Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) recently received a grant for $50,000 from the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation to support the KCAI Fund and ArtPop. Funding from the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation will be divided equally between the college’s annual fund initiatives and a presenting sponsorship of ArtPop, the biennial fundraising event. The KCAI Fund helps to close the gap between student tuition and the actual costs to educate our students, while ArtPop raises money specifically for scholarships and making an art and design education affordable for families.

Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI) was recently awarded a $145,031 grant from Clay County Developmental Disabilities Resource Board (DDRB) to support their Early Intervention Program (EIP). CCVI’s Early Intervention Program (EIP) serves children from birth to three with developmental disabilities residing in Clay County, Missouri. The EIP provides regularly scheduled home-based instruction, therapies, and center-based evaluations of the infant and toddler’s developmental progress, beginning as soon as the child is diagnosed until the child’s third birthday. The program offers a comprehensive, individualized educational and therapy program for infants and toddlers who have significant visual impairments that impact learning and development.

KidsTLC was recently awarded a $75,000 grant from the Sarli Foundation to support agency growth and sustainability. KidsTLC will be making numerous technology upgrades to support their electronic health records software as well as improvements in staff recruitment and retention. Operating support allows KidsTLC to provide services to all families in need, regardless of their ability to pay.

Developing Potential, Inc. was recently awarded a $50,000 grant from the Health Forward Foundation, Applicant Defined Grant to support the Increase Access to Services program. The program serves all DPI participants (160) and staff (65). These funds will support the program’s full-time registered nurse. The nurse oversees DPI’s medical services, providing direct support through comprehensive health assessments, medication administrations, choking risk assessments, GI tube feedings, and many other tasks. The nurse also educates program participants and staff on healthy lifestyle topics, and trains staff in medical issues like medication side effects, fall awareness and prevention, procedures for addressing seizures, and many more.

KidsTLC recently received a grant for $2,000 from the Johnson County Bar Foundation to support their Thriving Families program. KidsTLC’s Thriving Families program is available to help all families navigate the complexities of finding mental health/health care and daily living support. This eliminates barriers and helps them have better family relationships and improve mental health issues for themselves and their children.

Kansas City Arts Institute (KCAI) recently received a grant for $30,000 from the Francis Family Foundation to support the KCAI Annual Fund, which helps bridge the gap between student tuition and the actual cost of educating each student. The Annual Fund finances 8% of the KCAI operating budget, and it helps to support institutional scholarships, student aid, and our programs like the B.F.A. curriculum, Continuing Education, the Artspace, and the Current Perspectives Lecture Series. The funding from the foundation will help provide a one-of-a-kind educational experience for KCAI students and enhance program offerings for our art and design community.

Developing Potential, Inc. recently received a grant for $7,500 from the Greater Lee’s Summit Healthcare Foundation to purchase two patient transfer arm recliners, a Pegasus massage chair, three flexible massagers, and a tactile solutions box. The recliners, massage chair, and flex massagers encourage comfort, relaxation, and joint stress relief. The tactile solutions kit encourages healthy development of sensory input processing pathways and encourages wellbeing through increased environmental engagement. Nearly all participants at the Lee’s Summit site are residents of the greater Lee’s Summit area. This aligns with GLSHF’s mission to enhance the health and wellbeing of the greater Lee’s Summit area.