Headshot of Blue Springs Mayor Carson Ross
Carson Ross, Mayor, Blue Springs, Missouri

A message from our chair

Welcome to the Mid-America Regional Council’s 2022 Annual Review. As you scroll through, I hope you are inspired and encouraged – as I am – by the progress we have made to build a stronger Kansas City region.

Last year, MARC reached 50 years of regional impact. During the celebration, we reflected on past achievements and looked ahead to the next 50 years. As we move forward, MARC will continue to serve as a forum for the region to address critical needs, promote economic and social progress, and ensure equitable opportunity for everyone.

In this Annual Review, you’ll read stories about people coming together to benefit our communities in important ways, such as increasing the region’s climate resilience, strengthening roads and infrastructure, supporting mental health response and bringing medical services to kids with few pediatric options.

The MARC Board of Directors joins me in thanking you for everything you do to make this region great. I’m looking forward to an exciting year working alongside colleagues from across the region to build a place we’re proud to call home – now and into the future.

 
View MARC Board members
Efficient Transportation & Quality Places Competitive Economy Quality Early Learning

Efficient Transportation & Quality Places

MARC advances regional plans for a safe, balanced and equitable transportation system. We establish priorities, guide investments and support coordinated operations to help achieve a regional vision for our people, places and communities.

Read more
New Kansas City International Airport terminal at sunset

2022 Transportation and Quality Places Highlights

Bicyclist riding in bike lane on bridge with cars

Transportation investments

Through MARC, more than $137 million in federal transportation funds were distributed to support to 78 projects across the region. Additionally, MARC received a $6 million federal grant to support planning for the Bi-State Sustainable Reinvestment Corridor, which will connect four cities in the Kansas City region.

Multi use apartment building with sidewalk

Planning Sustainable Places

MARC allocated $1,228,500 in grant funds to 15 local Planning Sustainable Places projects. The 2022 projects include a plan for improvements to the Rock Creek corridor in Mission, Kansas, and a feasibility study for a mixed-use trail on the North Kansas City, Missouri, levee system.

Black teenage boy in driver's seat of red car

Transportation Safety

The Destination Safe coalition launched a transportation safety plan with the goal of zero roadway deaths in the Kansas City region by 2050. The plan includes strategies from Vision Zero, a national effort aimed at setting and reaching a goal of zero roadways deaths among all road users.

Competitive Economy

MARC works with regional partnerships to enhance the performance of the metropolitan economy and expand inclusive economic opportunity, focusing on workforce development systems, postsecondary educational attainment, and producing data and analysis for economic recovery efforts.

Read more
A group attending a presentation on the Kansas City regional economy

2022 Competitive Economy Highlights

With partners, MARC produces the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Plan.

Economic recovery and resiliency

To support the region’s continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, MARC delivered training and technical assistance to local governments
and convened community partners seeking federal resources to support workforce development. MARC updated the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) plan to incorporate strategies that support economic recovery and increase the region’s resiliency. The Regional Workforce Intelligence Network provided important input to the CEDS update and met quarterly to share information about labor market trends.

Members of KC Rising's Place Committee sit around a table using computers

Economic Equity Values Atlas

The Economic Equity Values Atlas (EEVA) is a tool designed to help decision-makers apply an equity lens when evaluating place-based investments and policies. EEVA is a web-based application that maps the strength of the pillars in all of the region’s neighborhoods. By overlaying recent
major investments or growth patterns, users can identify strategies to support an economy that grows for everyone.

couple using laptop to access internet

Broadband and digital equity

In partnership with KC Rising and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, MARC worked with local and state governments, businesses, civic leaders and community partners to analyze the availability of high-speed broadband infrastructure and develop a Kansas City Regional Digital Equity Action Strategy Plan. MARC has continued to work with the two state broadband offices and community organizations to ensure that federal broadband and digital equity funds could meet needs in the Kansas City region.

Effective Local Government

MARC works with regional partnerships to enhance the performance of the metropolitan economy and expand inclusive economic opportunity, focusing on workforce development systems, postsecondary educational attainment, and producing data and analysis for economic recovery efforts.

Read More
Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver II speaking at a transportation event
workforce-housing-apartment-complex

Housing partnership

Building on momentum from its 2021 launch, the Regional Housing Partnership (RHP) continued to bring together diverse partners with the goal
of creating and preserving more homes of greater variety and at different price points across the region. Working with LISC Greater Kansas City, the
partnership launched a housing data hub and e-newsletter, and increased funder support. The partnership also shared data-centered articles about
housing issues in the region, including the current gap in affordable rental units for the region as well as the current impacts of historic racial housing
discrimination.

Quality Early Learning

MARC provides leadership and coordination to build a robust early learning system with strong families, skilled teachers, quality programs, supportive communities, sustained and sufficient funding, and multi-sector collaboration.

