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H&R Block funding and partnership drive the relaunch and expansion of the Neighborhoods Rising Fund

4 min read

4 min read

March 23, 2021


Supporting Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area neighborhoods; 2021 grant applications are now open with April 23 deadline

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Neighborhoods Rising Fund, a grant program for revitalizing neighborhoods, relaunched today with a donation from H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) as the primary corporate partner to bring more revitalization to neighborhoods throughout Greater Kansas City. Specifically, the relaunched program will support an expanded geographic area, an increased award cap for its one-year grants, and new, two-year award options. Administered by the Community Capital Fund (CCF), the Neighborhoods Rising Fund (NRF) is a funding collaborative that provides grants for high-impact, innovative community projects and neighborhood revitalization initiatives, which help build stronger, better connected and more effective neighborhood organizations in low- to moderate-income areas, now throughout the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

“We are excited to help the Neighborhoods Rising Fund support even more neighborhood organizations as they create connections to improve quality of life and support the basic needs of neighbors everywhere,” said Julius Lai, H&R Block chief product and experience officer. “This partnership is a natural fit with our Make Every Block Better community impact platform, which aims to build connections with communities, and small businesses, from our hometown of Kansas City to efforts nationwide.”

The NRF’s newly expanded geographic area includes Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass counties in Missouri, as well as Wyandotte, Johnson, and Leavenworth counties in Kansas, with a specific focus on historically underinvested neighborhoods in these seven counties, which is also CCF’s newly broadened service area.

The award cap for this year’s one-year grants increased from $3,000 to $5,000, giving neighborhoods with additional capacity an opportunity to expand their programming. Also, this year the NRF includes two-year award options of up to $5,000 per year for applicants that have satisfactorily completed and reported on any prior NRF-funded projects.

To be eligible for NRF funding, grantees need to provide a long-term vision and plan for their neighborhood, which engages with local partners, as well as shows how residents in the neighborhood were involved to identify the need for the project and how they will participate. Projects and initiatives are created by the community and vetted through inclusive, neighborhood- wide decision-making and resident-involvement processes. To date, selected projects and initiatives have ranged from public safety and cleanup initiatives, to property and public space improvements, and identity-building and resource-sharing events.

How to apply for the Neighborhoods Rising Fund grant program

2021 Neighborhoods Rising Fund applications may be submitted in three ways:

  1. Complete and submit the online form available at www.ccfkansascity.org/nrf
  2. Download the 2021 NRF Guidelines + Application fillable PDF at www.ccfkansascity.org/nrf and then complete and email to info@ccfkansascity.org
  3. If online or email submission is inaccessible or burdensome, please print, complete, and mail your grant application to:

Community Capital Fund, ATTN: Neighborhoods Rising Fund, 3200 Wayne Ave., Kansas City, MO 64109 (Copies of the grant application can be picked up at the CCF office. Please call in advance, (816) 502-9584)

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About the Neighborhoods Rising Fund

The Neighborhoods Rising Fund (NRF) is managed by the Community Capital Fund (CCF), which is an affiliate organization of AltCap, a Kansas City-based Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), and Equity2, an impact investment firm. Since 2012, CCF has deployed more than $1 million to neighborhoods and grassroots organizations, organized eight Community Development Workshops, collectively drawing in more than 2,000 community leaders, and fiscally sponsored ten social ventures that have raised more than $1.5 million. The CCF launched the NRF in the spring of 2015 with generous funding provided by The H & R Block Foundation, Hallmark Corporate Foundation, and William T. Kemper Foundation. Since then, funders have joined this unique funding collaborative including H&R Block, AltCap, Hall Family Foundation, Sosland Foundation, LISC Greater Kansas City, Commerce Bancshares Foundation (Commerce Bank), Google Fiber Kansas City, Dunn Family Foundation, Sprint Foundation (now T-Mobile), US Bank, UMB, and AT&T.

About H&R Block

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) provides help and inspires confidence in its clients and communities everywhere through global tax preparation, financial products, and small business solutions. The company blends digital innovation with the human expertise and care of its associates and franchisees as it helps people get the best outcome at tax time, and better manage and access their money year-round. Through Block Advisors and Wave, the company helps small business owners thrive with innovative products like Wave Money, a small business banking and bookkeeping solution, and the only business bank account to manage bookkeeping automatically. For more information, visit H&R Block News or follow @HRBlockNews on Twitter.