Neighborhoods Rising Fund

Neighborhoods
Rising Fund

Grant funding for neighborhood-led community development. The 2026 NRF Grant Cycle is now OPEN!

Learn more

A little fund goes a long way

The Neighborhoods Rising Fund (NRF) is a collaborative grant program administered by Community Capital Fund (CCF) that supports high-impact, innovative community projects and neighborhood revitalization initiatives throughout the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The grant application cycle opens each spring, with the application window typically falling in March.

Each year, NRF awards one-year grants of up to $7,500 and two-year grants of up to $15,000 to empower neighborhood organizations and community groups working in low- to moderate-income areas. These grants help build stronger, better-connected, and more effective neighborhood organizations dedicated to improving public safety, enhancing public spaces, organizing identity-building events, and fostering resource sharing.

Since 2015, NRF has:

  • Invested more than $1.1 million in local communities

  • Supported over 800 projects

  • Engaged more than 8,000 project participants

  • Facilitated over 125,000 total project hours

For more information about the Neighborhoods Rising Fund, please contact us here.

  • The primary applicant for your NRF project must be either:

    • A registered neighborhood association or neighborhood group recognized by your local jurisdiction; or

    • A community group

      • A community group is defined as an organized group led by and representative of residents in a single neighborhood or continuous cluster of neighborhoods (i.e. community action network centers, tenant unions, etc.); or

    • A registered 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in either Missouri or Kansas

    Applicant projects must be designed for and completed in a "Qualified Census Tract” in Jackson, Clay, Platte, or Cass counties in Missouri, or Wyandotte, Johnson, and Leavenworth counties in Kansas. To determine if your project is in a qualified census tract, use this mapping tool: Distressed Communities Index to search by address, census tract, and other geographic areas of interest. Use the search bar to type an address and view eligibility information on the map.

    • If your project service area is not within a qualifying census tract but you would like to be considered, please contact CCF for consideration at info@ccfkansascity.org or 816-502-9584. 

    Applicants should be in good standing with the State of Missouri or the State of Kansas.
    To find out if your organization is in good standing visit:

    • the Missouri Secretary of State website here.

    • the Kansas Secretary of State website here.

    Applicants for one-year grants should have the organizational capacity to complete the project by December 31st, 2025;

    Applicants for two-year grants should have the organizational capacity to complete the first phase of the project by December 31st, 2025 and the second phase of the project by December 31, 2026*; and

    Applicants should have active and identifiable leadership with clear and updated decision-making processes in place (includes mission, bylaws, and fiscal accountability measures);

    * Applicants for two-year grants should have satisfactorily completed/reported on any prior NRF-funded projects.

  • 2026 NRF Grant Cycle

    • Monday, March 2 – Application Opens

    • FOR KCMO LifeEx Neighborhoods: KCMO Dumpster Waiver Request Form opens Monday, March 2 (request a free dumpster here)

    • Friday, March 13, 11:30 am – 1st Grant IN-PERSON Information Session, (register here)

    • Friday, March 20, 1:00 pm – 2nd Grant VIRTUAL Information Session, (register here)

    • Tuesday, March 31 – Application Closes

    • Friday, May 2nd – Award Notifications

    • Friday, May 16th – Awards Breakfast & Grant Disbursement

    One-on-One Application Assistance: Application assistance is available upon request from March 1st to March 30th. Please email to schedule a time.

    *Timeline subject to change.

  • Applications for the 2026 NRF grant cycle must be submitted by 11:59 PM CST on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 in one of three ways:

    1.  Complete and submit the online form HERE (opens 3/2).

    2.  Download the 2026 NRF Guidelines + Application, complete, and email to info@ccfkansascity.org

    3. If online or email submission is inaccessible or burdensome, please print, complete, and mail your grant application to:

    Community Capital Fund
    ATTN: Neighborhoods Rising Fund
    3200 Wayne Ave. Mailbox 14
    Kansas City, MO 64109  

    (Copies of the grant application can be picked up at the CCF office.  Please call in advance, (816) 502-9584)

  • REFERENCE: 2026 Guidelines + Applications

    The following documents are required in order for application submission to be complete:

Real Impact.

Give to the NRF

The Neighborhoods Rising Fund helps create stronger, more resilient neighborhoods. To date, selected projects and initiatives have ranged from public safety and cleanup initiatives, to property and public space improvements, and identity-building and resource-sharing events. Read more about the ways NRF funding has made a difference in our recent reports:

CCF is seeking community reviewers to assist in application processing for the 2026 NRF Grant Cycle:

If you would like to volunteer to review 2026 NRF Applications please email CCF’s Program Manager. Thank you!