“Through entrepreneurship and Black business expansion, we’re able to create something that has a ripple effect in all of these areas of Kansas City, which is good for everybody. ”

2022 BIOGRAPHY

Brandon Calloway is Co-Founder and CEO of Generating Income for Tomorrow (G.I.F.T.). A veteran of the U.S. Army and a former health and fitness trainer, he started his own fitness business before transitioning to nonprofit work with the United Way of Greater Kansas City in 2018.

As someone who grew up in the urban core of Kansas City, Missouri, he has long been committed to finding ways to create transformative change in the areas of the city that need it the most and for the residents who reside there. Brandon co-founded G.I.F.T. in 2020 to address Kansas City’s substantial racial wealth gap.

The nonprofit organization’s mission is to provide assistance to Black-owned businesses in our community, with a specific interest in businesses that operate in low-income areas. Historic redlining, discriminatory lending practices and lack of financial education services have contributed to the racial wealth disparity and increased poverty-related crime and violence in our community. G.I.F.T.’s goal is to convert economically disadvantaged areas into areas of economic opportunity by creating a clear path to prosperity and wealth for African Americans.

G.I.F.T. provides grants of $10,000, $25,000 and $50,000 to businesses operating east of Troost. The rigorous application process to determine their two recipients each month includes application reviews, in-person interviews and Board of Director consultations. After receiving the grants, Kansas City G.I.F.T. provides technical assistance to ensure the grant recipients are set up for long-term success.

Brandon helped double the economic impact of Kansas City G.I.F.T. from 2020 to 2021. After just two years, the organization has contributed $687,000 to 37 black-owned businesses resulting in 58 new jobs created and an average quarterly growth of 304%.

To promote black businesses that G.I.F.T. was not able to support with grants, Brandon helped establish the Black Business Market in October 2021. The market takes place on the fourth Saturday of each month giving 20-60 black businesses a consistent, free space to sell their products.

In early 2022, G.I.F.T. opened a business center to provide technical assistance to the small business community in Kansas City. The center offers free drop-in coworking space, business coaching, accounting and marketing support, banking centers, and nonprofit and general consulting services.

Brandon is a graduate of the Pinnacle Career Institute in South Kansas City and holds a bachelor’s degree from Avila University.