Jan. 23, 2015 — Impact KC has announced that all 10 of its finalist nonprofit applicants will receive full funding this year, in part, due to a generous donation made by a single member of its organization.
“Our giving circle is incredibly grateful for this act of awe-inspiring generosity. We also thank each of our members for their support,” said Dan Nelson, Impact KC’s president. “Impact KC aims to achieve more impact as a group than we could as individuals. Choosing grant recipients is the hardest part. This donation allows us to fully support all 10 worthy causes.”
Checks will be presented at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, at Julep, 4141 Pennsylvania Ave. Donors, recipients and community are invited to join for the occasion.
Impact KC will award $152,000 in grants to local charities, including $93,000 raised through member recruitment, plus a last-minute contribution of $59,000 by an anonymous member who felt compelled to see that all of the deserving finalists would be funded.
“When we tallied the votes, one of our members came forward determined to make sure each finalist would receive a check from Impact KC,” Nelson said. “She attended the site visits and heard the finalist presentations, and she wanted all the worthy applicants to receive their needed funding. There is no doubt that she raised the bar, and we will accept her challenge by working to exceed our impact in 2015.”
For $1,000 annually, each member earns a vote to rank finalists chosen from a diverse group of Kansas City nonprofits. Members hail from every part of Kansas City’s public and private sectors, and across state and municipal lines. Applications are received by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, and are narrowed by a grants committee composed of any interested member. Any local nonprofit can apply each year.
Recipients are: Amethyst Place Inc., Benilde Hall, Charlie’s House Inc., Don Bosco Community Center, Gillis Center Inc., Heart-to-Heart International Inc., Hope Faith Ministries Inc., Inspired Minds of Kansas City Inc., Turner House Clinic Inc., and Young Audiences.