Visit KC accepting applications for Kansas City Restaurant Week Beneficiaries

Kansas City, Mo – Visit KC is accepting applications from 501(c)3 organizations to partner with during Kansas City Restaurant Week. Beneficiaries will be selected for a one-year term for either the 2024, 2025, or 2026 event.

Visit KC and the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association (GKCRA) launched Kansas City Restaurant Week (KCRW) in January 2010 with the mission of showcasing Kansas City's restaurants to local residents and visitors during a 10-day period when restaurants typically welcome an opportunity to serve more customers. The promotion features special multi-course, price-fixed menus and showcases charities dedicated to improving the community with service or educational missions that enhance the quality of life for the greater metropolitan community.

Over the last 13 years, more than $3.3 million dollars has been raised for charity. In addition to the foundations of the founding partners, previous featured beneficiaries have included:

• 2010-2014 - Harvesters: The Community Food Network
• 2015 - BoysGrow
• 2016 - Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired
• 2017- CultivateKC
• 2018 - Kansas City Community Gardens
• 2019 – Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City
• 2020 & 2021 – The Don Bosco Centers
• 2022 – Guadalupe Center
• 2023 – Cornerstone of Cares

The selected KCRW charity will be eligible to receive 1/3 of the donations from participating restaurants in the given year. In addition, the featured charity partner will receive exposure through KCRW’s integrated marketing campaign, including logo placement and editorial features.

Interested organizations should submit a proposal outlining their qualifications to become a KCRW featured beneficiary for a one-year term.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS & PROCESS:

Qualified charity must be:

• A 501(c)3 registered charitable organization
• Offer goods and services to the entire Greater Kansas City metropolitan area (KS and MO)
• Have a mission or programming that is directly related to food/nutrition for KC’s underprivileged populations – either through direct service or education in the Kansas City metro area (as defined by Cass, Clay, Clinton, Leavenworth, Jackson, Miami, Platte and Wyandotte counties)
• Cannot have served as the 2021, 2022, or 2023 featured Kansas City Restaurant Week Charity

Applications should include the following:

• The mission of the charity and/or programming which meets the above criteria, along with a detailed description of the population served and the demonstrated historic impact of the organization.
• Explanation and outline of how the KCRW donation will be used including demonstration of the need for funding and the anticipated trajectory of the organization if funds were to be awarded.
• A detailed outline of how the organization will assist and support KCRW marketing, advertising, and sponsorship solicitation.
• A description of any past event or festival affiliations of which the organization has been a beneficiary.
• A current form 990 and most recent annual report for the organization.

Selection Process:

• May 1, 2023: Applications due by 5:00 p.m.
• June 21, 2023: Charity partners selected and notified
• Summer/Early fall 2023: 2024 charity partner announced publicly
• Jan. 2024: 2024 Kansas City Restaurant Week
• June 1, 2024: Majority of donations awarded to 2024 charitable partner

To submit an application, visit KCRestaurantWeek.com. Questions can be submitted via email to jwilson@visitkc.com.

About Kansas City Restaurant Week

Kansas City Restaurant Week (KCRW) is KC’s premier dining event founded by the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association and Visit KC in an effort to support the regional restaurant community. 2024 marks the 15th-consecutive year for the 10-day dining event, spotlighting KC as one of the country's premier dining and vacationing destinations. Each year, KCRW partners with local charities to raise funds for deserving causes. In 2023, restaurants boosted the event’s 14-year charitable total to nearly $3.3 million. For more information, visit KCRestaurantWeek.com or join the conversation online at #KCRW2024.

About Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association

The Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, as a chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association, works with its membership to represent, educate, and promote the restaurant and hospitality industries in Northwest Missouri and in the counties of Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth in Kansas.

About Visit KC

Headquartered in Downtown Kansas City, Visit KC is the chief hospitality sales and marketing organization for the region. With a mission of creating global passion for Kansas City, Visit KC collaborates with nearly 1,000 community partners to drive the marketing, sales and service of the destination’s convention and tourism industry—a sector that supports more than 41,000 local jobs. For more information about Kansas City, go to VisitKC.com.

For more information, contact:
Robin Baer, 816-691-3840