Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City logo

Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City

Public charity · Grantmaker Kansas City, MO EIN: 43-1840674 Website

The Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City, known as ArtsKC – Regional Arts Council, is a public charity based in Kansas City, Missouri, formed in 1999. Its work includes grantmaking and other support for artists and arts organizations, as well as efforts to promote the arts and advocate for their role in the region.

Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City at a glance

In short: Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City gave $176K across 32 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Missouri. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.

Annual giving (2025)
$176,000
-8.6% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
32
-8.6% vs 2024
Average grant
$5,500
+0.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$5,500
Total assets
$1,416,998
+6.9% vs 2024
Primary geography
Missouri (91% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026.

How to apply to Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City

Review Cycle
The website lists October 21, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. as the deadline for the 2026–2027 Mission Support cycle.
Deadline
The website lists October 21, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Contact

Mailing address: 106 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone: (816) 221-1777
Website: https://artskc.org

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

A-Flat Music Studio Inc: $6KA-Flat Music Studio Inc$6KAmerican Jazz Museum: $6KAmerican Jazz Museum$6KArt as Mentorship Inc: $6KArt as Mentorship Inc$6KCharlotte Street Foundation: $6KCharlotte Street Foundation$6KCreative Emajinations: $6KCreative Emajinations$6KDynamite Movement Collective: $6KDynamite Movement Collective$6KEnsemble Iberica Inc: $6KEnsemble Iberica Inc$6KIce Studios School of Dance: $6KIce Studios School of Dance$6KInterurban Arthouse: $6KInterurban Arthouse$6KKansas City Area Youth Jazz Inc: $6KKansas City Area Youth JazzInc$6K

The largest 2025 recipient was A-Flat Music Studio Inc ($6K). Together the top 10 received $55K.

Grant Size Distribution

134 grants across all recorded years

130<$50K$50–100K3$100–250K1$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 130 grants of 134 (97%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Mission Support eligibility is limited to organizations principally located in the five-county Kansas City metropolitan area: Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Platte, and Wyandotte counties. The 2025 grant filing shows awards concentrated in Missouri, with additional grant dollars going to Kansas and New York recipients.

Grant Distribution by State

3states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.

Cities

Kansas CityOverland ParkBlue SpringsNew YorkBonner SpringsLees SummitLibertyMissionPrairie VillageRiversideRoseland Park

How Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City gives

  • 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 81% from 2022 to 2025. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$250K$500K$750K$1M6 grants2020 1 grant2021 40 grants2022 26 grants2023 35 grants2024 32 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $10K (2021) to $938K (2022). In 2025 it made 32 grants totaling $176K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
A-Flat Music Studio Inc Kansas City, MOFinancial Support$5,500
American Jazz Museum Kansas City, MOFinancial Support$5,500
Art as Mentorship Inc Kansas City, MOFinancial Support$5,500
Charlotte Street Foundation Kansas City, MOFinancial Support$5,500
Creative Emajinations Kansas City, MOFinancial Support$5,500
Dynamite Movement Collective Kansas City, MOFinancial Support$5,500
Ensemble Iberica Inc Kansas City, MOFinancial Support$5,500
Ice Studios School of Dance Kansas City, MOFinancial Support$5,500
Interurban Arthouse Overland Park, KSFinancial Support$5,500
Kansas City Area Youth Jazz Inc Kansas City, MOFinancial Support$5,500
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

The 2025 filing reports 32 grants; the 2024 filing reports 35, and the 2023 filing reports 26.

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsNet Investment Income
2025$1,416,998$2,546,627$2,485,967$176,00032$7,471
2024$1,325,035$2,312,904$2,369,360$192,50035$9,709
2023$1,122,297$2,136,871$2,126,389$143,50026$12,150
2022$1,922,757$3,170,948$3,314,946$937,61540$13,150
2021$1,490,400$2,232,014$1,836,098$10,0001$8,033
2020$926,891$1,222,648$1,496,895$69,9096$2,893

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

ArtsKC’s stated mission is to advance lives through the arts. Its grant program supports arts organizations, arts education organizations, arts programs, and individual artists. Its website describes grants as investments in people, programs, and projects that make the arts more accessible, sustain a vibrant arts community, and support excellence, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Grant disciplines listed include visual art, dance, music, theater, poetry, and interdisciplinary art.

Examples of 2025 grantees illustrate the range of organizations supported. The American Jazz Museum says its mission is to celebrate and exhibit jazz through research, exhibition, education, and performance. Art as Mentorship says it empowers young people, including underserved immigrant, Latinx, and low-income young artists, through mentorship, skill development, and mental health support. The Arts Asylum says it provides affordable space and assistance to artists, including gallery, studio, and performance space. Youth Chorus of Kansas City says it teaches, inspires, and empowers young singers through choral singing and music literacy.

