Contact: Marcus Cain, Curator (mcain@kcjmca.org)

Kansas City Jewish Museum

Epsten Gallery at Village Shalom

5500 West 123rd Street at Nall Avenue

Overland Park, KS 66209

www.kcjmca.org (913-266-8413)

Kansas City, MO / Overland Park, KS — The Kansas City Jewish Museum (KCJM) is pleased to announce the receipt of an Operational Support Grant from the Kansas Arts Commission (KAC) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) — the first such support at the state and federal level for this organization. The terms of the grant, which will go toward a new website and enhanced online capabilities, requires KCJM to provide a one-to-one match over the course of the next year. Upon completion of the match, the total funds generated from the grant will be $15, 616.

“We feel honored to receive such funding from state and federal agencies at this time, and we look forward to doing our part to generate the necessary matching funds as soon as possible,” says KCJM Executive Director Eileen Garry. 

“Operational or capacity-building funds are critical for any organization and typically the most difficult to attain,” says KCJM Curator Marcus Cain. “This is truly a gift from the state of Kansas and the NEA that will have a lasting impact upon our organization and its ability to reach new audiences.”

Founded in 1996, the Kansas Arts Commission is a state agency that provides grants to organizations and support to individual artists for the greater benefit of the Kansas population. KAC receives funding through the Kansas legislature as well as the National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency. Additionally, KAC offers support through seminars, workshops, and conference activities that serve to build both capacity and audiences for the state’s various arts organizations.

The Kansas City Jewish Museum (KCJM) has been connecting communities and generations through the arts since 1991. The purpose of KCJM is to provide innovative art exhibitions and related programming that engage seniors and diverse audiences from all segments of our community to enrich lives and celebrate our common humanity through art. KCJM realizes this goal through two projects: The Epsten Gallery at Village Shalom and the Museum Without Walls traveling exhibition program.