Grants

The Community Legacy Fund awards grants to programs and agencies which enhance and maintain the quality of Jewish life in the Greater Kansas City area. Grants are available for Core support and Innovative/Emergency programs. Innovative/Emergency grant applications are due April 1. Core grant applications are due June 15.

Fund Objectives

In an effort to have the greatest impact upon the Jewish community, the Community Legacy Fund maintains the following objectives:

• To provide financial support for safety net services
• To nurture a strong Jewish community by providing underwriting for Jewish education, community relations, and cultural arts
• To provide financial support for seed programs which meet an identified community need
• To purchase equipment which enhances an organization’s general operations or programs
• To provide core support for Jewish community agencies
• To provide support for programs which are essential to Jewish life in Kansas City

The Community Legacy Fund will NOT make grants for the following:

• General Fundraising campaigns
• Dinners, annual meetings or special events which are not community-wide in nature

Eligibility

An organization that self-identifies as a Jewish communal organization and maintains the quality of Jewish life and/or promotes the pursuit of tikkun olam (repairing the world) is eligible for funding by the Community Legacy Fund.

Houses of worship are excluded unless they contribute a unique service not otherwise available within the Jewish community that is essential to the Jewish community or Jewish life. To determine eligibility, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions below.

Support is restricted to Kansas City and neighboring Jewish communities. This includes Manhattan, Kansas to the west, St. Joseph, Missouri to the north, Columbia, Missouri to the east and Joplin, Missouri to the south.

Core Support Application Instructions

Applicants may apply for funding for operations central to the accomplishment of an organization’s mission or funding for unique services not otherwise available within the Jewish community that are essential to Jewish life.
Applicants for Core Grants must meet all of the following requirements:

• Must be located within the service area (defined above)
• Must serve the Jewish community
• Must be qualified as tax-exempt under section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the “Code”) or, if providing essential services, an equivalent religious exemption under the Code as a Jewish house of worship
• Must have missions compatible with the Jewish Community Foundation

Houses of worship that perform or sponsor such services may be eligible to apply under this section. If so, they must complete the program budget form.
Applications are due June 15. If a deadline falls on a weekend, applications are due the next business day.

How to apply:

• Contact Beatrice Fine BEFORE applying at (913) 327-4618 or bfine@jcfkc.org
• Complete the grant application form and budget form
• Submit the form to Beatrice Fine  AND Antoinette Wells
• Consult the Frequently Asked Questions before contacting JCF staff

A meeting with the grants committee and/or a site visit may be necessary to receive funding.

Innovation/Emergency Grant Application Instructions

Applicants may apply for funding to support high-quality, new programs that provide an innovative approach or solution to an existing or emerging community need, or respond to financial or humanitarian emergencies. Applications for 2023 are by invitation only. If you have any questions, please contact Beatrice Fine at (913) 327-4618 or bfine@jcfkc.org.

Final Grant Report

Grant recipients are required to submit either an interim or final report by the deadlines listed below.

An interim report is only needed if you are reapplying for funds before the grant dollars have been expended. Interim reports are due at the time of reapplication.

Final reports are due 90 days after completion of the program.

The completed progress report, whether interim or final, should be no more than one page, on your organization’s letterhead, include the year of the grant for which you are submitting the report, and provide a brief “state of the program.”Feel free to use narrative, bullet points, or a format that best communicates your message. Don’t limit your information, but please make sure to include the program level information below in your report.

1. Provide samples of how you've acknowledged your Community Legacy Fund grant in publicity and promotional materials. See our acknowledgment guidelines for more information.
2. Number of clients served and how they compare to the previous year (for Jewish organizations, please include the number of Jewish clients served).
3. Address any unexpected or unplanned occurrences or challenges you have experienced.
4. Address your progress in meeting the goals as stated in your grant.
5. Provide an update on where your program budget stands in relation to the one submitted with your grant. For interim reports this can also be narrative and we don’t need an actual budget report. For final reports please submit a program budget income statement (budget/actual) for the current and prior fiscal years. Please pull these reports from your accounting software - there is no form to complete.