Grantmaking

IRS filing data lists 32 grants totaling $176,000 in 2025. Each listed grant was $5,500. The filing reports that 91% of grant dollars went to Missouri recipients, 6% to Kansas recipients, and 3% to New York recipients.

Among the 2025 recipients were A-Flat Music Studio, the American Jazz Museum, Art as Mentorship, Creative Emajinations, Ensemble Ibérica, Kansas City Area Youth Jazz, Kansas City Public Theatre, and the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, each receiving $5,500. Interurban Arthouse in Overland Park, Kansas, also received $5,500. The listed grant purpose was “financial support.”

ArtsKC’s website describes Mission Support Grants as unrestricted, two-year funding for nonprofit organizations whose primary purpose is the arts. For the 2025–2026 cycle, the website reports 16 first-year awards totaling $87,000, with an average award of $5,438, and second-year awards totaling $98,500 for 18 organizations. These program figures are separate from the 2025 grant totals reported in the IRS filing.

For Mission Support eligibility, an organization must be a registered nonprofit arts organization principally located in Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Platte, or Wyandotte County; have a governing body with bylaws; and have at least two years of financial records and an established programming history. The website says applications are submitted through its online grants system. Its 2025–2026 application form described a competitive process; the filing also says grant recipients go through staff eligibility review, a grant review panel, and board approval. Organizations may submit one application to ArtsKC per year, and Mission Support applicants may not also apply for Inspiration Grant funding in the same year. ArtsKC says its funding is intended for public-facing, publicly accessible programming; educational institutions should apply in Project Support.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Shirley Helzberg as founding chair; Michael Gonzales as chair; Julie Robinson as vice chair; Chuck McCann as treasurer; and James Jim Charlesworth as secretary. Directors listed are Miguel Rivera, Derald Davis, Michael Toombs, Tim Marchesi, and Andrea Young.

Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City is led by Dana Knapp, CEO since 2021 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 18 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Dana Knapp

    CEO

    Executive Director → CEO, 2021

    On filings since 2020

    40 hrs/week

    $122K (2020) → $132K (2025)

  • Michael Gonzales

    Chair

    Director → Secretary, 2023

    Secretary → Chair, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Shirley Bush Helzberg

    Founding Chair

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Derald Davis

    Director

    Vice Chair → Director, 2023

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Miguel Rivera

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Andrea Young

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Chris Migneron

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sharon Freese

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Tim Marchesi

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ashok Meka

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • David Moore

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • J. Camille Hall

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Katherine Carttar

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Michael Toombs

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Chuck McCann

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Julie Robinson

    Vice Chair

    Director → Vice Chair, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • James Jim Charlesworth

    Secretary

    Director → Secretary, 2024

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (12)
  • Former: Jon Stephens (2020–2024) — Director
  • Former: Nicole Miller (2024) — Director
  • Former: Madeline Romious (2020–2023) — Vice Chair
  • Former: Maria Maffry (2020–2023) — Director
  • Former: Micheal Toombs (2020–2023) — Director
  • Former: Susan Wilson (2021–2023) — Director
  • Former: Amy Winterscheidt (2020–2022) — Secretary
  • Former: Eileen Weir (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Kanon Cozad (2020–2022) — Chair
  • Former: Maureen Mahoney (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Tracie McClendon-Cole (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Kathryn M. Walker (2022) — Vice President

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Dana Knapp — CEO: $132KDana KnappCEO$132K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $132K, to Dana Knapp (CEO).

Frequently asked questions about Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City

How much does Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City give each year?

Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City gave $176K across 32 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $193K across 35 grants.

What is Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City's typical grant size?

Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City's median grant in 2025 was $5,500, and its average grant was $5,500, across 32 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.

Where does Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City give grants?

Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City gives mostly in Missouri: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Kansas (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Kansas City, MO (29 grants).

Does Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 32 grants with a stated purpose on Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Financial Support" (32 grants).

Who are Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City's largest grantees?

Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City's largest 2025 grantees include A-Flat Music Studio Inc ($5,500), American Jazz Museum ($5,500) and Art as Mentorship Inc ($5,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 9% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City?

Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $2.5M.

What does Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City fund?

ArtsKC’s stated mission is to advance lives through the arts. Its grant program supports arts organizations, arts education organizations, arts programs, and individual artists. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City?

Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check artskc.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.

What is Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City's EIN?

Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 43-1840674. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.

Data update history

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS January 15, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 6, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
  6. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 9, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/metropolitan-arts-council-of-greater-kansas-city-morg_2c22e78619e64e93b8005472278acc0d

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_431840674_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/metropolitan-arts-council-of-greater-kansas-city-morg_2c22e78619e64e93b8005472278acc0d},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-05. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}

The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.

Figures come from Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.

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