Community Capital Fund Honored with 2026 Regional Leadership Award
2026 MARC Regional Leadership Award recipients (from left): Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; Phyllis Hardwick, Executive Director of Community Capital Fund; Lindsay Hicks CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City; Marge Vogt, former MARC Board member and Olathe council member; and Tom Gerend, Executive Director at the KC Streetcar Authority.
We're thrilled to share that Community Capital Fund was recently honored with a 2026 Regional Leadership Award from the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC).
During MARC's Regional Assembly on Aug. 14, CCF was among 5 organizations and individuals recognized for leadership and vision that has strengthened the Kansas City region.
MARC's Regional Leadership Awards celebrate people and institutions whose work demonstrates a commitment to regional growth, advances innovative solutions to shared challenges, and improves quality of life and opportunity for residents.
"This award reaffirms what we've witnessed for years: when you trust and provide community leaders with the resources they need, communities thrive,” said CCF executive director Phyllis Hardwick. “This award is a reminder of what's possible when a region commits to equitable access and genuine partnership. It also challenges us to scale our work further so that all Kansas City-area communities have the resources and support to thrive on their own terms."
For CCF, this recognition reflects our belief that those closest to community challenges are best positioned to solve them, and that investing in these changemakers — no matter how small the investment — is essential. CCF is a community development nonprofit that facilitates grant funding to communities and serves as fiscal sponsor for social ventures, providing the financial management and operational infrastructure they need to thrive.
Since 2014, CCF has deployed more than $10 million to Kansas City-area neighborhoods, nonprofits, and small businesses. Through our programming, we have mobilized more than 2,700 community leaders, engaged more than 113,000 residents and facilitated more than 300 grants.
Our growing fiscal sponsorship practice has fueled the impact of more than 30 social ventures, including organizations such as AltCap, the Kansas City Defender, the Parent Leadership Training Institute, and more.
In addition to supporting neighborhoods and social ventures, CCF is proud to work with municipalities to help residents, including the City of Overland Park.
CCF is currently working with the City of Overland Park to administer a $220,000 property tax rebate program that offers up to 75% relief to eligible homeowners. CCF administers the program, provides applicant support and determines rebate awards to help residents afford to stay in their homes.
As we move forward, we're energized by MARC's affirmation of our work and are further committed to the mission that guides us: ensuring that grassroots leaders and community-focused initiatives have access to the capital and support they need to create thriving communities.
Thank you to MARC for this recognition, and thank you to our funding partners, board of directors, staff, and the communities we serve who help make this work possible.
About Community Capital Fund
Founded in 2014, CCF is a community development nonprofit that facilitates funding to communities and provides administrative support to grassroots community projects through fiscal sponsorship. CCF has deployed more than $10 million in the Kansas City area and has fiscally sponsored more than 30 social ventures that help our communities thrive. Learn more about our mission at www.ccfkansascity.org