UMB Bank deposits $350K supporting The Porter House KC; $1.25M in year-end KC donations to benefit underserved communities
December 21, 2021 | Startland News Staff
A hefty, end-of-year donation from UMB Bank will provide The Porter House KC an opportunity to dig deeper in assisting local entrepreneurs, said Daniel Smith, expressing appreciation for the $350,000 boost.
“These resources will be used to continue our current work and implement another program that will assist small businesses with direct support, creating additional inroads to success,” said Smith, co-founder and principal of The Porter House KC.
Charon Thompson and Dan Smith, The Porter House KC
Click here to read more about what drives Smith and co-founder Charon Thompson, who were recognized for their work at The Porter House KC as two of Startland News’ 2021 Kansas City Community Builders to Watch.
The donation from Kansas City-based UMB Bank is part of a $1.25 million gift to three organizations supporting underserved communities’ housing needs, small business efforts, and education and emerging talent in Kansas City. KC Scholars is expected to receive $500,000, while CHES, Inc. is set for $400,000. (The Porter House KC is itself a program of CHES, Inc., but is receiving an individual donation.)
“For more than a century, UMB has actively supported each community we serve,” said Mariner Kemper, chairman, president and CEO of UMB Financial Corporation. “We’ve had a strong year, and we want to share this success by giving much needed funding to key organizations within our communities. We’re thrilled to support these outstanding community partners and the tremendous work they’re already doing. We hope to see the impact of these dollars for years to come.”
CHES, Inc. is a HUD approved housing counseling and financial empowerment organization dedicated to helping clients maintain the knowledge and skills needed for long-term credit, financial and homeownership success. The UMB Bank donation will support CHES, Inc. programs including CHES Financial Empowerment and Kansas City Bank On.
The Porter House KC is an inner city based co-working community that provides entrepreneurship access and resources to underserved populations in the Kansas City Metro area. The organization resolves to assist in the representation of entrepreneurs of color by providing an affordable business space that can be used to grow an idea to a full-fledged business.
Click here to learn more about The Porter House KC.
Two additional donations of $375,000 from UMB Bank have been made to Denver organizations NEWSED and Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute, bringing the total for the five year-end donations to $2 million, and UMB’s 2021 giving to more than $6 million.
UMB offers commercial, personal, and institutional banking services with branches throughout Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arizona and Texas, and serves business and institutional clients nationwide.
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2021 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
SafetyCulture taps chair of Tesla’s board of directors as KC-rooted scaleup eyes new growth phase
Robyn Denholm brings a wealth of senior-level tech experience, leadership, and advocacy to SafetyCulture’s board of directors, the company said Monday, noting Denholm’s role as a leading voice calling for more diversity in the sector. SafetyCulture, a $2.2 billion Australian scaleup, houses its U.S. headquarters in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, where it has been…
$60K in pitch competition winnings will help Black-owned businesses drive employment, book purchases
The owner of a mobile phlebotomy company took home the $30,000 grand prize at Friday’s We Are Black pitch competition — the first such event organized by Kansas City G.I.F.T. LaVita Green said the funding and resources from G.I.F.T. will help Caresticks Mobile Phlebotomy, which provides patients with on-site and mobile phlebotomy services, to grow…
Documentaries with KC ties set for FilmFest screens: Here’s when you can see these gripping films in local theaters
Streaming services might have become the standard since the COVID-19 pandemic drove more people to entertain themselves from home, but filmmakers and film enthusiasts are encouraging the community to gather at theaters for the 27th annual Kansas City FilmFest International. “What’s so great about film festivals is that you’re able to see these films months…
Hope starts at home: Economic mobility, inclusion hinge on realities of identity, panel says
Editor’s note: The Junior League of Kansas City — through its C3KC conference — is an advertiser with Startland News. An important step in bridging the wealth gap and building equity is meeting people at their level of readiness, Terrell Jolly shared. “Because if you do not, they will inconvenience you in some kind of way and that’s the sad…