MCC launches KC Guarantee, a bold new vision for more affordable college access
Metropolitan Community College, Kansas City, has announced the launch of the KC Guarantee,
a transformative initiative designed to make college more accessible and affordable
by guaranteeing up to two years of tuition-free education for eligible students.
Beginning this year, MCC will pilot the KC Guarantee in three Kansas City area school districts — Center, Grandview and Hickman Mills — with plans to invite additional districts, institutions and regional partners in the future. Through the KC Guarantee, students will be guaranteed a paid path through college, positioning each student for a job or transfer.
“We are launching a bold promise to our students and our community,” said MCC Chancellor Kimberly Beatty. “The KC Guarantee ensures that cost will not be a barrier to education. This is about economic mobility, workforce readiness and transforming generations.”
The KC Guarantee is made possible through powerful public/private collaborations, including a $1 million Jackson County (Mo.) Nonprofit Partnership Grant awarded to the MCC Foundation to support the pilot year. MCC will match that investment, creating a $2 million commitment to launch the program.
The initiative was also seeded through a major philanthropic investment from Meta’s Kansas City Data Center, one of the MCC Foundation’s largest corporate partners this year.
Meta and Great Jobs KC alongside MCC leadership played a foundational role in shaping the vision of the KC Guarantee.
“When Meta comes to a community, we believe in investing in its long-term economic vitality,” said Stef Seger, community development manager for Meta’s Kansas City Data Center. “This partnership with MCC will transform access to education and help build a workforce pipeline that reflects the strength and diversity of Kansas City.”
The goal of the KC Guarantee is to build a network of employers, donors, colleges and school districts offering their own guarantees to a next generation of educated and skilled workers for Kansas City.
Individuals and organizations interested in learning more about the KC Guarantee or supporting its expansion may contact the MCC Foundation at 816.604.1195.
Metropolitan Community College is Kansas City’s oldest public institution of higher learning (founded in 1915); was Missouri’s first community college; and was among the first institutions in the nation to confer associate degrees. MCC offers more than 120 academic and career programs at five campuses on the Missouri side of Greater Kansas City: MCC-Blue River in Independence; MCC-Longview in Lee's Summit; MCC-Maple Woods in Kansas City North; MCC-Online; and MCC-Penn Valley in midtown Kansas City.