John W and Effie E Speas Memorial Trust

About John W and Effie E Speas Memorial Trust

A defining feature of the John W and Effie E Speas Memorial Trust is its repeated support for Kansas City-area higher education institutions, including a $500,000 grant to Donnelly College for “support the transformations” and a $300,000 grant to Kansas City Kansas Community College Foundation for “education, health &”. That pattern extends to university-level faculty support and professional training, with the trust backing the Kansas University Endowment Association for a professorship in cellular research and Ottawa University for simulation labs and a physician assistant degree program. The trust also funds regional health care and community services, including hospital foundation work and clinical initiatives tied to women’s health. Its grants often combine institutional support with targeted program purposes, suggesting a preference for strengthening organizations’ core capacity rather than narrowly restricted projects. Across the recent grants list, the trust shows a small number of comparatively large awards, frequently repeated to familiar recipients in Kansas and the Kansas City metro area.

What John W and Effie E Speas Memorial Trust Funds

In higher education, the trust has supported both institutional change and specialized academic training. Donnelly College received $500,000 for “support the transformations,” while Ottawa University received $100,000 for “support for sim labs” and another $100,000 for “launch PA MS degree program.” Research and faculty support also appears in the $250,000 awards to the Kansas University Endowment Association for a professorship in cellular work and for “21st Century Cancer.” Health-related giving includes both clinic access and hospital-based programming. Swope Parkway Health Center received $100,000 for “support new health clinic,” and Vibrant Health received $50,000 in both 2024 and 2025 as unrestricted general support. The trust also backed Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation with $200,000 for “Delivering Hope: Women &” and AdventHealth Foundation with $300,000 in both 2024 and 2025 for “Support Eleka Unity.” Arts and community support appear as well, including $100,000 to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City for the Nerman Museum and $50,000 to KCPT - Public Television 19 as unrestricted general support.

How John W and Effie E Speas Memorial Trust Gives