KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A group of Kansas City-area foundations, corporations, organizations and some individuals have partnered to establish the Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund.
The initial goal is to raise $10 million for the fund to assist with health and human service needs in response to the pandemic.
Some of the groups involved in the fund-raising include the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, United Way of Greater Kansas City, LISC Greater Kansas City and Mid-America Regional Council.
The Hall Family Foundation and Sunderland Foundation have partnered together to match donations to the fund up to $5 million.
"We know there’s a lot of pain out there and the great thing about Kansas City is we take care of our own and so we want to make sure people know that there is a coalition of individuals and companies and funders who care deeply about them and that we’re doing all we can to make sure they have a place to turn to," said Brent Stewart, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Kansas City.
The fund is available for donors of all levels to contribute to in order to help serve the community during the pandemic.
Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte and Ray counties in Missouri are eligible for grants from the fund, as are Johnson, Wyandotte, Leavenworth and Miami counties in Kansas. The grants are available to public charities and organizations.
A 15-member advisory board will oversee the fund and distribute grants.
“Our region is pulling together in an extraordinary way,” David Warm, MARC executive director said in a release. “This fund is a powerful tool to combine philanthropic generosity, the capacity of vital community service providers and the goodwill of the public at large to help everyone in Kansas City endure this challenge.”
Donations to the fund can be made online. Institutional donors can contact stomer@growyourgiving.org to make a donation.
Nonprofits in need of a grant can fill out a form online, and individuals in need can call 211.
