Communities Creating Opportunity

What Communities Creating Opportunity does

Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organizing organization founded in 1977 in the Blue Hills neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. It organizes residents of five low life expectancy zip codes in Kansas City (64109, 64127, 64128, 64130, 64132) — majority Black, low-income communities with median household incomes of $26-28k and 15-year life expectancy gaps relative to wealthier nearby areas — for racial justice and social change. CCO runs six advocacy campaigns: Healthcare Access & Equity, Racial Equity & Inclusion, Violence Prevention, Economic Dignity, Early Childhood Education, and Civic Engagement. Its organizing tactics include phone banking, door-to-door canvassing, petition gathering, voter registration drives, GOTV campaigns, rallies, film screenings (e.g., The Raising of America), and direct meetings with local, state, and federal elected officials. Documented policy wins include the passage of Kansas City's $15 minimum wage (Question 3, August 2017) and the central city economic development sales tax (Question 4, April 2017) generating $8.6 million annually.

CCO does not sell commercial technology products and operates no proprietary AI/ML, API, or SDK infrastructure. Its technology footprint consists of a website (cco.org), an active blog featuring personal storytelling and policy analysis, weekly email newsletters, and social media accounts under the @WeAreCCO handle on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The organization distributes its mission through earned media coverage, community events, conferences such as the 2017 White Privilege Conference, and direct field organizing in the Kansas City metro area including Johnson County, Wyandotte County, and Topeka.

CCO's revenue model is donation-based. Funding comes from one-time gifts (ranging from $5 to $5,000 as stated on the website) and recurring memberships priced at $5/month or $60/year for individual supporters, with parallel options for organizations and faith communities. Institutional support is provided by funders including United Way of Greater Kansas City (2024). The organization is led by Executive Director Seft Hunter, Ph.D. (since March 2017) alongside Danise Hartsfield, under Board President Rev. Cynthia Saddler, operating from its headquarters at 2400 Troost Ave, Suite 4600, Kansas City, MO (mailing address 3227 Brooklyn Ave, Kansas City, MO 64109), with an estimated 10-15 staff and board combined.

Name

Communities Creating Opportunity

Legal name

Communities Creating Opportunity

Website

https://cco.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Communities Creating Opportunity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 that organizes Kansas City residents in five low life expectancy zip codes for racial justice and social change through six advocacy campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Community organizing
• Racial justice advocacy
• Social change campaigns
• Voter registration drives
• Grassroots organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: CCO is a nonprofit organization that raises funds through one-time and recurring donations from supporters. Membership options are available for individuals and organizations/faith communities at $5/month or $60/year, as stated in the 2017 fundraising letter from Executive Director Seft Hunter.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO) is a faith-rooted nonprofit that organizes residents of five low life-expectancy zip codes in Kansas City for racial justice and social change. It runs six advocacy campaigns (Healthcare Access & Equity, Racial Equity & Inclusion, Violence Prevention, Economic Dignity, Early Childhood Education, and Civic Engagement) through phone banking, canvassing, petition gathering, voter registration, GOTV drives, rallies, and meetings with elected officials. The organization develops leaders from impacted communities and amplifies their personal stories to drive policy change at local, state, and federal levels.

