Blog

Donnelly College recently received a $1,000,000 challenge grant from the J.E & L.E Mabee Foundation to support Phase III of their Capital Campaign. In the third and final phase of the Transformations Campus Master Plan, Donnelly will create an attractive, student‐centered campus that will meet our students’ needs while providing a solid foundation for future growth. In Phase III, the College will replace the aging seven‐story former hospital tower that serves as our main academic and administrative building with a new three‐story, 72,000‐square‐foot facility designed specifically for the College. We will also remove an unoccupied residence hall and build a two‐story parking structure to replace lost parking. Once the new facility is fully operational, we will remove the current academic tower to create greenspace and a campus quad. The new quad will link the new facility to the Event Center and Marian Hall.

Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc. (CMHS) was recently awarded a $48,305 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation, Missouri Elderly Handicapped Transportation Assistance Program (MODOT MEHTAP) to support the driver salaries, benefits, mileage, vehicle maintenance, fuel, and insurance to support transportation operating expenses. This program will provide 29,500 on-way passenger trips.  Transportation service trips will include: medical appointments, education services, employment services, essential shopping, social events, and mental health.

The Council Bluffs Community School District (CBCSD) was recently awarded a $40,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Homeless Education, McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth to support a new comprehensive Homeless Program Plan that will offer a full range of services to homeless youth and their families.

Metro Lutheran Ministry was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from the Hancock Family Foundation to expand its Learning to Earning program to incorporate the research and evidence-based Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) model. Through the FOC, a Financial Coach, supported by case managers who have received training in financial coaching, will guide clients. The initial focus is on basic stability. Initial spending plans and budgets prioritize food, shelter, and transportation so clients can retain reliable employment. Clients then attend financial classes which include content from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Your Money, Your Goals, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Money Smart website. Specifically, clients learn about credit scores, what impacts their credit scores, and how to improve their credit rating. They also learn how to use the conventional banking system.

Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy (Girls Prep) recently received a grant for $175,000 from the H&R Block Foundation to purchase and renovate a school building for their launch in 2019. With the support of H&R Block Foundation, Girls Prep will purchase the school building located at 5000 East 17th Street.  Girls Prep will perform environmental remediation, roof repairs, building envelope repairs, foundation waterproofing, water service repairs, structural engineer assessment and ensuing repairs on retaining walls and masonry, upgrades to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards, painting, and a variety of smaller repairs and improvements.

Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) was recently awarded a $50,000 grant from the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation to continue to evolve the quality of its facilities and programs, and advance the overall educational experience with firsthand learning opportunities for the 21st-century student. Funding from the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation will support the KCAI Annual Fund and the 2018 ArtPop event. The Annual Fund is critical to KCAI, as it closes the gap between student tuition and the actual costs to educate each student. Sponsorship's for ArtPop are dedicated to funding scholarship support for KCAI students so that we can attract and educate the top talent in Kansas City.

Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc (CMHS) recently received a grant for $81,594 from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (now the Heath Forward Foundation) to support the addition of a Suicide Prevention Liaison and Hospital Discharge Specialist to improve the quality of services, prevent further hospitalizations, as well as inform and engage target populations of under-insured and uninsured consumers.

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City was recently awarded a $125,000 grant from the Hall Family Foundation to support general operations for the James B. Nutter Sr. Community Center/Linwood YMCA (Linwood Y). Funding from the Hall Family Foundation will not only support programs, but also allow the Y resources to address the dynamic context of socio-economic, cultural, institutional, and policy levers that impact the ability to pursue well-being in this corridor of urban Kansas City. This will take time and adaptability by those doing the work and our philanthropic partners.

Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy (Girls Prep) was recently awarded a $1,057,089 grant from the Department of Education Charter School Developers Fund to Girls Prep will use grant funds to support three key goals. First, Girls Prep will adopt research-based, CCSS-aligned curricula to ensure the foundations of a guaranteed and viable curriculum are in place for all students. Second, Girls Prep will use those curricula to drive CCSS-aligned Content Knowledge (CK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) for all Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy staff. Finally, staff will use their curriculum and developmental experiences to dramatically increase high-need students’ achievement in terms of growth and proficiency. This grant provides funding to address inequitable academic outcomes through professional development (PD) for instructional leaders and teachers.

Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc. (CMHS) recently received a grant for $475,000 from Jackson County COMBAT for their Substance-Use Disorder Treatment Grant. These grant funds will be utilized to promote abstinence and recovery by providing supervised residential substance use programs, outpatient day treatment, intensive outpatient services, and supported recovery services.  This grant request encompasses salaries of staff providing the following substance use services: 1) Bed-Nights/residential stay (supervised), 2) Day treatment, intensive outpatient and outpatient-supported recovery services, and 3) Community support assistance. Program supplies (medical, office, assessment, curriculum, and videos), travel, memberships, food, and urinalysis costs are also included.