, ,

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

        Kelly Sievers, Women’s Capital Connection

        Q&A: Startup life isn’t all risk-taking and sexy, big-name investors, Kelly Sievers says

        By Tommy Felts | July 2, 2019

        Investing doesn’t just hinge a dollar amount, said Kelly Sievers. “It’s also about finding the right kind of funding for your business,” the Women’s Capital Connection managing director told 26 small business owners at a recent Kansas City SCORE mentoring event.  Sievers, an entrepreneurial advisor for the Women’s Business Center, has owned, operated and sold…

        Depalo app

        Perfect shots: KC lifestyle blogger launches Depalo app to guide users to Instagram hot spots 

        By Tommy Felts | July 2, 2019

        The perfect Instagram-worthy photo location could be within walking distance right now, said Kansas City-based lifestyle blogger Rebeeca Aneloski. A former Missouri representative on the Miss USA stage, Aneloski launched Depalo in June to help users locate picturesque locations across Kansas City — and eventually the globe, she said. “I [initially] started a blog to continue…

        Tech pioneer Don Peterson to guide new LaunchKC-Nueterra health accelerator

        By Tommy Felts | June 29, 2019

        Leading the new LaunchKC Health Accelerator is Don Peterson’s way of giving back to a community that opened its arms to his family nearly 30 years ago, he said.  “I’m proof that we can accomplish the entrepreneurial dream right here in KC and feel like it’s my duty to pay that forward,” said Peterson, a…

        Andrew Ellis and Matt Blake, Gaudete Development, MoCannaHub

        MoCannaHub lights up information prohibition; launches cannabis resource-finding app

        By Tommy Felts | June 28, 2019

        Rolled in entrepreneurial opportunity, tech companies shouldn’t be afraid to take a hit of the growing marketplace that is cannabis, said Andrew Ellis, explaining the methodology behind MoCannaHub — the app that connects curious consumers with experts and information of various strains.  “Some of the platforms out there are banning cannabis-related content,” explained Ellis, president…