A major league city needs major league assets

Ewing Kauffman worked to make Kansas City a major league city. That’s why he fought to bring the Royals here and build the team to championship caliber.

We continue Mr. Kauffman’s legacy today to increase our city’s vibrancy through investments in education and entrepreneurship.

In addition to our core programs, the Foundation deploys a Kansas City Civic strategy, with three initiatives to complement the work of education and entrepreneurship while also contributing to the momentum of our city.

One of the three initiatives – the Key City Assets initiative – is based on past experience in Kansas City and unfortunate experiences other cities have had to endure. Namely, when large institutions get into financial trouble, it takes an outsized amount of philanthropy and civic energy to pull those institutions back from the brink. The Key City Assets initiative aims to keep ahead of those financial perils.

In the past year, the Foundation has made significant investments to help our key city assets increase long-term financial stability. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial, and the Linda Hall Library all received funding targeted toward building the long-term financial strength of each institution. Past grants supported Union Station and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The most recent grant approved by the trustees in this initiative went to the Truman Library Institute.

With the focus on financial growth and stability, the Foundation’s $1.6 million investment over the next three years will support a campaign that includes fundraising to renovate the presidential Library and Museum and additional funding to grow its endowment.

The Museum will be closed for renovations in 2019 and reopen in 2020 in time to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of Truman’s Presidency.  To capitalize on this pivotal point in its history, it will develop new commemorative programs and exhibits to enhance the Museum’s reputation, increase Museum visitors and expand the Museum’s donor base.

We have several treasured city assets in Kansas City. The approach of KC Civic and the hard work of these key institutions will ensure generations to come get to enjoy these unique, irreplaceable assets.