January is Financial Wellness Month, a time when many of us set goals around budgeting, saving, and planning for the year ahead. But for thousands of Kansas City neighbors, financial wellness isn’t about New Year’s resolutions. It’s about access. Access to support, education, and opportunities that make financial stability possible.
Across the Kansas City region, several nonprofit organizations are doing the critical, often behind-the-scenes work of helping individuals and their families strengthen their financial situation. United Way of Greater Kansas City is proud to support many organizations doing just that, including Impact 100 organizations that meet people where they are and provide tools for long-term stability.
Here are five organizations making a meaningful impact on financial security across our community:
Build WyCo
Formerly Community Housing of Wyandotte County, Build WyCo invests in the power of our neighbors to build communities that thrive for generations by empowering families. Build WyCo takes a holistic approach to neighborhood development by combining three interlocking initiatives to create lasting change in our communities. One program includes Homeownership Promotion & Preservation to support families in achieving, preserving, and sustaining their dream of homeownership by offering free and low-cost housing counseling, financial education, and purchase assistance.
Community Action Agency of Greater Kansas City (CAAGKC)
CAAGKC provides low-income residents of Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties in Missouri with comprehensive support services that help them become self-sufficient. Through its Supportive Services, CAAGKC offers free, accessible services that facilitate economic security. The FSS (Family Self-Sufficiency) Case Management program is designed to augment earned income, identify hindrances preventing individuals from achieving intermediate- and long-term financial goals, and connect the community members with services and resources they may need to achieve those goals. Services include opportunities for individuals to engage in an array of services that lead to long-term economic independence, such as occupational skills training and financial planning workshops.
Growth Ministries
Growth Ministries helps offenders become productive members of their communities while in prison and after release. It does this through financial education and shaping positive social values and a sense of responsibility. Its mission is to help individuals who have been incarcerated become productive members of society. Programs are provided to those detained and, post-incarceration, include financial literacy classes and entrepreneurship workshops.
Urban League of Greater Kansas City
The Urban League of Greater Kansas City has long been a leader in advancing economic empowerment. Through workforce development, career placement, financial education, and entrepreneurship programs, the Urban League helps individuals and families build wealth and access opportunity. Its core mission is to help adults attain economic self-sufficiency through jobs, entrepreneurship, and wealth creation.
West Central Missouri Community Action Agency (WCMCAA)
New Growth is WCMCAA’s West Central Community Development Corporation, supporting rural community development in west central Missouri. The New Growth Women’s Business Center serves men and women in 15 rural Missouri and Kansas counties and provides training, technical assistance, one-on-one business counseling, mentorship, peer-to-peer support, and help with certifications and connecting with other resources. Additionally, assistance is offered to individuals and entrepreneurs to help establish and improve credit histories.
Why Financial Wellness Matters
Financial security impacts every part of life, from housing and healthcare to education, childcare, and mental health. When families have the proper access to resources and support, they’re better equipped to weather emergencies, plan for the future, and thrive.
United Way of Greater Kansas City is committed to strengthening financial security across our region by supporting organizations that deliver real, measurable impact.
This Financial Wellness Month, we invite you to learn more, get involved, and support the work that helps Kansas City families build a stronger, more stable future.