How Trump’s win on DEI means fewer fresh foods for KC’s east side; USDA rakes back critical grant for farmers market

An ambitious plan to create greater food security through urban farming won’t be entirely uprooted by efforts to dry up federal funding for projects linked to equity and access, said Alana Henry — but its harvest likely will yield dramatically less.

Alana Henry, executive director of the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council; courtesy photo

“Doing right by people is always the right answer,” said Henry, executive director of the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council and organizer of a farmers market expansion now threatened by a wave of funding cuts based on ties to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities. “We are not shutting down.”

The Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council recently learned its three-year, $165,000 Farmer’s Market Promotion Program award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture had been canceled because of President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting DEI — a strategy the White House says protects Civil Rights and merit-based opportunities in the face of “illegal DEI.”

The president’s sweeping policy has had widespread impacts — from eliminating all federal DEI positions to cutting funds to public schools and universities over DEI-related coursework and club activity — and terminates all “equity-related” grants or contracts. (The policy also specifically targets “environmental justice,” a term that typically refers to efforts aimed at protecting marginalized communities from hazardous waste and other environmental harms.)

President Donald Trump; official White House portrait

READ IT: Ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing (Executive Order)

“I think it’s really a travesty that the words ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ have been hijacked and twisted into something sinister,” said Henry, whose nonprofit is focused on revitalizing the community through economic development, educational programming, housing assistance, and activities like its monthly farmers market. 

“The aims of these concepts are to make sure that you’re serving as many people as well as you can,” she continued. “That is not just my charge in my leadership role at Ivanhoe — that should be the charge of all of our representatives in government, from the city up to the federal level.”

The farmers market grant was meant to increase access to fresh, locally grown food for people in need, especially young mothers on WIC and seniors using the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), Henry said.

The expansion also was designed to support small-scale farmers, especially Black and brown growers, who face serious challenges when it comes to land access and financial assistance, she added. (A letter from the USDA said the award “no longer effectuates agency priorities regarding diversity, equity and inclusion programs and activities.”)

An initial $3,000 payment already had been paid out to the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, launching the expansion efforts.

“This was about getting healthy foods to people and capacity-building for local growers,” Henry said. “We had already begun our work, had interviewed for positions, and were making real progress. Then, suddenly, it was all taken away.”

A federal judge in Baltimore on Friday issued a preliminary injunction that blocks enforcement of Trump’s plan to kill funding for all programs linked to DEI — the latest legal salvo in the back-and-forth fight over the president’s most divisive policies.

Trump argues DEI efforts — and grants paying for them — violate Civil Rights rules that protect Americans from discrimination, while U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson indicated in Friday’s ruling that the president’s executive orders likely violate free speech protections.

The White House has indicated that, in general, it will not comply with orders from the judicial branch if Trump’s strategies ultimately fail in court, citing the president’s over-arching authority to interpret the law alongside the U.S. attorney general. Meanwhile, organizations like the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council are left to ponder how efforts to improve access and equity can move forward legally — even when centered around issues as fundamental as fighting hunger.

“Our aim was to be a part of the solution for those groups that are often disregarded as viable food producers,” Henry said. “We were literally working to help people buy and sell fresh, healthy food.”

Nutter Ivanhoe Neighborhood Center, Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, at 3700 Woodland Ave, Kansas City; courtesy photo

A sudden blow

Henry found out about the grant cancellation on Valentine’s Day, she said, noting the news left her feeling shocked, frustrated, and worried about how it would impact her community.

“My initial reaction was, of course, upset, and disappointment,” Henry said. “We had worked really hard on that grant application. Federal grants are extremely competitive, and small nonprofits like ours don’t often have the opportunity to apply for and actually receive them.”

Watching the headlines, she knew other programs already had funding awards rescinded, but hoped Ivanhoe’s farmers market program would be safe. 

“I had heard rumors of folks losing funding without notice, without adequate time to prepare,” Henry said. “I imagine other folks in the Kansas City area are going to be impacted soon, if not already.”

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas delivers his 2025 State of the City address in the Council Chambers at City Hall; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas acknowledged the reality that Henry’s experience likely wouldn’t be unique as funding cuts continue alongside widespread layoffs at federal agencies.

“We will work with [the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council] to see where we can add support, but this is being echoed at organizations across our city,” he said in a social media post after the farmers market news broke. “It is heartbreaking for our communities and will set back healthy food options, agriculture, and fundamentally, our community long term. And we’re just one place in America. Sad to imagine all those impacted.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kanbe’s Markets (@kanbesmarkets)

Kanbe’s Market — which works to boost healthy food access while reducing unnecessary waste of nutritious foods discarded into landfills — is among those nonprofits sharing funding concerns.

“At Kanbe’s Markets, we believe access to fresh, nutritious food is a right, not a privilege. With 25 percent of our funding from federal grants now uncertain, we face a significant challenge. But we’re not defeated,” the organization said in a Jan. 31 social media post. “Through collective action and community support, we can bridge this gap. We’re actively working with partners on solutions and will keep you informed as the situation develops.”

Among those partners: the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, which is continuing its farmers market every second Saturday, May through October, despite the grant cancellation.

“Since June 2024, we’ve partnered with Ivanhoe, providing fresh produce weekly because we believe in building a food system that works for everyone,” Kanbe’s said. “If one piece falls, we all feel it. We need to show up for each other now.”

Alana Henry, executive director of the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council; courtesy photo

How community can help

Even with the funding loss, Henry remains determined to push forward, she said. While monthly farmers market events will return this spring, plans for growth must be scaled back.

“We’ve received an outpouring of support,” Henry said. “Folks are eager to help volunteer, donate, and even replace some of the supplies we lost funding for, like tents and tables.”

She encourages people to take action in meaningful ways. Community members who want to support the Ivanhoe Farmers Market can donate, volunteer, or provide needed equipment. More details are available at INCThrives.org.

“There are things people can do. Social media comment sections are not it,” Henry said of online-only advocacy. “Call and write to your representatives. Support local nonprofits doing good work with your time, connections, and donations. Lobby philanthropic agencies to step in with unrestricted funds.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ivanhoe Farmers Market (@ivanhoefarmersmarketkcmo)