Success Stories

Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy (Girls Prep) was recently awarded a $1,000,000 grant from SchoolSmartKC to build capacity for standards-aligned, research-based instruction in its leaders and teachers. Girls Prep will use grant funds to support three key goals. First, Girls Prep will adopt research-based, Common Core State Standards (CCSS)-aligned curricula. Second, Girls Prep will use those curricula to develop aligned CK and PCK in all staff. Finally, staff will use their curriculum and developmental experiences to increase high-need students’ achievement in terms of growth and proficiency, thus addressing the achievement gap for students within KCPS boundaries.

Kansas City Arts Institute (KCAI) recently received a grant for $65,000 from the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts to provide general operating support for their programming. This gift from the Richard J. Stern Foundation will support KCAI’s annual fund, which finances 9% of the College’s annual operating budget and addresses the funding gap between student tuition and actual costs. Vital programs supported by this fund include the B.F.A. in Ceramics, the Current Perspectives Lecture Series, and collaborations with visiting and residential artists through KCAI’s Crossroads Gallery. Funding from the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts will help the College advance its reputation of quality arts education and community programming.

Genesis Promise Academy recently received a grant for $153,000 from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (now the Health Forward Foundation) to support the Genesis Counseling Program. Genesis School will utilize funding from the Health Care Foundation to continue the Genesis Counseling Program which provides school-based individual, group, and psycho-educational group therapy to students. The goal of the program is to help children cope more effectively with the impact of trauma and psychosocial stressors at home and in the community. Current program and support partial salaries of three counselors, Director of Counseling, and the Family Resource Specialist. Funding will also be utilized for equipment and supplies to support direct therapeutic services, as well as training for staff in the areas of cultural competency, trauma informed care, and program development.

Developing Potential, Inc. (DPI) was recently awarded a $44,200 grant from Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) 5310 to support the purchase of a modified minivan. The funding from the Mid-America Regional Council 5310 will support the purchase of a High Roof Long Conversion Van.  This van is a single wheelchair accessible van. The purpose of this project is to expand DPI’s on-demand, independent transportation service for participants. This service connects adults with developmental disabilities to the larger community by transporting them to offsite day services activities and to jobs. This request is for a single wheelchair accessible van. With this acquisition, DPI will have a wheelchair-accessible van at each of its three locations, allowing ideal flexibility for scheduling trips. DPI uses its vehicles to take individuals to and from offsite Day Services destinations, and to take individuals to and from jobs within the community. DPI operates all agency transportation services directly to and from its facilities. These services help individuals connect with opportunities in their communities for many purposes and helps adults with developmental disabilities achieve the highest possible levels of independence and dignity.

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.