Success Stories

Powell Gardens recently received a grant for $20,000 from the Bayer USA Foundation to support the scaling of its multi-visit curricular STEM education program, Plants Matter!, for fifth-grade students. Funds from the Bayer USA Foundation will support curriculum development, volunteer training, and program delivery, including a portion of classroom supplies and program staff salaries.

YMCA of Greater Kansas City was recently awarded a $5,000 grant from the RA Long Foundation to strengthen the Y’s ability to provide water safety programming and swim lessons for 108 New Americans in North Kansas City. Refugee Swimming and Water Safety Training will provide water safety education and swim lessons to refugee community members.

Powell Gardens was recently awarded a $15,000 grant from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust to implement and maintain a modern plant database, purchase a label machine, and install new signs that display taxonomic information for current living plants. This project directly aligns with the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust’s funding interest to promote environmentally responsible introduction, cultivation, and distribution of plants which have ornamental horticultural value through supporting collections management software and interpretation tools for ornamental plants. The Gardens will acquire the IrisBG database that supports emerging technologies such as GIS mapping. It also comes with Garden Explorer, a module that allows visitors to explore gardens and collections on their own. This database will allow horticulture staff to document and maintain essential information, including taxonomic and nomenclatural information, provenance, plant performance, location information, life history, location on the ground, and genetic information. This will inform the Gardens’ conservation, education, research, and garden maintenance efforts.

Te Deum, Inc. recently received a grant for $2,500 from the Richard J Stern Foundation for the Arts to support operating expenses and presentation of seven concerts. Funding will support expenses including the artistic director’s stipend, venue rentals, and guest musicians.  All performances will give audience members a chance to hear sacred choral music of stunning quality and to form a deep and relevant connection with each concert’s artistic theme.

Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI) was recently awarded a $15,000 grant from Harry L. & Helen M. Rust Charitable Foundation to provide mental health supports for children in the Kansas City metro who are visually impaired or have multiple disabilities by contracting with a Therapy Consultant for services. The Therapy Consultant will target children ages 0-3 in the Early Learning Program (Early Intervention and Preschool Programs), offering in-depth therapy and support to families, including connections to resources and parent support groups. The Therapy Consultant will also train staff on cultural humility and reflective supervision. This program will serve 200 youth enrolled in CCVI programs, their families, and staff.

The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) was recently awarded a $3,089 grant from ArtsKC Ovation to investment in the H&R Block Artspace, KCAI’s on-campus museum.  This museum is an investment in people, programs and projects that make the arts more accessible, that sustain a vibrant and thriving arts community, and that support traditions of excellence as well as innovation and entrepreneurship in the arts.