KC GIFT orders a full meal with $100K Wah Gwan grant: Job creation (with a side of inspiration)

Young people on Kansas City’s east side need to see examples of what can be achieved when someone who looks like them works hard — and wins, said Tanyech Yarbrough, pledging to use her recent grant funding from KC G.I.F.T. to mirror entrepreneurship to her community, as well as expand her Troost eatery.

Brandon Calloway, co-founder and CEO of KC GIFT, congratulates Tanyech Yarbrough after Wah Gwan Afro Caribbean restaurant was announced as the winner of the nonprofit’s $100,000 grant during KC GIFT’s annual gala; photo courtesy of KC GIFT

Yarbrough’s Wah Gwan Afro Caribbean restaurant recently was announced as the recipient of a $100,000 award aimed at accelerating the growth of a high-performing Black-owned business in Kansas City, Missouri. 

The funding is expected to help Wah Gwan add an Afro-Caribbean market and juice bar, as well as grow its current dine-in and take-out traffic at 6228 Troost Ave., said Yarbrough, who founded the Jamaican and Nigerian restaurant and serves as its CEO.

“This grant gives me a chance to expand that vision, support others and keep building something that represents who we are and where we come from,” she said. “I’m also most proud that I am doing that on Troost Avenue, in Kansas City.”

Kansas City G.I.F.T. (Generating Income For Tomorrow) announced the new $100,000 grant in May, opening applications to businesses that are at least 51 percent Black-owned; based in Kansas City, Missouri (preference for businesses east of Troost Avenue); in operation for at least one year; and with annual revenue of at least $100,000.

After a four-step application process that included an in person interview, KC G.I.F.T. co-founder Brandon Calloway announced Wah Gwan as the winner Sept. 20 — live on stage at the Annual KC G.I.F.T. Gala in front of more than 600 people.

Since its inception in 2020, KC G.I.F.T. has distributed nearly $2 million in grants to 79 Black-owned businesses, resulting in the creation of more than 153 new jobs, according to impact reporting from the nonprofit.

“Our focus has always been to support Black-owned businesses that can become significant employers on the east side of Kansas City and this grant will help us do that more aggressively,” Calloway, CEO of KC G.I.F.T., said of the Wah Gwan win. “This capital infusion plus the technical support that comes along with it will be another step in creating the economic engine that the east side needs, as it will facilitate business growth and job creation.”

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Karis Harrington, chief operating officer at Kansas City GIFT, right, cheers for Tanyech Yarbrough after Wah Gwan Afro Caribbean restaurant was announced as the winner of the nonprofit’s $100,000 grant; photo courtesy of KC GIFT

“This $100k grant means a lot to me,” said Yarbrough. “It’s not just about growing my business, it’s also about the love for my Jamaican and African culture. I’ve worked hard to create a space where people can feel at home, taste our roots, connect through food and community.”

 KC G.I.F.T. this spring was announced as a grant winner itself, earning an award through the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s project funding pathway to support expanded technical assistance from KC G.I.F.T., allowing the organization to boost the number of Kansas City businesses served by 33 percent.

The nonprofit aims to close the racial wealth gap and reduce poverty-related crime by empowering small, Black-owned businesses in Kansas City’s historically redlined neighborhoods. Through its small-business accelerator at 5008 Prospect Ave., KC G.I.F.T. knocks down barriers to success by offering business support, marketing services, and other professional resources, the organization said.