Kansas City Community Film Project (KCCFP)
Our Framework for Community Wellness, Powered by Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)
What It Is
The Kansas City Community Film Project (KCCFP) is the heart of FaceKC: a city-wide creative collaboration that unites artists, businesses, and residents to tell our shared story through film.
Through this initiative, we use filmmaking as a bridge to build relationships, reduce division, and create sustainable community impact.
Our approach is guided by Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD): a framework that empowers communities by building from their existing strengths, resources, and relationships.
When people create together, they remember what they share.
The Three Phases of KCCFP
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Phase 1: Awareness
Identify community strengths and barriers to communication. Spark dialogue through creative workshops and film-based storytelling.
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Phase 2: Outreach
Bring together local residents, organizations, and partners to co-create film content that reflects the shared stories of Kansas City.
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Phase 3: Impact
Complete a full-length feature film — a digital monument to unity — and reinvest proceeds back into community programs that continue to heal and empower.
Our Framework:
Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)
Real change happens when communities recognize and mobilize the assets they already have: their people, creativity, and shared purpose.
Empowering Communities From the Inside Out
FaceKC’s strategy for sustainable, community-driven development is rooted in Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), an approach that builds on existing strengths rather than focusing on problems.
Unlike traditional methods that start with what communities lack, ABCD focuses on identifying and leveraging what they already have: the talents, skills, and capacities of their people, and the potential of local institutions, physical spaces, and networks.
This model empowers communities to lead their own transformation by connecting and mobilizing their internal assets to create lasting change.
core principles of (ABCD):
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Identify and utilize the strengths within the community — the skills of residents, the power of local associations, and the support of institutions — rather than focusing on needs or deficiencies.
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Build development from within by leveraging local talent and creativity instead of relying on external aid.
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Prioritize strong, reciprocal relationships among community members — these connections form the foundation of sustainable development.
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Unite nonprofits, government agencies, local businesses, and residents to design inclusive, community-led projects.
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Ensure that every initiative is led by the community, for the community, reflecting local culture, needs, and aspirations.
Every ABCD project begins with asset mapping: identifying the personal, associative, and institutional assets that already exist within a community.
This mapping process serves as a foundation for planning and initiating projects that are based on what’s strong, not what’s wrong.
By focusing on what communities have, rather than what they lack, ABCD helps build stronger, self-reliant communities capable of achieving sustainable economic and social revitalization.
The Process:
Asset Mapping
How It Works:
The Community Wellness Ecosystem
The KCCFP functions as a Community Wellness Ecosystem, where creativity and collaboration power a continuous cycle of impact.
Our Ecosystem Includes:
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Connect diverse cultural and economic sectors.
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Fund transparent, community-led productions.
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Involve residents in every stage of filmmaking.
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Track outcomes through our 5-Point Model (N.E.E.R.E.).
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Channel proceeds into KC programs that sustain growth.
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Expand who you know, build meaningful relationships.
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Create awareness of new opportunities.
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Provide paid work for local creatives and youth.
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Connect people with resources that support growth.
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Raise visibility for local artists and the city as a whole.
the 5-point community impact model (n.e.e.r.e)
FaceKC equips individuals with five key tools for long-term success:
N.E.E.R.E. moves people from aspiration to action. promoting peace, inclusivity, and collaboration through creativity.
outcomes
Dozens of residents have participated in on-set training and community events.
New partnerships have formed between organizations that once operated in silos.
Participants report stronger cross-cultural understanding and creative confidence.
Sponsor the Movement
Your support fuels the next phase of the Kansas City Community Film Project, providing opportunities for artists, youth, and neighborhoods across the city to come together through art and storytelling.