Read more
A smiling young girl holding a flower umbrella

2022 Quality Early Learning Highlights

A child receiving dental services at a mobile dentist event

Mobile medical services

KidsCARE, a collaboration to remove barriers to high-quality medical and dental care for children,
through a partnership with Swope Health Services. In 2022, the KidsCARE partnership expanded the availability of mobile dental units to 11 Educare community-based providers in Jackson and Clay counties. KidsCARE also secured $300,000 in federal, private and corporate support to build a medical facility in Excelsior Springs.

Head Start teacher and student in a classroom

Early care and education workforce

MARC is supporting the region in creating, expanding and deploying strategies to strengthen the regional early care and education workforce, including offering stackable credentials through a partnership with the University of Central Missouri and implementing a retention pay plan to mitigate staff turnover for MARC Head Start direct service providers.

Healthy Environment

MARC develops and implements initiatives that help keep the region’s air and water clean, reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills, protects and conserves green infrastructure, advances energy efficiency and renewable energy, and catalyzes climate resilience.

Read about Environment programs
Two people pick up litter along the Berkley Riverfront Trail in downtown Kansas City

Key numbers

Climate resilience highlights

Climate and Environment Council

In 2022, MARC launched the Climate and Environment Council to foster collaboration around the Climate Action Plan and regional sustainability initiatives.The committee develops near-term regional climate action work plans and tracks metrics, among other functions.

Climate Action Summit

Also in 2022, MARC supported the Climate Action Summit, which attracted more than 600 attendees and featured local and national leaders sharing remarks on the progress, challenges and strategies related to addressing climate change. The summit, led by Climate Action KC, also featured an expo with electric buses and LEED-certified tiny houses, in addition to art and music.

Building Energy Exchange of KC

Building decarbonization efforts continued in 2022 through the Building Energy Exchange of KC (BE-Ex KC), which held its first-ever Rising Trades Contractor Accelerator Program to support diverse entrepreneurs in green construction and the high-performance buildings industry. In partnership with the Urban Land Institute’s Net Zero Imperative, BE-Ex KC also brought area leaders together with national experts to analyze the formation and management of an energy efficiency investment fund in the region.

Exemplary Core Capacities

In addition to its programmatic work, MARC’s core back-office develop and maintain the agency’s capacity to support internal and external partners through shared services, effective use of data, technology, financial services and innovative approaches to regional problem-solving. MARC provides core functions necessary to ensure effective operation of all programs, including financial management, human resources, information technology, data management and communications.

Read more
MARC team members wearing red and holding a KC flag

2022 Exemplary Core Capacities Highlights

Financial excellence


MARC’s record of financial excellence continued in 2022 with the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate for Distinguished Budget Presentation for the 2022 Budget and Work Plan. MARC’s 2021 audit also received a Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting, an honor MARC has achieved for more than 30 years.

View the Budget and Work Plan
50th Anniversary


MARC celebrated a big milestone in 2022: turning 50. Reflections on the past and hopes for the future were shared at the Regional Assembly, in a special edition of the Annual Review, through staff presentations and via social media. More than XX cities and counties across the MARC region signed proclamations declaring June 10, 2022, MARC—50 Forward Day.

Technical capacity


Ongoing implementation of the Data Forward Plan continued to advance agency-wide goals to streamline access, organization and usability of data critical to regional initiatives.

Other improvements included a streamlined internal approval process for grants and contracts, modernizing
online project proposal platforms for environmental and transportation project funding and developing
a best practices guide for visualization of public and regional data.

2022 Funders

Federal

  • U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • U.S. Economic Development Administration
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • U.S. Department of Justice
  • U.S. Department of Transportation / Federal Transit Administration
  • U.S. Department of Treasury
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

National Organizations

  • Kresge Foundation
  • Volcker Alliance

State*

  • Kresge Foundation
  • Kansas Department of Health and Environment
  • Kansas Department of Transportation
  • Kansas Division of Emergency Management
  • Kansas Highway Patrol
  • Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging
  • Missouri Association of Councils of Government
  • Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
  • Missouri Department of Homeland Security
  • Missouri Department of Natural Resources
  • Missouri Department of Public Safety
  • Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Missouri Department of Transportation

Local Governments and Agencies*

  • Nine counties and 119 cities in the MARC region
  • Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
  • Regional hospitals and emergency services agencies

Foundations and Nonprofits

  • Anthem Foundation
  • ARTSKC – Regional ARTS Council aka Parade of Hearts
  • BlueKC
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas
  • Civic Council of Greater Kansas City
  • Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
  • Family Conservancy
  • Francis Family Foundation
  • Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation
  • Hall Family Foundation
  • Health Forward Foundation
  • Kansas Health Foundation
  • KC Healthy Kids
  • Local Initiatives Support Corporation
  • Menorah Heritage Foundation
  • REACH Healthcare Foundation
  • Roger A. and Corinne R. Durkee Fund
  • School Smart KC
  • Sosland Foundation
  • St. Louis University
  • Stanley H. Durwood Foundation
  • United Way of Greater Kansas City
  • University of Missouri
  • William T. Kemper Foundation, Commerce Bank, Trustee
  • WJ Brace Charitable Trust, Bank of America, Trustee

*Includes pass-through federal funds

MARC Committees MARC Leadership Financial information