Submitted
2025 Global Economic Prosperity Challenge

Kansas City GIFT

Team Leader
Briana Reed
To provide grants to Black-owned businesses in Kansas City, with a specific interest in businesses that operate in low income areas. We know this will create more jobs and convert an economically disadvantaged area into an area of economic opportunity. We aim to assist in creating generational wealth while also reducing instances of poverty-related crime and violence in our communities.
What is the name of your organization?
Kansas City G.I.F.T. (Generating Income For Tomorrow)
What is the name of your solution?
Kansas City GIFT
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Advancing Black Communities one GIFT at a Time
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Kansas City, MO, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
USA
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
The racist practices of redlining in America have created a vast wealth gap where our poorest neighborhoods are predominately Black and wealthiest neighborhoods are predominately white. It has been shown that investing in the growth and expansion of Black-owned businesses in low-income black neighborhoods creates a trajectory of economic growth for the whole area. Due to the discriminatory practices of Redlining in the 1920s and 1930s in Kansas City, Troost Avenue has been long seen as the dividing line between Black and White people of Kansas City and the dividing line between high and low-income communities.
What is your solution?
To provide grants to Black-owned businesses in Kansas City, with a specific interest in businesses that operate in low income areas. We know this will create more jobs and convert an economically disadvantaged area into an area of economic opportunity. We aim to assist in creating generational wealth while also reducing instances of poverty-related crime and violence in our communities.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
The goal of Generating Income for Tomorrow is to create a clear path to economic prosperity and wealth for the African American community in Kansas City by reversing the effects of redlining practices. By investing in the growth and expansion of Black-owned businesses in low-income Black neighborhoods, the organization aims to spur economic growth for the entire area, creating a trajectory towards prosperity.
Solution Team:
Briana Reed
Briana Reed