H&R Block Celebrates Make Every Block Better Community Impact Partners on Inaugural 501c Day

The company is proud to partner with nonprofit community organizations across the country to Make Every Block Better.

While many people know H&R Block as a tax company, we are also a company that cares deeply about community. We recently celebrated the three-year anniversary of our Make Every Block Better community impact platform, which is dedicated to improving the spaces and places where neighbors connect and supporting small business owners so the spirit of entrepreneurship thrives. In honor of the inaugural 501c Day, a day started by Nonprofit Connect which celebrates 501c organizations, we’re excited to highlight the nonprofits working to improve neighborhoods and support small business owners around Kansas City, and beyond.

Neighborhoods Rising Fund (NRF), is a unique funding collaborative that annually provides grants for community-driven and neighborhood-led revitalization projects and initiatives in low- to moderate-income areas throughout the Greater Kansas City region. The fund was created with the simple goal of seeding dreams and aspirations and building capacity in Kansas City neighborhoods. In partnership with NRF, we have helped provide 83 grants for high-impact, innovative community projects and neighborhood revitalization initiatives, which help build stronger, better connected, and more effective neighborhood organizations.

Funded by an H & R Block Foundation grant, we’ve partnered with the Urban Neighborhood Initiative (UNI) for three years to host community-building events that foster neighborly relationships between residents, connect citizens to helpful resources, and make home repairs possible throughout a historically disinvested and underserved area in the heart of Kansas City. To date, we have helped UNI host community-connecting events and activities for more than 2,100 individuals and sponsored the minor home repair program, which has made safety and cosmetic improvements to 60 homes.

With a shared desire to improve the spaces around neighborhoods and create innovative programs that increase community connections, H&R Block has partnered with Habitat for Humanity for a third consecutive year. Through this partnership, we have supported 41 local Habitat affiliates as they help families build strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter.

Through our partnership with Nextdoor, we’ve supported projects in 31 communities across the nation, often working with local nonprofits — like the Ogden Connection Center in Ogden, Utah and Golden Valley Parks & Recreation in Golden Valley, Minn. Over the last three years we have received more than 4,000 submissions from all 50 states. Together, we selected and made a reality projects that enhance shared spaces and help neighbors form longer-lasting connections.

We have partnered with the Urban League of Greater Kansas City (ULKC) to help Black small business owners increase access to capital and improve their financial management. Through this work, we’ve helped launch the Make Black Businesses Better program to ensure approximately 25 small business owners survive, thrive and continue to play a part in improving and uplifting our local economy and communities everywhere.

We’re proud to showcase an interactive map on our website where we share stories from across the nation, while also displaying our progress toward our goal of volunteering 1 million hours by 2025. While our work is never finished, we are proud of the strides we have made over the past several years and look forward to a bright future where we will continue to Make Every Block Better from coast to coast through our nonprofit partnerships.

To our partners and all who make a difference in nonprofit work, Happy 501c Day!