TOPEKA CHILD CARE TO BENEFIT FROM $3 MILLION

In Grant Funding

Topeka’s Child Care Task Force, which was stood up to align with the objectives of Momentum 2027, was recently awarded more than $3 million to support the expansion of child care availability in Topeka and Shawnee County. After applying for funding through the state’s Child Care Capacity Accelerator program, the Greater Topeka Partnership and its local child care partners have been awarded $2,762,113 from accelerator grant funds and an additional $249,875 for the innovative community add-on. This means more than $3 million will soon be injected in Topeka/ Shawnee County’s child care sector. The GTP and Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas partnered to submit the grant application. They will now work with nine local child care providers to help create more than 450 new child care slots in our community.

RECEIVES $100K NEA GRANT BEING MATCHED BY VISIT TOPEKA

InMay, Visit Topeka and ArtsConnect were proud to announce ArtsConnect was selected as a recipient of an “Our Town” grant by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The funding will support a new multidisciplinary, community-based artwork series by awardwinning, world-renowned artist vanessa german that will coincide with the 70th anniversary commemoration of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case that outlawed segregation in the country’s public schools. The new NEA-backed project will be part of “Civil Rights Summer” in Topeka, a collection of special projects and activities planned for summer 2024.

The NEA provides creative placemaking grants to innovative projects that strengthen communities by integrating arts, culture, and design. “Our Town” is one of the most prestigious grant programs offered by the NEA, and this is the first time Topeka has been granted an award through the program. ArtsConnect is expected to receive a $100,000 NEA grant, which will be matched by Visit Topeka. In addition, ArtsConnect is committed to raising $100,000 to support the project and advancement of the arts in Topeka. Together, the funding represents a $300,000 investment in the capital city’s arts scene.

K-STATE 105 LAUNCHES

On Jan. 17, Kansas State University announced the launch of its K-State 105 initiative, revealing its initial partner agencies during a press event at the Kansas State Capitol. GO Topeka is honored to be the program’s initial urban partner. K-State President Richard Linton and Vice President of Research David Rosowsky, as well as GTP CEO Matt Pivarnik and Chief Equity and Opportunity Officer Glenda Washington were among those speaking at the press event. The announcement was followed on Jan. 23 by a standingroom-only event held at the GTP titled “K-State 105: Learning Together to Help Kansas Communities and Businesses.” GO Topeka’s Stephanie Moran and Laurie Pieper participated in a panel discussion with K-State representatives and partners, answering questions from community members about the new initiative. The partnership will utilize GO Topeka and K-State resources to help develop a model for creating economic impact in urban communities.

Go Topeka Helps Host Made For Manufacturing