Neighborhoods Rising Fund Awards 60 Grants, Surpasses $1 Million Threshold of Giving

The Neighborhoods Rising Fund (NRF), part of the Community Capital Fund (CCF), recently awarded a record 60 grants to neighborhood and community-based organizations throughout Greater Kansas City during its annual award breakfast. NRF is one of H&R Block’s Make Every Block Better community partners, and 10 Block associates volunteered as community reviewers for the 2023 grant cycle.

NRF is a unique funding collaborative that provides annual grants for community-driven and neighborhood-led revitalization projects and initiatives in low- to moderate-income areas throughout the Greater Kansas City region. At the breakfast, Nicki Cole, Vice President of Technology, Small Business & Financial Services and NRF volunteer, announced that the organization crossed the $1 million threshold of giving this year.

“At H&R Block, we are more than a tax company, we are also a company that cares deeply about our community,” said Cole. “We’re proud to work alongside NRF and neighborhood leaders who are identifying opportunities and making projects a reality in communities across the region. Congratulations to the Community Capital Fund on this giving achievement.”

Each year, NRF receives up to 100 applications from groups seeking support for community-led neighborhood preservation and development projects. NRF relies on the support of community reviewers to provide a fair and equitable setting for the application review process. This year, eight organizations are in the second year of their two-year grant cycle and 52 organizations are receiving their first NRF grant.

The fund was created with the goal of seeding dreams and aspirations and building capacity in local neighborhoods. By supporting small neighborhood-led initiatives that demonstrate the ability to have a lasting impact, the NRF has brought together hundreds of residents and helped to build their collective capacity to live more productive, healthy and interconnected lives.

“Not only has the $300,000 invested by H&R Block allowed NRF to support more neighborhoods, but it’s allowed for more two-year grants and for NRF to fully fund more projects,” said Phyllis Hardwick, Executive Director of CCF. “We are thankful to have been chosen for the Make Every Block Better initiative.”

H&R Block has helped fund more than 140 NRF grants over three consecutive cycles. For many organizations, the NRF grants are an introduction to applying for and being awarded grant funding. While seemingly small in scale, these projects are helping to address systemic issues of inequality, while empowering residents through capacity-building efforts supported by NRF, its partners, and the neighborhoods leading them.

For more on NRF, visit here. To learn more about H&R Block’s Make Every Block Better community impact platform, visit here.