Product overview

Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO) is a community organizing nonprofit focused on social justice advocacy in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The organization does not offer commercial technology products. Its work consists of six advocacy campaigns: Healthcare Access & Equity, Racial Equity & Inclusion, Violence Prevention, Economic Dignity, Early Childhood Education, and Civic Engagement. CCO engages in community organizing, voter registration, Get-Out-The-Vote campaigns, advocacy for policy change, and direct service connections for residents in five low life-expectancy zip codes in Kansas City.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• $8.6 million/year raised for central city economic development through the One City sales tax (Question 4) in April 2017
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community ChangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner for the Women's Fellowship program designed to hone organizing skills of formerly incarcerated women of color. Community Change selects 10 participants for the 12-month program including monthly peer coaching, national meetings, and written reflections.
• Center for Popular DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the social justice coalition working on campaigns including healthcare access, economic dignity, and racial equity in the Kansas City region.
• Our Revolution Kansas CityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the broader social justice and progressive coalition in Kansas City.
• Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing civil rights partner organization in Kansas City working with CCO on racial justice and social change campaigns.
• Metropolitan Missionary Baptist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey faith partner in Kansas City. Co-hosted the 'Rally For A Living Wage' and other CCO events. Rev. Wallace Hartsfield Sr. is a member of the Medicaid 23 and active CCO board member.
• NBC Community Development CorporationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCCO partnered with NBC CDC to host a free 'Start Your Business' Entrepreneurial Workshop at 735 Walker Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66101.
• EconAvenueminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in the 'Start Your Business' Entrepreneurial Workshop helping new entrepreneurs access local resources and launch businesses.
• Family ConservancyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for early childhood development events including viewings of 'The Raising of America' documentary in Johnson County.
• Greater KC Voter Protection CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCO is a partner of the Greater KC Voter Protection Coalition, working to protect voting rights and fight voter suppression.
• TravoisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness partner whose President Phil Glynn publicly supported CCO's $15 minimum wage campaign. Travois is a for-profit, mission-driven company serving First Nation communities and pays its ~40 employees a living wage with benefits.
• KC for $15coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the $15 minimum wage campaign. CCO joined forces with many social justice groups to get out the vote for the August 8 minimum wage ballot question.
• Visitation ChurchminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHosted multiple screenings of 'The Raising of America' documentary on childhood development, with panel discussions following the films.
• Santa Fe Neighborhood AssociationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNeighborhood association partner in Kansas City organizing and community development efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Greater KC Voter Protection Coalition: Coalition of which CCO is a member; runs GOTV and voter suppression fights in the Kansas City metro. Strong partner-level overlap on civic engagement campaigns.
• KC Tenants: Kansas City-based tenant union and housing justice organization. Shares CCO's Kansas City footprint and overlapping issues (housing, economic dignity, racial equity) but focuses specifically on tenant rights.
• Missouri Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE): Statewide Missouri grassroots organizing group running campaigns on Medicaid expansion, voter rights, and racial equity — directly overlapping CCO's issue portfolio within the same state geography.

Direct peers

• Center for Popular Democracy: National alliance of 50+ progressive community organizing affiliates running campaigns on minimum wage, immigrant rights, and racial equity. CCO is listed as a partner; both share a community-led, multi-issue organizing model.
• People's Action Institute: National network of community organizing affiliates running door-to-door canvassing, voter protection, and multi-issue campaigns on economic dignity, healthcare, and racial justice — directly analogous to CCO's community-led, multi-campaign model.
• Community Change (formerly Center for Community Change): National community organizing backbone that funds and trains local groups (including CCO's Women's Fellowship for formerly incarcerated women of color). Directly comparable as a community-organizing capacity builder.
• Industrial Areas Foundation: Oldest US faith-based community organizing network training local alliances in relational organizing and power-building. Shares CCO's emphasis on developing leaders from impacted communities.
• Gamaliel Foundation: Interfaith community organizing network with state and metropolitan affiliates that train congregational leaders and run multi-issue campaigns — closely parallels CCO's faith-rooted, leadership-development approach.
• Faith in Action (formerly PICO National Network): Faith-rooted, congregational-based community organizing network. CCO's faith-rooted, non-partisan organizing model and Health equity/racial equity campaigns map almost one-to-one to Faith in Action's playbook.

Emerging players

• National Domestic Workers Alliance: National advocacy org building power for domestic workers, predominantly women of color, via state and local organizing on economic dignity and racial justice — overlaps with CCO's leadership development and economic dignity campaigns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WeAreCCO
• Facebookfacebook.com/WeAreCCO
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearecco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/communities-creating-opportunity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Communities Creating Opportunity