, social work services, support for providers of physical or mental health services. MHF maintains specific sources of funding set aside for health focused programs.
• Programs which foster or maintain a vibrant Jewish community. Examples include: Jewish education programs, transportation to Jewish communal social activities, initiatives focused on Jewish persons age 33 and younger, efforts that promote a literate and educated Jewish community, programs that serve older adults.
• Core support for organizations in the Jewish Community (maximum grant request of $10,000). Applicants for core support may not submit program grant requests.

Program Grants: In order to determine the appropriate grant request amount, our Program Officer will contact you to schedule a site visit and discuss your grant. In prior years, grantees had to contact MHF, but we expect this to simplify our process.

Core Operating Support Grants: $10,000 maximum grant request

Committed to your community.

The Patterson Family Foundation, based in Kansas City, Missouri, is a family-led foundation that extends the legacy of Neal and Jeanne Patterson. The Foundation’s mission, “Working together to help rural communities thrive,” is carried forward through strategic grantmaking and other collaborative initiatives that serve rural counties across Kansas and western Missouri.

Our Mission

Working together to help rural communities thrive.

Strategies for Thriving Rural Communities

At the Patterson Family Foundation, we believe that thriving rural communities aren’t just about the numbers—they’re about the people who choose to live there. A strong and engaged community is built on essentials like access to good jobs, quality healthcare, educational opportunities, and a sense of belonging. But keeping rural communities strong doesn’t happen on its own—it takes all of us working together. That’s why we focus on working with local leaders, businesses, and organizations to invest in the areas that matter most, ensuring that rural places don’t just get by but thrive for generations to come.

Specialty Care Access

Funding to bring specialty medical services closer to rural communities. Specialty care may include, but is not limited to, maternal care, oncology, chronic conditions, dental, and mental/behavioral health.

Challenge Overview

Indigenous innovation is as diverse and expansive as Indigenous communities, with entrepreneurs harnessing traditional knowledge systems, values, and teachings to reimagine and renew what is possible in their communities and beyond. Across the past seven years of the Fellowship, Indigenous innovators spanning the United States and Canada have demonstrated a long legacy of ingenuity, self-determination, and community-first organizing. Whether working in the fields to deploy food sovereignty programming, or behind a computer developing algorithms for community benefit—at the core of the Fellows’ work is the intersection of tech-enabled and culturally grounded solutions.

Central to modern Indigenous innovation in the United States and Canada is the importance of Indigenous peoples generating, modifying, and controlling their own technologies for the sake of their communities. With this in mind, Indigenous innovators continue to harness traditional knowledge and technology to solve some of the greatest challenges facing our shared earth, driving solutions to promote energy, food, and data sovereignty, climate resilience, Indigenous business, culturally grounded education, and positive physical and mental health outcomes. While this innovation flourishes at the community level it’s incumbent upon organizations such as Solve to catalyze resources and support for these outstanding change-makers.

MIT Solve seeks exceptional innovators supporting community-based solutions by or for Indigenous communities across the United States and Canada with a particular interest in solutions that:

• Strengthen sustainable energy sovereignty and support climate resilience initiatives by and for Indigenous peoples.
• Develop tools to promote Indigenous sovereignty, including the ethical use of AI and data technologies, culturally aligned digital infrastructure, or access to economic opportunity.
• Drive positive outcomes for Indigenous learners of any age and context through culturally grounded educational opportunities.

What resources does the Solve program provide?

• Funding
  • $10,000 prize from Solve
  • Access to a pool of +$1.5M in prize funding at selection and additional funding opportunities throughout the program and after.
• Nine-month support program
  • Tailored capacity-building workshops covering marketing, public relations, monitoring and evaluation, business model, and more; 
  • Leadership coaching; 
  • Access to in-kind and pro bono resources such as software licenses and legal services; 
  • Monitoring and evaluation support to build an impact measurement practice; 
  • A powerful network of impact-minded leaders across industries and sectors, including MIT, with dedicated spaces to meet year-round; 
  • Attendance at two flagship events in New York City in September and Cambridge in May; 
  • Exposure in the media and speaking opportunities at conferences; 
  • Connections with past Solver teams for peer-to-peer support, inspiration, and guidance

Prizes

MIT Solve - Solver Award

All Solver teams selected for Solve’s Global Challenges and the Indigenous Communities Fellowship will receive a $10,000 grant funded by Solve.

The Seeding The Future Food Systems Prize

The Seeding the Future Food Systems Prize is open to high impact innovations focusing on transforming food systems to be more sustainable, and to enable equitable access to safe and nutritious food that is affordable and trusted. Solutions benefitting underserved communities, countries or regions are encouraged to apply. Up to $150,000 will be awarded to two or more high impact solutions selected for any of Solve’s current Global Challenges. This prize is supported by the Seeding The Future Foundation, a private nonprofit organization that seeds and supports innovative solutions to help improve the global food system.

