Generating Income For Tomorrow

“What if we all donated $10 monthly and invested the money in Black-owned businesses?”

One of the Co-Founders of Generating Income For Tomorrow (G.I.F.T) posed this question in a Facebook group for African American business owners, which sparked the idea to launch G.I.F.T.

Brandon Calloway and his Co-Founders launched G.I.F.T. in the summer of 2020, a few days after the question posed in the Facebook group.

G.I.F.T’s goal is to provide grants to African American-owned businesses in Kansas City, with a specific interest in companies that operate in low-income areas. As a result, they are creating more jobs and converting an economically disadvantaged area into a place of economic opportunity.

They provided their first grant in August of 2020 to a local juice company on Troost and have been providing grants every month since. Each month they deliver one growth grant of $25,000 or $50,000 and one startup grant of $10,000.

G.I.F.T. provides all its grant recipients with a team of technical assistance professionals in Business Coaching, Accounting, Marketing, and Legal Services.

Since the summer of 2020, G.I.F.T has given $1,107,000 in grants to 56 businesses, and that has created almost 100 jobs in the community. Some of those businesses include Blueprint KC, The Next Paige Talent Management and Production, and Equal Minded Café.

Also, in 2022 G.I.F.T opened a 7,500-square-foot business center on Prospect Avenue to increase access to technical assistance.

Ultimately. G.I.F.T's goal is to create 100-200 new jobs a year in low-income communities and, in the next five years, see a steady decline in the poverty rate of the Urban Core and funding an African American-owned grocery store in a food desert.

Visit their website to learn more, donate, or submit a grant to get funded.

Website: Kansascitygift.org