Hall Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Hall Family Foundation supports early and K-12 education, higher education, children and youth, neighborhood revitalization, the arts, health, and life sciences in the Kansas City region of Missouri and Kansas.
FUNDING AREAS: Early and K-12 education, higher education, children and youth, neighborhood revitalization, the arts, health, and life sciences
IP TAKE: This top private funder has broad interest and awards sizable grants in a narrow geographic area, making it a key funder to know in this part of the Midwest.
PROFILE: Established in 1943, the Hall Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Kansas City, Missouri. This is the foundation of Joyce C. Hall, who moved to Kansas City in 1910 and started the business that became Hallmark Cards. He started this foundation with his wife, Elizabeth, and his brother, Rollie. HFF aims to be “responsive to programs that are innovative, yet strive to create permanent solutions to community needs in the Greater Kansas City area.” It funds local efforts for early and K-12 education, higher education, children and youth, neighborhood revitalization, the arts, health, and life sciences.
The Hall Family Foundation funds early, elementary, secondary, and higher education to assist local students. Children and youth grants aim to overcome race and economic disparities, while neighborhood grants prevent and overcome blighted neighborhoods at the urban core. Arts grants usually prioritize established arts groups, but Hall also invests in smaller niche arts organizations at times. Hall supports health organizations that increase quality services and educate residents about how to improve their health. In addition to these main interests, Hall will consider other high-priority local issues, such as life sciences and other efforts that have community-wide interest. As a general rule, Hall provides capital project and program support rather than general operating support.
Grants range between about $30,000 and $1.5 million. Learn more about this funder’s local giving in the grant listing on the funder’s website. Grantmaking focuses on the Kansas City region of Missouri and Kansas. This includes Jackson, Cass, Clay, and Platte Counties in Missouri, as well as Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas. Past local grantees include the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, Guadalupe Centers, and the Center for Developmentally Disabled.
This foundation accepts unsolicited letters of inquiry from nonprofits at any time of the year with no deadlines. Hall will review these initial written inquires and invite select applications to send full proposals. The average review period is six to eight weeks, and the board meets quarterly in March, June, September, and December. Direct general questions to the staff at hff@hallmark.com or 816-274-8516.
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