The E Ink Innovation Prize

The E Ink Innovation Prize is open to solutions that currently utilize or propose to utilize ePaper materials, technology, or displays to address problems of global importance in any of Solve’s areas of impact, including topics such as architecture, education, or intercultural understanding. The prize is funded by E Ink, a corporation that advances healthy solutions and a sustainable future using ultra low power, daylight readable displays. Up to $100,000 will be awarded to up to four Solver teams selected for any of the current Global Challenges or Solve’s existing portfolio of alumni teams. E Ink may also opt to provide materials and technical support to its prize recipients.

The AI for Humanity Prize

The AI for Humanity Prize is open to solutions leveraging data science, artificial intelligence, and/or machine learning to benefit humanity. The prize is made possible by The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a philanthropy committed to advancing AI and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. Up to $150,000 will be awarded across several Solver teams from any of the current Global Challenges.

The GM Prize

The GM Prize is open to solutions that help create smart, safe, and sustainable communities around the world. The Prize is funded by General Motors, which is working toward becoming the most inclusive company in the world and is dedicated to making STEM education more accessible and equitable. Up to $150,000 will be awarded across up to six Solver teams from the Global Learning Challenge, the Global Climate Challenge, and the Indigenous Communities Fellowship.

The Citizens Workforce Innovation Prize

The Citizens Workforce Innovation Prize seeks to accelerate the development of solutions that will prepare people for today’s opportunities and the workplace of the future, advance new ways of working, and drive economic impact within communities. Funded by Citizens, the prize furthers the company’s commitment to helping communities meet today’s demands while positioning themselves well for the future. Up to $100,000 will be awarded to up to four Solver teams across all Global Challenges or Solve's portfolio of alumni teams. Preference will be given to solutions that can be implemented to address workforce development challenges in Boston, MA and New York, NY that also have scaling potential to other geographies.

The Community Innovation Prize

The Community Innovation Prize is open to innovative solutions for communities by communities. Up to $200,000, as well as custom workshops addressing innovator needs will be awarded to up to four Solver teams who are current or past Solvers across Solve's US Equity portfolio. Preference will be given to innovator teams based in or implementing/planning to implement in Chicago, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Houston, New York City, and/or Philadelphia in the areas of Health, Economic Prosperity, Climate, or Indigenous Communities.

Mader Foundation Grant

The Edward G. and Kathryn E. Mader Foundation funds programs that support children in Greater Kansas City.

Bank of America

Program Focus Areas

Through our support of charitable organizations, we strive both to strengthen the fabric of the community and to reflect the diverse interests of our donors. We award grants for a broad array of charitable purposes in the following five areas: arts, culture, and humanities; education; health; human services; and capacity building and infrastructure development.

Taylor S. Abernathy & Patti Harding Abernathy Charitable Trust

The Taylor S. Abernathy & Patti Harding Abernathy Charitable Trust was established in 1988 to support religious, charitable, scientific and educational purposes. To that end, the trust provides grants that support and promote quality educational, cultural, human services and health care programming. The Abernathy Charitable Trust generally supports organizations that serve residents of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan area.

Mission

The Guy I. Bromley Trust was established in 1964 to support and promote quality educational, cultural, human services and health care programming. The Bromley Trust supports organizations that serve the residents of Atchison, Kansas and the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan area.

Program type

• Arts, Culture, & Humanities;
• Community Improvement & Capacity Building;
• Education;
• Health;
• Human Services

Sisters' Circle Fund - Greater Kansas City

Established in 2016, the Sisters’ Circle's mission is to increase charitable giving within African American communities to benefit African American communities in the Greater Kansas City area. Annually, the Sister’s Circle Fund provides grants to nonprofit organizations who work with intention to improve the quality of life, or provide services of significant value to the Kansas City region’s African American communities.

About Us

The SkillBuilders Fund was created in 1983 by the late Marjorie Powell Allen, a civic leader and philanthropist, who championed women’s causes and education, as well as many other community-building activities.

The SkillBuilders Fund is committed to preparing women and girls for a future that honors their individual potential. Our goal is to support organizations that are aware of the barriers that keep women and girls from achieving their full potential and design programs that will systematically improve women and girls’ lives.

Funding Priorities

This private foundation is especially interested in innovative means to help women and girls gain self-sufficiency, build their capacity to function in our society, and become responsible citizens. SkillBuilders Fund funds projects that exclusively serve women and girls in the Kansas City region. The Fund favors projects that provide educational opportunities, build entrepreneurial skills, and cultivate and foster women and girls’ leadership. Proposals from new as well as traditional organizations will be considered.

Funding

Grants will typically range from $20,000 – $50,000 and may on rare occasion exceed $50,000. Multi-year grants will not be considered.

Mission

The John W. Speas & Effie E. Speas Memorial Trust was established in 1943 to support and promote quality educational, cultural, human services and health care programming. The Speas Memorial Trust supports organizations that serve the residents of Greater Kansas City Metropolitan area.

Grant requests for general operating support and program support will be considered. 

Program type

The Gould Charitable Foundation  is a philanthropic trust created as a memorial to the late Robert L. Gould.

