LISC Awards 8 Grants to Community Development Organizations
Starting this spring, eight community development organizations will be operating with additional capacity building funds to support their work in real estate and economic development. Greater Kansas City LISC (LISC) is excited to announce the recent awards of over $340,000 in Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Capacity Building for Affordable Housing and Community Development Program funds, also known as the Section 4 program funds. LISC is also excited to welcome Community Builders of Kansas City, Community Housing of Wyandotte County, Urban Neighborhood Initiative, and the Historic Northeast Midtown Association as grant-funded partners.
Ranging in size from $25,000 to $99,000, grants were awarded to the following organizations:
- Community Builders of Kansas City (CBKC) will expand their staffing capacity to support community engagement and residential and commercial real estate development work near Swope Pkwy / Blue Pkwy.
- Community Housing of Wyandotte County (CHWC) will complete predevelopment and due diligence work for construction of a new multi-family development on the former site of the Bethany Hospital in Kansas City, KS (near Central Avenue and 12th).
- Downtown Shareholders of KCK (DTS) will continue and expand their small business support through theModular Business Incubator (MBI) and direct technical assistance to current and potential small business owners in their district. The MBI is an incubator for artisan business owners located in a converted shipping container that was funded through LISC private and HUD Section 4 funding.
- Historic Northeast Midtown Association (HNMA) will build their capacity to support the neighborhoods of Douglass-Sumner, Turtle Hill, and Struggler’s Hill to undertake neighborhood improvement projects and build capacity for neighborhood advocacy around vacant land use in aligned with the Northeast KCK Master Plan.
- Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council (INC) will build their staff capacity in residential and commercial development in their 39th Gateway project area (east of 71 Highway near 39th Street), as well as minor home repair and major home rehab. Ivanhoe expects to build new senior cottages and a new duplex, begin predevelopment work on a mixed-use project, and to develop an infill housing development strategy for their vacant lots.
- Urban Neighborhood Initiative (UNI) will complete asset mapping and resident training within their Vacant 2 Vibrant Demonstration Blocks and will begin work on the creation of the Phillips Collective Neighborhood Master Plan in the Wendell Phillips Neighborhood. Asset mapping identifies the location of individual residents and their skills and passions to aid in making connections between neighbors and building social capital. The Phillips Collective Master Plan will create a guide based on residents’ vision for preferred development, and a framework for neighborhood ownership and wealth-building.
- Westside Housing Organization (WHO) will perform real estate research and predevelopment work in the Troost-Prospect and/or Northeast target areas to preserve and rehab naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH).
LISC’s strategy integrates our programs and investments into three main pillars: Housing rehabilitation, preservation, and development; financial stability of residents and families; and economic development and equitable revitalization of key commercial districts. Building on years of creating relationships and establishing priorities with community partners who execute this work on the ground, our efforts remain place-based and the majority of our work will be focused geographically in the Historic Northeast and Troost-Prospect Corridors in Kansas City, Missouri and the greater downtown Kansas City, Kansas area.
In addition to funding, LISC seeks to build the capacity of organizations by providing direct technical assistance, trainings, and convening the LISC Community of Practice Network where peer CDCs meet bimonthly to share relevant information and resources, learn from and help one another, and work towards shared goals.
Please join us in congratulating our 2019-2020 grant recipients!
