Best Wyandotte County Grants for Nonprofits in Kansas

Forever Friends Diana Lain Hughes Scholarship

The primary purpose of the Forever Friend Diana Lain Hughes Scholarship Fund is to provide annual scholarships to one or more graduating high school seniors or former graduates of the Shawnee Mission School District who demonstrate an interest in a career in teaching, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy or speech-language pathology.

Award

• $2,000

About Us

Mission

The mission of CKCF is Building Stronger Communities Through Charitable Giving. Located in Newton, CKCF is a host foundation to 18 affiliates in the central Kansas region, supporting rural philanthropy.

History

The CKCF based in Newton, Kansas is thriving as a viable community foundation serving Newton while also being host to numerous affiliate community foundations throughout central Kansas. The Central Kansas Community Foundation was originally founded in 1994. Following a stable history serving a tri-county area the foundation merged in 2009 with the well-established Greater Newton Community Foundation. Today, the CKCF continues to demonstrate a commitment to strengthening communities across the entire Central Kansas region.

Wayne Willis Foundation Scholarship Fund

The scholarship was established to provide financial assistance to current graduating high school seniors or college/graduate students who are furthering their careers through a degree in wildlife management or conservation of natural resources.

Charlotte Street

What We Do

• Provide annual cash awards, project based grants, special commissions and specific travel opportunities to visual and generative performing artists
• Provide free studios and performance and exhibition spaces to theater, dance, music, film/video and visual artists for the creation and presentation of new work
• Facilitate venues and opportunities for public exposure to these exhibitions and performances, and facilitate artistic collaboration and exchange
• Plan and collaborate on behalf of Kansas City artists and the arts community with philanthropic, business and civic leaders
• Engage national philanthropic and cultural leaders with Kansas City artists and the arts community

Creative Confluence Fund: Strengthening Arts-Engaged Organizations

ArtsKC, Charlotte Street, and the Hall Family Foundation are requesting proposals for capacity-building support for art-focused, small organizations (annual budget at or below $500,000) located or serving key geographic areas that represent a broad swath of art forms, offering accessible programming to our community. 

Selected organizations will represent diverse artistic disciplines and forms of social engagement and must provide accessible programming for communities in the geographic areas of the Historic Northeast, Eastside Kansas City, and Northeast Wyandotte County.

• Fifteen arts-engaged organizations will receive $15,000 in unrestricted funding per year for two years.
• ArtsKC will provide capacity-building assessments, subject matter experts, and project implementation support (value of up to $10,000 per year per organization).
• Grantees will be expected to work with ArtsKC to carry out their capacity-building initiatives as well as share learnings with other awardees in a cohort model, which may include artist awardees as well.
• Documentation, evaluation, and/or presentations on projects will be required.

This project seeks to build organizations’ long-term viability, including growing community engagement, stabilizing finances and personnel, identifying and resolving organizational needs, strategic planning, developing evaluation metrics and competencies, or other identified priorities. 

Charlotte Street

What We Do

• Provide annual cash awards, project based grants, special commissions and specific travel opportunities to visual and generative performing artists
• Provide free studios and performance and exhibition spaces to theater, dance, music, film/video and visual artists for the creation and presentation of new work
• Facilitate venues and opportunities for public exposure to these exhibitions and performances, and facilitate artistic collaboration and exchange
• Plan and collaborate on behalf of Kansas City artists and the arts community with philanthropic, business and civic leaders
• Engage national philanthropic and cultural leaders with Kansas City artists and the arts community

Creative Confluence Fund: Individual Artists

ArtsKC, Charlotte Street, and the Hall Family Foundation are requesting proposals for individual artist-led projects, serving key geographic areas that represent a broad swath of art forms and engaging with a particular civic issue in the neighborhood.

Selected artists must provide accessible programming for communities in the geographic areas of the Historic Northeast, Eastside Kansas City, and Northeast Wyandotte County.

• 10 artists will receive grants of $50,000 over a 2-year project period.

The artist application will have a two-step process. First, artists will send an LOI (Letter of Interest), which will be uploaded as a one-page letter and up to 5 digital images. Secondly, the finalist pool will be invited to submit a full application and invited for a brief in-person interview with the selection committee. Following the selection committee interviews, the 10 artists will be selected.

The Walser Foundation

Every car you buy or service at Walser fuels something bigger.

A portion of every sale supports the Walser Foundation, funding post-secondary education, career training, and workforce development initiatives. These programs help shape the next generation of innovators and change-makers in the communities we serve.

The Walser Foundation invests in brighter futures through grants, scholarships, and select sponsorships that empower generations with the stability and mobility to shape their own futures and the community around them.

Community Partners Grant

The Walser Foundation accepts grant applications from designated 501(c)3 organizations based in Minnesota and Kansas that focus on post-secondary education and workforce development.

Funding Priorities

The Walser Foundation is focused on existing grant partners in 2026. We are unable to accept new applicant inquiries until 2027. As we shift our giving focus to post-secondary education and workforce development, 2026 is a transition year dedicated to exiting and returning partners. Our giving will be directly aligned with the following areas:

• Career and technical education
• Career-connected learning opportunities
• College and career readiness
• Internships
• Job placement programs
• Scholarships
• Secondary and post-secondary education
• Technical apprenticeships