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Resources.
Activated.
Resources exist, but can be difficult to access.
This page is dedicated to driving awareness about resources for activation.
GROWKS Loan and Equity Programs
Partner: Kansas Department of Commerce, NetWork Kansas​
GROWKS loan programs offers a variety of match amounts to private capital from a financial institution such as a bank, Community Development Financial Institution, etc. GROWKS Equity Programs match private investment. Multiple rounds of investment possible. GROWKS is authorized under the American Rescue Plan by the U.S. Department of the Treasury State Small Business Credit Initiative.
To learn more, please click here.
NetWorked Community Solutions Grant
Partner: NetWork Kansas, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the Kansas Health Foundation and the Kauffman Foundation
Contact: christina@cmlcollective.com
The NetWorked Community Solutions Grant makes funding in the amount of $5,000 or $10,000 available to encourage collaboration among NetWorked participants through cross-sector teambuilding and collective action. To learn more, please click here.
Creating Public Leadership Service Pathways for Young Professionals in Kansas
Partner: Lead for America
Contact: info@leadforamerica.org
Lead For America is a national service program building the next generation of leaders for our country and communities across all 50 states. To learn more, please click here.
Resource Spotlight: Market Opportunity Profiles
Partner: e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Contact: 877-521-8600
Market Opportunity Profiles (MOP) focus specifically on a community’s likely opportunities for area spending capture to strengthen the economy and grow a more prosperous community. To learn more, please click here.
Resource Spotlight: Development Opportunity Profiles
Partner: e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Contact: 877-521-8600
Development Opportunity profiles bring together a range of secondary data to help communities understand the regional context and the population, employment and income trends for their area. DOPs also identify the primary drivers of a community’s economic success, so the community will be in a better position to focus in on genuine development opportunities. To learn more, please click here.
Resource Spotlight: Community Development
The Kansas Department of Commerce Community Development Division
Partner: The Kansas Department of Commerce Community Development Division
Contact: 785-296-3481
Programs in the Kansas Department of Commerce's Community Development Division are dedicated to developing strong communities across Kansas. To learn more, please click here.
Resource Spotlight: Entrepreneurship Support
NXTUS, Inc.
Partner: NXTUS, Inc.
Contact: hello@nxtus.io
NXTUS, Inc. is a catalyst for the region's startup ecosystem. It serves as a nexus for entrepreneurs, investors, corporate partners and the community at-large. To learn more, please click here.
Resource Spotlight: Civic Engagement support
The Public Policy and Management Center at
Wichita State University
Partner: The Public Policy and Management Center at Wichita State University
Contact: abigail.hammack@wichita.edu
The PPMC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with the public, nonprofit and private sectors to conduct research, evaluation, training and communities initiatives that benefit the public good. To learn more, please click here.
Resource Spotlight: Entrepreneurship Support
The Porter House KC
Partner: The Porter House KC
Contact: info@theporterhousekc.com
The Porter House KC is an entrepreneurship support organization with a focus on providing access and resources to current and aspiring entrepreneurs in the Kansas City metro area. To learn more, please click here.
Resource Spotlight: Entrepreneurship Support
The Toolbox Small Business Resource Center
Partner: The Toolbox Small Business Resource Center
Contact: Gabe Munoz: gmunoz@thetoolboxkc.com
The Toolbox is the go-to resource for everything small business in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Services are offered at no-cost to local residents and businesses. To learn more, please click here.
Enhancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within your Organization
Partner: The NetWork Kansas Empower National DEI Advisory Board
Contact: Christina Long: christina@cmlcollective.com
Strengthening Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within organizations takes commitment, intention, resource allocation and measuring. Here are practices recommended by NetWork Kansas’ Empower Advisory Board, composed of DEI experts and practitioners, to help organizations navigate the work to generate positive impact.
KITE Proof of Concept Program
Partner: Kansas Department of Commerce
Contact: Wade Wiebe: w.wiebe@ks.gov
The KITE Proof of Concept (POC) Program provides for-profit entities and faculty-led projects access to between $5,000-$25,000 in funding to enable promising technology to advance to a stage where it is capable of attracting licensees, seed investment or generating revenues.
For-profit POC funds are available for the purpose of evaluating and/or commercializing unique and innovative technology that is scalable and targeted for development via entrepreneurial enterprise in Kansas.
Additional funds are set aside for minority-owned businesses. To learn more, please click here.
Capital Access Center
Partner: Kansas Small Business Development Center
Contact: Vincent Haworth: Haworth@ksbdc.net
The Capital Access Center offers loan-specific consulting services to small business owners. The center is staffed by former bankers with more than 30 years of lending experience.
The center is a service of the Kansas Small Business Development Center, which is the state business advising resource for entrepreneurs and small business owners. To learn more, please click here.
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready platform
Partner: NetWork Kansas and Rural LISC
Contact: NetWork Kansas Referral Center: info@networkkansas.com
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready provides personalized content, coaching, community and more to help move small business forward. Click here to access the platform.
Flexible Financing for Nonprofits
Partner: IFF
Contact: IFF Loans: chammer@iff.org and Real Estate Consulting Services: lmiller@iff.org
IFF can lend to and consult for most 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that are providing clear support to low-to-moderate income communities. IFF is most successful when working with nonprofits that have a minimum of $250,000 in annual revenue and 5 years of operating track record.
To learn more, please click here.
Healthify
Partner: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Inc.
Contact: virginia.barnes@bcbsks.com
Healthify is building high impact social service referral networks in order to address social determinants of health.
To learn more, please click here.
Kansas Healthy Food Initiative
Partners: Kansas Health Foundation, The Food Trust, IFF, Kansas Healthy Food Initiative
Contact: khfi@k-state.edu
Kansas Healthy Food Initiative is a healthy food financing initiative that supports projects aiming to increase access to healthy food at the retail level in low-resource and underserved areas of Kansas.
To learn more, please click here.
Leadership Transformation Grants
Partner: The Kansas Leadership Center
Contact: kweidner@kansasleadershipcenter.org
Through the Leadership Transformation Grant, the Kansas Leadership Center partners with organizations to help them create a culture of leadership that embraces change, tackles problems and seizes opportunities. The KLC is looking for partners across the state to saturate their organization with KLC's proven framework in order to make lasting progress on their biggest challenges.
To learn more, please click here.
Kansas Community Investment Fund (KCIF)
Partner: NetWork Kansas
Contact: info@networkkansas.com
The Kansas Community Investment Fund is designed to provide capital to non-profit and for-profit projects that impact community and economic health including healthy behaviors, access to care, education attainment, and civic and community engagement.
Resources will be uploaded on an ongoing basis.
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