, ,

Catalyst Fund tops $2M invested in nonprofits boosting people of color; meet the latest grantees

July 10, 2024  |  Startland News Staff

A JC Harmon High School student joins in a Virtual Reality in Healthcare Project led by Urban TEC

The latest batch of Catalyst Fund grants — a combined $500,000 across nearly two dozen organizations — seeks to elevate the work of small nonprofits that are led by or primarily serve Black, Latino, and other people of color across the region, said Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace.

“Looking across the list of organizations in this third round of funding, we see front-line operators with everyday commitments to serving individuals, breaking through persistent barriers, and reshaping the landscape of Kansas City,” said Burns-Wallace, president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which coordinates the fund with the United Way of Greater Kansas City.

ICYMI: How Kauffman Foundation’s reset aligns Mr. K’s intent with KC’s needs of the moment

Established in February 2023, the fund now has boosted 88 organizations, which received grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 each, totaling $2.1 million. Recipients are 501(c)(3) public charities in the local United Way’s six-county service area that support education, human services, entrepreneurship, workforce skill building, economic mobility and community development.

Click here to read about one new Catalyst Fund grantee who recently was featured on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

“The investments made possible through the Nonprofit Catalyst Fund are truly life-changing and provide a major impact to these organizations,” said Essence Yancey, director of community impact for the United Way of Greater Kansas City. “A connection to United Way is a powerful megaphone to amplify their work, and these additional financial resources allow them to add staff, create new and sustain existing programming, and to build resiliency that makes a tangible difference in the lives of our fellow Kansas Citians.”

Nonprofit organizations — particularly smaller organizations with strong ties to the communities they serve — are significant contributors to an equitable and inclusive economic development system, not only as employers and community conveners, but also in the delivery of critical programs and services that promote inclusive prosperity, the leader said.

Newly announced Catalyst Fund grantees include:

Click here to read about the first round of Catalyst Fund winners and here for the second round.

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

Tagged , , ,
Featured Business
    Featured Founder

      Startland News Staff

      2024 Startups to Watch

        stats here

        Related Posts on Startland News

        Froyo with a ’tini twist: Entrepreneur collaboration serves alcoholic frozen yogurt in KC

        By Tommy Felts | August 23, 2023

        Kansas City is excited by the new flavor combinations popping up as two entrepreneurs give customers a taste of collaboration, said Isaac Collins, teasing a line of alcoholic frozen yogurt that’s already hitting cups in the metro. Through a partnership with KC-based Brain Freeze Mobile Daiquiri, Collins’ Yogurtini locations have begun a series of happy…

        How Meshuggah Bagels ‘built a bakery without a recipe’ — now expanding to Liberty, Lawrence

        By Tommy Felts | August 23, 2023

        Pete Linde tested 72 bagel recipes before hitting perfection with number 73, said Janna Linde. She knows because she tried every single test bagel.  “Pete worked on that recipe for about a year. He had a notebook and took notes on every little tweak and modification he made. I’d see the big hand mixer come…

        Royals preview ballpark of the future: Now they need to decide where to put it

        By Tommy Felts | August 22, 2023

        Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. The Royals are choosing between a stadium and entertainment district in Kansas City’s East Village or in North Kansas City. The…

        Chingu Coffee blends ‘familiar with not-so-familiar’ in a shop that embraces its neighbors alongside Korean heritage

        By Tommy Felts | August 22, 2023

        Keeyoung Kim’s latest concepts — Chingu and Chingu Coffee — revolve around community, the Sura Eats chef and owner shared. Chingu means “friend” in Korean, he explained, and friendship is the recurring theme between the restaurant — which debuted July 2022 in Westport — and the coffee shop — which soft opened in mid-May in…