Following Push from Reps. Cleaver and Davids, Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area Secures Federal Funding Passed by Congress

(Kansas City, MO) - Following a callfrom U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Sharice Davids (D-KS) to restore federal funding obligated to Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA), the FFNHA received its full federal funding for 2025 that had been frozen by the Department of Interior earlier this year. The announcement comes just weeks before the end of the federal fiscal year, when funds would have otherwise expired, ensuring uninterrupted support for local history projects, educational programs, and community partnerships across western Missouri and eastern Kansas.

"Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area plays a prominent role across the region in working with local partners to preserve our history and promote economic development that is vital to our communities," said Congressman Cleaver. "Despite a regrettable delay, I'm pleased that Freedom's Frontier has secured the funding provided by Congress and will now be capable of continuing their mission to tell our story to visitors from around the world while boosting economic activity."

"Freedom's Frontier is more than a collection of historic sites - it's a living story of who we are in the region. I'm glad we were able to secure this critical funding so that local partners can keep preserving our history, educating the next generation, and boosting our regional economy. This is what happens when communities speak up and we work together to get things done," said Representative Sharice Davids.

"Because of the dedication and advocacy of our friends and partners across the region, we are now able to continue our core mission of promoting tourism and economic development in rural Kansas and Missouri," said Lucinda Adams, executive director of FFNHA. "Your calls and conversations with your representatives mattered. We are deeply grateful."

Despite being signed into law in March, federal funding for NHAs - including the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) in western Missouri and eastern Kansas - had been frozen for nearly six months. As a result, local sites struggled to keep staff employed, preserve historic landmarks, and continue educational programs that serve thousands of visitors and students each year.

NHAs are public-private partnerships that highlight culturally significant regions across the U.S., from Civil War battlefields to Indigenous heritage sites. Each federal dollar invested generatesover $5 in private and local support. Without this timely funding, programs grind to a halt and community-driven preservation work suffers.

Established in 2006, the FFNHA is one of 55 National Heritage Areas throughout the United States. FFNHA tells the stories and builds awareness of western Missouri and eastern Kansas' past, present, and future, including stories of American settlement of the western frontier, Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War, Brown v. Board of Education, and significant figures in our nation's history such as President Harry Truman, Amelia Earhart, and the Native tribes of the Great Plains.

The FFNHA supports and promotes roughly 323 partners, including historic sites, museums, historical societies, libraries, and other cultural-heritage tourism destinations in 41 counties across the Missouri-Kansas border.

Some notable FFNHA partners in the Fifth Congressional District of Missouri include the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Truman Presidential Library, American Jazz Museum, the National WWI Museum and Memorial, and more.

Some notable FFNHA partners in the Third Congressional District of Kansas include Old Quindaro Museum, John Brown Museum, Kansas City Area Historic Trails Association, Kaw Point Park, Louisburg Historical Society, and more.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.