The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is passionate about providing the youth in our community the opportunity to experience high quality performing arts programs. The Open Doors Transportation Fund will help schools offer these experiences to more of their students by helping to eliminate or defray the costs of bus transportation to the Center.

The process for receiving an Open Doors Transportation Allowance is easy.

1. Complete the

Open Doors Application Form

online and receive confirmation of your approval

2. Book your seats with the arts organization for a qualifying performance

3. Attend the performance at the Kauffman Center

4. Submit a reimbursement request to the Kauffman Center

Ready to apply?
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

Frequently asked questions:

Who can apply?

Any school in the five-county metropolitan Kansas City area transporting at least twenty students to a qualifying school matinee at the Kauffman Center can apply for a bus transportation allowance.

How will applications be approved?

The Open Doors Transportation Fund will award funds based on the following guidelines:
1. All public schools with 40% or more of their students participating in the free and reduced lunch program (commonly called Title 1 schools) will be guaranteed to receive a 100% bus transportation allowance.
2. All public schools with 20 – 39% of their students participating in the free and reduced lunch program will be guaranteed to receive a 50% bus transportation allowance and can request consideration for the remaining 50%.
3. All other public schools as well as private and non-traditional schools can apply for a full or partial Open Doors bus transportation allowance.

How long will it take to review my application?

Applications will be processed as they are received and approvals sent to the teacher within 1-2 business days.

How much can my school receive?

The size of your Open Doors transportation allowance will be determined based on the number and grades of the students attending. Elementary students in grades K – 6 will be allowed up to $3 per child for a transportation allowance and secondary students in grades 7-12 will be allowed up to $4 per student. The transportation allowance will not be available for adults attending the performance.

For example, if your school purchases seats at a qualifying performance for 70 students in the 8th grade, your transportation allowance could be up to $280 or 70 students x $4 per student. Transportation costs in the metropolitan area vary – this reimbursement formula is designed to try to cover the actual costs of transporting students to the Kauffman Center. The actual transportation costs charged by your district may vary.

Which performances at the Kauffman Center are eligible for the Open Doors Transportation Allowance?

Each year, there will be a variety of school matinee programs available to students. During the 2011-12 school year, school matinees that qualify for the Open Doors Transportation Fund include:

The Kansas City Ballet –

Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet

The Kansas City Symphony –

Young People’s Concerts, KinderKonzerts, and LinkUP!

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City –

Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte

Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey –

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre

Starlight Children’s Theatre –

Disney’s Aladdin and Narnia the MusicalWill the Open Doors Fund pay for the cost of the seats to the school matinee performance?

The Open Doors Transportation Fund only applies to the cost of bus transportation for schools bringing 20 or more students to a performance. Seats for all performances must be purchased directly from the arts organization offering the school matinee.

If my school is approved for a bus transportation allowance, will this also reserve seats for my students at the performance?

No. You must reserve and purchase your seats for the school matinee directly from the arts organization.

I am interested in an Open Doors Ticket Fund performance – will Open Doors Transportation Funds be available for those school matinee performances?

The Ticket Fund and the Transportation Fund are two different parts of the Kauffman Center’s outreach to schools, children, and families. The performances eligible for each fund will be different, so bus transportation allowances will not be available for Ticket Fund performances.

When will the funding be distributed to my school?

After you have attended the performance, you will submit a reimbursement request to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts to receive your transportation allowance.

Ready to apply?
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ONLINE APPLICATION FORM