Stay up to date with the latest information on Kansas businesses, grants and opportunities for communities from the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Jun 6, 2023
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced today that for the third straight year, Kansas has won Area Development magazine’s coveted Gold Shovel Award. The back-to-back-to-back accolade has no precedent in state history and reflects three consecutive years of record-setting private-sector investment. “Every day, my administration works to grow the economy…
Read MoreJun 5, 2023
TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland today announced the recipients of the spring 2023 Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) grants. A total of 17 projects from across the state are receiving nearly $918,000 in matching grant funds. The Patterson Family Foundation and Department of Commerce paired up…
Read MoreJun 2, 2023
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced 14 communities will receive funding through the Office of Rural Prosperity’s Rural Mural and Public Art grant program. The $76,071 in grants awarded will allow communities to create 38 new murals and public art projects that engage community residents and create a place…
Read MoreJun 2, 2023
The ORP spotlight of the month is the small rural community of Mildred. Located in Allen County, Mildred is home to around only 20 people. This community might be small, but it has a mighty “store” that will surprise you. Recently featured in the Kansas City Star, the store has…
Read MoreJun 2, 2023
When the La Crosse grocery store closed in August of 2022, Rush County Economic Development jumped to action to restore this critical service in their county. Brad Penka let us know that, with its closing, it left the entire county without a grocery store within a 25-mile radius and would…
Read MoreJun 2, 2023
Rendering of final project The ORP spotlight of the month is the City of Clyde's SEED project called "The Village Green"! Located in Cloud County, Clyde is a small town of 800 people. Their project focused on beautifying their downtown. They demolished two dilapidated buildings between their library and city…
Read MoreJun 2, 2023
In October, Lissa Sexson was hired by the County of Wallace to serve as the Rural Champion, or point-person, to move forward efforts of Community Development within the county. Prior to being awarded the Rural Champion grant, Wallace County had not had any official form of community or economic development…
Read MoreJun 1, 2023
TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced the rebranding of the Kansas Workforce Aligned with Industry Demand (AID) program to Kansas Training and Retention Aligned with Industry Need (KTRAIN). In partnership with the Kansas Board of Regents, the Kansas Department of Commerce had developed Workforce…
Read MoreMay 30, 2023
TOPEKA – The Kansas Office of Broadband Development is developing a comprehensive strategic plan to expand broadband infrastructure statewide and ensure every Kansan has access to reliable high-speed internet. To assist in this and provide accurate data for the plan, the department is calling on residents to participate in an…
Read MoreMay 25, 2023
TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Department of Commerce Secretary David Toland today announced the call for nominations for the 2023 Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Awards. These annual awards, now in their 38th year at Commerce, are just one way the agency acknowledges and observes the growing impact minority- and women-led…
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