The fundraising will be led by Greater Kansas City Community Foundation president Jan Kreamer. The board did not comment on what would happen if the fundraising goal was not met.

In September, the center's board decided to go forward with Moshe Safdie's original design, rejecting an alternative plan that involved renovating an existing theater and adding a concert hall. Instead, the board revised Safdie's design, which featured two venues, a 2,200-seat theater for opera and ballet, and a 1,350-seat concert hall, located on top of a hill.

Both venues now have 1,600 seats, a change that eliminates the possibility of mounting big Broadway shows in the opera and ballet theater (and therefore means losing some anticipated revenue), but also means better acoustics in the concert hall for the Kansas City Symphony.