UMB Bank Contributes $2 million to Kansas City and Denver Organizations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Dec. 20, 2021) – UMB Bank is pleased to announce a total donation of $1.25 million to local organizations supporting underserved communities’ housing needs, small business efforts, and education and emerging talent in Kansas City. CHES, Inc., The Porterhouse KC and KC Scholars will receive a $400,000, $350,000 and $500,000 donation, respectively, to support their missions.

Two additional donations of $375,000 have been made to Denver organizations NEWSED and Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute, bringing the total of these five year-end donations to $2 million, and UMB’s 2021 giving to more than $6 million.

“For more than a century, UMB has actively supported each community we serve,” said Mariner Kemper, chairman, president and CEO of UMB Financial Corporation. “We’ve had a strong year, and we want to share this success by giving much needed funding to key organizations within our communities. We’re thrilled to support these outstanding community partners and the tremendous work they’re already doing. We hope to see the impact of these dollars for years to come.”

CHES, Inc. is a HUD approved housing counseling and financial empowerment organization dedicated to helping clients maintain the knowledge and skills needed for long-term credit, financial and homeownership success. The donation will support CHES, Inc. programs including CHES Financial Empowerment and Kansas City Bank On.

“The team at CHES, Inc. is grateful for UMB Bank's generous support,” said Coley Williams, president of CHES, Inc. “We are excited about the positive impact this donation will have on stabilizing households facing financial roadblocks and providing homeownership opportunities to families who never before dreamed it was possible.” 

The Porter House KC is an inner city based co-working community that provides entrepreneurship access and resources to underserved populations in the Kansas City Metro area. The Porter House KC resolves to assist in the representation of entrepreneurs of color by providing an affordable business space that can be used to grow an idea to a full-fledged business.

“The Porter House KC team is so humbled and appreciative of the support from UMB,” said Daniel Smith, co-founder and principal of The Porterhouse KC. “These resources will be used to continue our current work and implement another program that will assist small businesses with direct support, creating additional inroads to success.”

KC Scholars is a college scholarship, college planning and persistence support, and college success program designed to increase the college completion rate for low- and modest- income students and adult learners across the six-county, bi-state service region. The donation will help provide scholarships, financial incentives to promote college savings, and support services for low- and modest-income students and adults needing access to pursue and complete a postsecondary credit-bearing credential or degree.

“It is absolutely tremendous to see community partners stepping up in such a dramatic way, as UMB has done,” said Dr. Beth Tankersley-Bankhead, president and CEO of KC Scholars. “The UMB funding gift will provide opportunities for earning a postsecondary education – to be followed by staying in our region to live and work – for talented, home-grown students participating in the KC Scholars program. This level of gift from a financial institution is ground-breaking. On behalf of our now more than 5,000 Scholars, KC Scholars thanks UMB—we are grateful and appreciative and proud to call UMB our community stakeholder.”

NEWSED is a Community Development Corporation (CDC) that has served the Denver community since 1973. NEWSED’s primary focus has been solving long-term economic problems in disadvantaged communities by securing and coordinating resources for neighborhood revitalization, developing needed shopping areas and services, and more. The donation will support housing counseling, financial education and small business programs. 

The Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute (RMMFI) creates a space for communities and people of all backgrounds to realize their unique potential through the power of entrepreneurship. Personal foundations are essential for success, and RMMFI works with entrepreneurs to focus on personal stability, entrepreneurial spark and business feasibility. The donation will be used to help entrepreneurs build strong foundations both personally and professionally to create impact for their business, their household, and their community.

About UMB:

UMB Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: UMBF) is a financial services company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. UMB offers commercial banking, which includes comprehensive deposit, lending and investment services, personal banking, which includes wealth management and financial planning services, and institutional banking, which includes asset servicing, corporate trust solutions, investment banking, and healthcare services. UMB operates branches throughout Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arizona and Texas, and serves business and institutional clients nationwide. For more information, visit UMB.com, UMB Blog, UMB Facebook and UMB LinkedIn, or follow us on Twitter at @UMBBank. For information about UMB’s operations, approach and relief measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit umb.com/COVID-19.