The Pride Charitable Fund is a left-of-center grantmaking fund that provides funding to LGBT organizations and advocacy groups with an emphasis on funding organizations and projects in the greater Kansas City area. The fund is administered and operated by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation (GKCCF), a large left-of-center community foundation in Kansas City that manages over $2.8 billion in assets including several family foundations and many fiscally sponsored charitable funds. The Pride Charitable Fund began operation in 2022 and has funded left-of-center LGBT groups, including the Modern Family Alliance, the Kansas City Center for Inclusion, and No Divide KC. ^{1 2 3}

Background

The Pride Charitable Fund was formed by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation (GKCCF) in 2022 and distributed grants that year to four organizations, with a stated average grant size of $1,500. ¹

The fund is operated by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, a large left-of-center community foundation in Kansas City that manages over $2.8 billion in assets, including several family foundations and many fiscally sponsored charitable funds. In addition to its large amount of assets, the GKCCF reported $336 million in grants paid in $2023 and 444 million in grantmaking in 2022. ⁴

In addition to the Pride Charitable Fund, the GKCCF administers several left-of-center charitable funds focusing on economic, race, gender, and social issues, and also operates several family foundations and hundreds of donor-advised funds. Other funds and foundations operated by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation include the Kansas City Branch of the American Association of University Women Fund, the Black Community Fund, the Hispanic Development Fund, and the Homelessness Trust Fund. The group also administers funds on behalf of local governments, including the Unified Government Hollywood Casino Fund and Eitas, also known as Developmental Disability Services of Jackson County, a subdivision of the Jackson County, Missouri government, primarily funded through a property tax. ²

Activity

The Pride Charitable Fund describes itself as aiming to be the “premiere funding source for LGBTQ+ led and LGBTQ+ serving nonprofits in the Greater Kansas City Area.” The fund’s website promotes left-of-center language on “equity,” stating that “A core component of our work, the value of equity seeks to address historical and systemic imbalance by giving people what they need to realize a shared outcome. We strive towards establishing a level playing field and amplifying voices in the LGBTQ+ community that have traditionally been silenced and under-supported.” ³

An early project of the Pride Charitable Fund was the Voices of Pride Needs Assessment, which was conducted by the fund in conjunction with the Urban Education Research Center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The goal of the needs assessment was to “comprehensively identify the current needs, strengths, and resources of the LGBTQ+ community in the Kansas City metropolitan area.” Funding was provided for the assessment by Rebuild KC Neighborhood Grants, and a research team for the project was assembled by the University of Missouri-Kansas City. ⁵

Grantmaking Activity

The Pride Charitable Fund has disclosed four grant recipients from 2022 and three from 2023. The fund states that its average grant size of approximately $1,500 in both years, with two recipients, BlaqOut and No Divide KC, receiving grants in both years. Other grantees include the Nicolas Gogan Foundation, the Modern Family Alliance, Transformations, No Divide KC, Our Spot KC, the Kansas City Center for Inclusion, and the Kansas City Glory, a professional women’s American football team. ¹

1. “Grants.” Pride Fund. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://pridefund.wpengine.com/grants/
2. “Grant Opportunities.” Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://www.growyourgiving.org/nonprofits/grant/
3. “Pride Fund KC.” Pride Fund KC. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://pridefundkc.org/
4. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. 2023. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/431152398/202433199349316533/full
5. “Needs Assessment.” Pride Fund KC. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://pridefundkc.org/needs-assessment/