Emmet Pierson, Jr., has joined the national board of IFF, a pre-eminent financial and development services provider of under-capitalized nonprofits. Established in 1988, IFF is the largest Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in the Midwest having made more than $1.1 billion in loans between 1988 and 2020. “IFF has been [...]
The holiday season kicked into festive high gear with Community Builders of Kansas City’s third annual Turkey Drop where 1,900 members of the community were treated to Thanksgiving turkeys, food, diapers and books and 500 received vaccines and boosters. Holiday festivities continued with The Soul of Santa Tree Lighting celebration [...]
Community Builders of Kansas City’s innovative Offices at Overlook project located at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Chestnut Ave. is officially underway. Environmental abatement is now complete including the successful removal of asbestos containing materials, necessary permits and inspections are secured. Demolition of the buildings on the 11-acre [...]
Part of the CBKC mission is to grow our organizational capacity so that we might carry out our other strategic goals – develop an entrepreneurial business model, continue to grow our financial strength, empower our community and share what we learn with others. In October, we had the opportunity to [...]
Community Builders of Kanas City partner MO Hives KC has been busy as, well, a bee. Enjoying huge growth since its inception in 2019, the organization’s co-founder Dr. Marion Pierson was named 2021 Beekeeper of the Year by the Missouri State Beekeepers Association in October. The nonprofit organization has been [...]
By Emmet Pierson, Jr. The coronavirus pandemic exposed extreme disparities in housing options and availability for our working class and disadvantaged populations. In many neighborhoods across the country, lack of access to quality housing is an unofficial “state of emergency” with no clear direction of how to address the problem. [...]
Over 30 years, since its 1991 founding, Community Builders of Kansas City completed $250 million in development in neighborhoods throughout the East Side. In the last two and a half years, since 2019, CBKC has participated in more than $40 million in new investment on its Dr. Martin Luther King [...]
Community Builders of Kansas City is in its final phase of development to install public access 1-2 gig Wi-Fi on its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard headquarters campus. The $125,000 project is an advocacy investment by the minority-led nonprofit organization to help address the urban core’s digital divide. It [...]
In 2019, Community Builders of Kansas City retained Steve Glaude, president of strategies based in Washington, D.C., to facilitate development of a three-year strategic plan for the organization. Its goals had measurable outcomes and timelines and addressed capacity, its business model, financial stability, empowering families and communities and communications. In [...]
One of Community Builders of Kansas City’s strategic objectives is to empower families and communities. To that end, CBKC, through grants and partnerships with other charitable organizations, is engaging in initiatives, beyond brick and mortar development, that offer the community resources, programs and services that enhance mind, body and spirit. [...]