The Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation is donating $21 million to the University of Missouri-Kansas City Foundation.
The gift will be used to support the Henry W. Bloch School of Management via programming enhancements, expansion and renovation of Bloch Heritage Hall, and support programs that will help students during pivotal times in their university careers.
This $21 million gift will be shared by three major initiatives: $11.8 million for programming within the Bloch School of Management; $8 million for infrastructure improvements to and expansion of the Bloch Heritage Hall building; and $1.2 million to support RooStrong, the university’s new program for increasing student retention, six-year graduation rates and career outcomes.
This new gift comes less than a year after the announcement of a new $20 million scholarship program funded by $10 million from the Bloch Family Foundation and the H & R Block Foundation and $10 million from UMKC and the University of Missouri System. About 800 students will benefit over the next nine years from the earlier scholarship gift.
“My parents believed in Kansas City, and they believed in UMKC as a key engine for progress in the community they loved.”
“The commitment of the Bloch Family to Kansas City and to Kansas City’s university has been steadfast, highly impactful and beyond generous,” said UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal, Ph.D. “This gift honors the memory of Marion and Henry Bloch by building upon the legacy they created with the Henry W. Bloch School of Management as the provider of premier business education that Kansas City needs and deserves.”
Tom Bloch, chairman of the Bloch Family Foundation, said the gift demonstrates the continuing legacy of Marion and Henry Bloch.
“My parents believed in Kansas City, and they believed in UMKC as a key engine for progress in the community they loved. The Bloch Family Foundation has consistently supported growth through access to high-quality business education in greater Kansas City, and we are confident that the initiatives supported by this gift will advance that goal,” Bloch said.
Lisa B. Baronio, EMBA, president of the UMKC Foundation and chief advancement officer of UMKC, added: “With two significant investments in UMKC immediately prior to the beginning of a new academic year, it is clear that the community recognizes the effect that UMKC has on transforming lives. The excitement is everywhere and it is contagious. The $21 million gift from the Bloch Family Foundation, and the $15 million gift from the Sunderland Foundation announced in July, demonstrate the commitment of Kansas City’s philanthropic community and their high regard for UMKC.”
The entrepreneurial engine of the Kansas City region is fueled by graduates of the Henry W. Bloch School of Management. Kansas City’s Business School is inspired by the innovative and civic mindset of its namesake. Henry W. Bloch co-founded the tax empire H & R Block and is considered one of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs. He embodied the philosophy of working hard, generating success and completing the continuum by giving back to the community through philanthropy and social entrepreneurship.