About Us

Our mission is to assist organizations in improving the communities where Mr. Gould lived and worked--the greater metropolitan areas of Boston and Kansas City--by making grants to fund projects at 501(c)(3) charitable organizations whose vision and goals are aligned with our areas of interest.

Gould Charitable Foundation Grant

We are currently most interested in funding programs in the following areas (in alphabetic order):

• Elder Services
• Environmental Stewardship
• Health Care
• Preservation of Personal Rights
• Training for the Disadvantaged
• Welfare and Education of Children
• Women's Issues

You are encouraged to visit our FAQ page for information about the characteristics of projects we are more likely to fund and for suggestions for submitting a well-received application.

We have particular interest in funding innovative projects rather than ongoing maintenance or capital campaigns, with priority given to moderately-sized projects for which the foundation's contribution can comprise a significant portion of the project's budget. We also give priority to projects that have high leveraging potential in terms of expansion and/or replication, and projects that will provide ongoing value past the grant year.

Background

Aging in community is a concept that promotes interconnected relationships and supports for older adults to safely remain living in their chosen home and community to avoid prematurely entering institutional care due to the need for modest additional resources.

Our Aging in Community Cycle provides three types of grants to organizations and programs that support older adults aging in community. First, we award unrestricted operating grants to organizations which exclusively or primarily support older adults aging in community by providing social and civic engagement, home adaptations/repairs, access to healthy food, physical activity and/or learning opportunities. This unrestricted funding may be used for organizational expenses which are part of a board-approved annual budget, including administrative salaries, employee benefits, utilities, office supplies and equipment, technology, and professional development.

Second, we award grants to programs which exclusively serve older adults aging in community, even though the sponsoring organization is not primarily senior focused. This funding must be used only for the specific program supporting aging in community.

Third, from time to time and by invitation only, we award special project grants to provide seed money to early-stage and/or innovative strategies which address specific challenges of aging in community in the KC metro area. Organizations who are interested in applying for a special project grant should contact our Program Officer, Kim Lewis, to schedule a preliminary conversation.

The Menorah Heritage Foundation is guided by the following principles in awarding grants:

• Perpetuate the Jewish Community
• Anticipate and adapt to changing needs
• Invest in transformational change
• Address critical/severe needs
• Support meaningful programs that benefit the Greater Kansas City Community

The Menorah Heritage Foundation seeks to support organizations who:

• Maintain a history of compassion and excellence
• Address the needs and represent the interests and viewpoints of their clients
• Possess the leadership, management, efficiencies and resources necessary to achieve the organizational objectives
• Collaborate with other providers whenever feasible and appropriate
• Establish financial stability and present a sense of awareness regarding the details of operations

Older Adult Cycle

Our Older Adult Grants include special initiatives and core operating support.

Special Initiatives are invited proposals only that seek to convene regional stakeholders addressing the important issues facing older adults who wish to age in community. These issues include housing, care giving, transportation, and social/civic enjoyment.

Our Older Adult core operating grants support core operating expenses for organizations that provide programs and services promoting social and civic engagement of older adults. Core operating support is defined as expenses incurred for day-to-day operations such as: Utilities, accounting services, audit, technology, facility maintenance, professional development.

Older Adult Special Initiative Grants are limited to invited, collaborative proposals that convene Kansas City metro area stakeholders addressing important issues facing older adults who wish to age in community. These issues include, but are not limited to, access to community based services (healthcare, housing, care management, transportation, etc.) and social/civic engagement.

CHS Inc

CHS (fomerly is a leading global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the United States. Diversified in energy, agronomy, grains and foods, CHS is committed to creating connections to empower agriculture, helping its farmer-owners, customers and other stakeholders grow their businesses through its domestic and global operations. CHS supplies energy, crop nutrients, seed, crop protection products, grain marketing services, production and agricultural services, animal nutrition products, foods and food ingredients, and risk management services. The company operates petroleum refineries and pipelines and manufactures, markets and distributes Cenex® brand refined fuels, lubricants, propane and renewable energy products. 

CHS invests in programs that strengthen hometown communities and develop future generations of ag leaders through CHS community giving and the CHS Foundation. These initiatives support CHS sustainability efforts and long-term focus on people and rural communities

CHS community giving serves cooperative communities through support of cooperative matching grants, Twin Cities projects, volunteerism and industry support.

CHS Foundation

The CHS Foundation builds ag career pathways and educates rural youth through support of ag safety.

Teacher Grants

The CHS Foundation will award up to $50,000 to help teachers to implement a project at their school that will engage students in experiential agricultural education. We know teachers have big ideas we want to help bring those to life for students in rural communities.

Our Vision

We envision a senior population, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, who are respected as a vital segment of the community. 

Our Mission

To enhance and improve the quality of life for older adults by funding unmet basic needs in the Greater Kansas City area.

George H. Nettleton Foundation GrantNew or existing programs are considered; they may be service-related or for capital improvements. Average amount of annual grant per agency is typically less than $100,000. Maximum duration of funding is two years.