The Golden Scoop, a nonprofit organization, received a $50,000 grant from Arcare to establish a second ice cream and coffee shop location. This expansion aims to offer delicious treats to the community and provide essential workforce development training to young adults with developmental disabilities. The goal is to empower these uniquely-abled individuals to lead independent lives and achieve financial independence by earning a livable wage.

Benilde Hall, a Kansas City, Missouri-based nonprofit, has a 30-year history of providing services for treating substance use disorder (SUD), mental health, and homelessness, so individuals may return to the community as responsible, employed, and permanently housed members of society.  Benilde Hall is one of the only low-barrier treatment facilities in the region serving adult males ages 18 and older. The agency recently received a $199,900 grant from the Jackson County Community Mental Health Fund to fund an expansion of their services for individuals experiencing homelessness, SUD, and/or co-occurring mental illness.

Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA) has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund (NTDF) to continue their mission of promoting arts education and cultural diversity through their annual Ailey II performance series. With this funding, KCFAA will bring the internationally renowned dance company to local schools and host public performances at the historic Folly Theater in downtown Kansas City. Ailey II merges the spirit and energy of the country's best dance talent with the passion and creative vision of Alvin Ailey. Through this grant, KCFAA aims to bring Ailey II, a renowned dance company, to perform at local schools and host public performances, promoting arts education and cultural diversity.

The Mosaic Life Care Foundation has embarked on an inspiring mission to breathe new life into the Felix Street Corridor nestled in downtown St. Joseph, a community disproportionately affected by poverty and other challenges. The heart of this initiative revolves around the creation of a captivating Children's Discovery Center within a historic cultural landmark, aiming to provide an engaging platform for interactive learning and exploration.

The Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation recently awarded $50,000 to the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), supporting their Strategic Plan and Space Usage Initiative. This generous funding enables KCAI to update its strategic vision, develop a bolder vision for the institution’s future, optimize campus facilities, and ensure long-term sustainability.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Illinois (BBBSIL) recently received a grant of $25,000 in general operating support from the Dana Brown Charitable Trust to provide 1:1 youth mentorship to children and youths facing various adversity in the St. Louis metro region of Illinois, aiming to improve their grades, emotional regulation, and overall well-being.

Winning Wednesday! The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services recently announced awards for the fiscal year 2022 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) Planning, Development, and Implementation grants. The purpose for this program is to help transform community behavioral health systems and provide comprehensive, coordinated behavioral health systems by establishing new CCBHC programs. Assel Grant Services (AGS) worked with multiple client teams to prepare eight applications. As they say, you reap what you sow, and AGS’s busy spring alongside exceptional clients created the perfect environment for success. Of the programs awarded, AGS assisted six of these organizations with applications that received $19,786,522 in funding over four years. In addition, $2,952,874 was awarded on the Missouri side of Kansas City to address community crisis response. We are thrilled to see what these organizations will accomplish for our community in the coming years!

Kansas City University (KCU) recently received a grant for $1,478,351 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support project ENRICH (Educational Navigation for Rural and Interprofessional Community Health). The project’s aim is to improve the oral health of people in vulnerable, underserved, and rural communities by graduating primary care clinicians (dentists and primary care physicians) who can deliver dental services. Project outcomes include recruiting, matriculating, and graduating primary care dentists who themselves represent populations historically underserved, and who will deliver patient-centered dental care in rural and underserved communities.

Kansas City Actors Theatre, Inc. (KCAT) was recently awarded a $14,603 grant from the Missouri Arts Council (MAC) to support their 18th production season. KCAT’s mainstage shows in the coming season will continue to be produced at the City Stage in historic Union Station. This season, Kansas City Actors Theatre will be operating a 5-show season for the first time. In Season 18 (April 2022 – March 2023), KCAT will produce five live, in-person productions. The Season 18 lineup continues to speak to the guiding principles of classic and contemporary-classic theatre produced by the best local theatrical artists.