Small nonprofits are the backbone of communities. APS wants to help | Opinion
Do you know a small nonprofit organization making a big impact but struggling? With small budgets and smaller staffs, it can be difficult for these agencies to get financial support. American Public Square is trying to correct that in its first grantmaking program.
Known more as a convener of community conversations, APS has been selected by the international Aspen Institute as one of just 25 Community Hosts nationwide to distribute more than 20 microgrants annually ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 to small nonprofits strengthening trust and belonging across Kansas City. It’s the first time APS has done this.
“It’s a new frontier for us, you know, being in any kind of grant-making at all, said APS Executive Director Claire Bishop, adding that while grants won’t be a core focus, this program is really needed. “The idea is high-trust low-barrier access to people who are doing this work but don’t have grant writing teams, don’t have lots of complicated audits or sophisticated accounting support but they need the money.”
It’s an excellent idea, and I’m glad APS is focusing on smaller organizations over the larger ones that might have more resources.
The grants are through Weave: The Social Fabric Project. Over the next four years, the initiative will bring $225,000 in startup funding into the region and positions Kansas City as a national model for rebuilding civic connection at the neighborhood level. The grants will go to nonprofits that have a 501(c)(3) tax exempt status (or have a fiscal sponsor) and a budget threshold of $250,000.
So, who will get the awards? Bishop said groups doing community-building work, “connecting neighbors and groups of people to bridge and bond and build all those types of capital,” she said.
“It could be an arts organization. It could be a neighborhood organization. Anything that brings Kansas City together to build connections between people is eligible for this award,” Ryan Bernsten, Director of Brand and Partnerships for APS.
Bernsten said the fit is perfect for American Public Square. “We want to tell the story of the good things going on here in Kansas City. And that community-building piece can look very different because we have such a diverse patchwork network of different nonprofits both in arts sectors, neighborhood organizing sectors and more traditional community-building, trust-building sectors.”
As we talked, I thought back to the many people and small groups we’ve showcased here in the Opinion pages of The Star. From churches, to immigration groups, to people trying to reduce fentanyl overdoses, to promoting personal health. All these were small organizations stepping out to make a difference where they saw a problem. Surely there are more, likely needing a hand up.
APS is hosting the first of several informational coffees for potential grantees and nonprofits on Feb. 24 at 9:30 a.m. at The Annex at Park 39 in Kansas City. Bishop said applications will open in the summer and selections will be made in the fall. “Big announcements will be made toward the end of the year,” she said.
Bernsten said this grant program, while new, is what APS is all about.
“If we can gather people, not just for a coffee or a conversation, but gather people with the potential to get some financial support for the good work they’re doing, that’s the kind of community that American Public Square is trying to build.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 1:21 PM.
