A message from our CEO, Chris Rosson:

At United Way of Greater Kansas City, we believe in the power of community. Our community is facing tough challenges: from soaring costs for housing, utilities, food, and medical care to increased violent crime. Our community is also strong, resilient, and together, finds a million ways to be united.

2023 was a year of building upon a dynamic roadmap of thoughtful and progressive action toward a better Kansas City. We listened and responded to our community’s needs with real-time solutions, which was especially evident as we began 2024.

KC Strong

A call to turn our collective outrage into action showcased the true power of our community. In response to the February 14th mass shooting following the Chiefs parade, United Way partnered with the Chiefs to create the KC Strong fund to quickly and responsibly deploy over $2M in direct assistance to victims and their families, while also supporting work in the areas of violence prevention and mental health, and to assist first responders.

Inflation Relief to Families

Thanks to support from generous community donors, we delivered more than $5.7M in direct assistance, including $1M in prepaid debit cards averaging just more than $900 each to individuals and families in need. While funds were not restricted, we saw the vast majority of dollars were utilized to meet basic, everyday needs including housing, clothing, food and transportation. This is on top of our ongoing commitments in the areas of eviction prevention and utility assistance.

KC Current

This year we were also named Kansas City Current’s Official Charity Partner, and are proudly displayed on the front of kit. This is just one of the exciting new ways we are reaching new audiences and getting creative about how we enhance our impact and reach. As a part of this partnership, a percentage of all ticket and kit sales are directly reinvested back into the community through United Way. Moving forward, United Way and KC Current will be working hand in hand on projects to advance our community.

Catalyzing the Work

In addition to the nearly $8.SM in grants made through Impact 100 and individually designated grants, United Way also invested more than $2M into small nonprofits led by or primarily serving communities of color. This funding has been game-changing for organizations that often face significant challenges in accessing capital. Grant dollars have helped nonprofits hire staff, add programming, expand physical space and so much more. We know it takes diligence, patience, and passion to get where we’re going. Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to our mission to create a Kansas City where all can thrive.