Oct. 7, 2020
Good for Kansas: Speaker praises programs that are boosting communities
‘First Friday’ series highlights entrepreneurial successes
MANHATTAN, Kan. – More than five dozen Kansas entrepreneurs came together online in early October to listen to updates on a couple of programs that are proving to be a big boost to communities statewide.
Steve Radley, the president and chief executive officer of NetWork Kansas, gave an update on work being done by the Kansas Healthy Foods Initiative (KHFI) and the Kansas Community Investment Fund (KCIF), two programs that thrive on providing financial and other support throughout the state.
Radley was the featured speaker recently during K-State Research and Extension’s monthly online series, First Friday e-Calls, which helps to nurture small businesses and inspire entrepreneurship in Kansas.
NetWork Kansas, which has headquarters in Andover, shares a similar mission to promote entrepreneurship by providing strategic financial advice. Radley’s talk focused on ways in which KHFI and KCIF have boosted local economic development efforts.
“These are both very unique programs,” Radley said, “and they’re helping us with ideas for developing other programs to help entrepreneurship in Kansas.”
KHFI, which formed in 2017, has funded 21 projects, including $157,825 in grants and $1.6 million in loans. The program focuses on providing access to affordable, healthy food, including support for rural grocery stores and other local food efforts.
In its short existence, KHFI has helped 66 programs in 59 Kansas counties.
KCIF is helping other segments of Kansas towns. The program was launched in 2019 with a combined $1 million investment from NetWork Kansas and the Kansas Health Foundation. Since that time, the foundation has provided $972,448 in loans and $27,700 in grants.
Among many projects, KCIF has helped provide funds to support fitness centers, daycare facilities, dental offices, mental health facilities, co-working space, rural broadband providers and a pharmacy. So far, KCIF has supported 18 projects in 13 Kansas counties.
“KCIF is focused on providing access to care, attaining education, promoting healthy behaviors and encouraging civic and community engagement,” Radley said.
Kansans are encouraged to apply for assistance through both programs.
For information on the Kansas Healthy Foods Initiative, go to https://kansashealthyfood.org.
To learn more about the Kansas Community Investment Fund, contact Thomas Papadatos, the product manager with Network Kansas, at [email protected], or call 316-425-6033.
K-State Research and Extension’s First Friday e-Calls, available through distance technology, are free to attend and open to all interested. Find more information and register for future presentations online.
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FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS: Links used in this story
NetWork Kansas, www.networkkansas.com
Kansas Healthy Foods Initiative, https://kansashealthyfood.org
First Friday e-calls, www.ksre.k-state.edu/community/business/entrepreneurship
K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices, experiment fields, area extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Story by:
Pat Melgares
785-532-1160
