Porter House KC earns $400K in renewed support for inclusive entrepreneurship, retail incubator
December 1, 2023 | Startland News Staff
Support from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation is expected to help The Porter House KC make good on its founders’ promise to help emerging entrepreneurs in their community get their promising ventures off the ground, said Dan Smith.
Victoria Campbell Osborne, The Scented Webb, accepts her prize at The Porter House KC’s June 2023 Pitch Night, sponsored by JPMorgan Chase Foundation; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
“Like many of the small business owners that we encounter, we started our organization based on a need we saw within the community,” said Smith, who co-founded The Porter House KC alongside Charon Thompson. The serial entrepreneurs and fraternity brothers launched the effort in 2018. “From there, we’ve been nothing but grateful to be supported, challenged, and … believed in, by partners like the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.”
A philanthropic investment of $400,000 for The Porter House KC (PHKC), a program of Credit & Homeownership Empowerment Services (CHES), was announced Friday. The funds are expected to boost PHKC’s work to improve entrepreneurship access and resources to underserved populations in the Kansas City metro area.
It’s a continuation of backing from JPMorgan Chase, which previously helped fund The Porter House KC’s Scale Deep grants program.
“Without support like this, we truly would not be in a position to continue our initial promise that embodies what PHKC continues to be,” said Smith, whose PHKC team also includes the leadership of Miranda Schultz, director of operations.
The Porter House KC’s 811 Retail Incubator, August 2023; photo by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News
Dan Smith, The Porter House KC, speaks during a panel on “Scaling Deep” — a philosophy PHKC has championed with the support of JPMorgan Chase Foundation — during a 2023 session at Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
JPMorgan Chase’s dollars will be used specifically to provide technical assistance for underrepresented small and micro business owners (employing fewer than 10 people). This grant will include support for PHKC’s new physical incubator space, 811, which will offer a brick-and-mortar location to boost retail entrepreneurship from the urban core.
The newly announced JPMorgan Chase grant will further support programming to provide mentorship, coaching, and education on critical entrepreneurship-related topics like management, accounting, and strategic planning for small businesses.
“Porter House KC has a strong record of helping underserved entrepreneurs start and scale their businesses,” said Victoria Adams Phipps, vice president of global philanthropy and program officer at JPMorgan Chase. “We are proud to support their deeply impactful work to empower community, create local jobs, and build wealth in Kansas City.”
Featured Business
2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
How this startup founder earned $200K in unrestricted, trust-based funding to transform KC’s relationship to food
Long-term community change comes one meal at a time, acknowledged one of Attane Health’s biggest supporters, reflecting on the Kansas City startup’s growth from the “spark of an idea to a full-fledged solution” — ultimately earning its founder a game-changing funding boost. The St. Louis-based Missouri Foundation for Health this month announced its inaugural Spark Prize…
Kauffman awards $5.8M funding pipeline to research how to close wealth gaps in KC, beyond
Eight newly announced research grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation are expected to help catalyze research-based efforts aimed at growing equitable economic mobility in Kansas City, regionally, and nationally. More than $5.8 million in research funding will be disbursed over the next three years through this first round of grantmaking through Kauffman’s new research…
Complex risks bring community kudos for creative entrepreneur honored by KC Chamber
Keisha Jordan didn’t know what saying “yes” to a job in Kansas City would unlock when she first relocated in 2020, she said, reflecting on a full-circle moment Tuesday after winning a top arts honor from the KC Chamber during its celebration of small business and entrepreneurs. “I trusted God, trusted the universe, and it’s…
KC’s top emerging business is brewing more than just beer at 18th and Vine, owners say
Winning the Emerging Small Business Award is validation that Vine Street Brewing Co. — Missouri’s first Black-owned brewery — is tapped into what the community wants and needs, two of its owners said Tuesday. “It signifies we’re moving along with purpose and that we can really lean into our goals,” explained Annie McGinnis, co-owner and…