Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) is a left-of-center advocacy organization based in Topeka, Kansas that positions itself as a faith-based organization. The group engages in advocacy, public education, and organizing on a range of left-of-center policy issues, including climate change, criminal justice reform, health care access, and opposition to what it describes as “Christian nationalism.” The organization promotes a legislative agenda aligned with left-of-center political positions and has partnered with environmentalist, left-of-center economic, and civil rights-focused advocacy groups. ^{1 2 3}

Background

Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) was founded by Moti Reiber, a rabbi, in 2016 after a predecessor organization to the group, Kansas Interfaith Power and Light, folded. Reiber formed the group to promote left-of-center policies from a faith-based perspective, while Kansas Interfaith Power and Light primarily focused on environmental issues. The group operates primarily at the state level and seeks to influence legislation through testimony, coalition-building, and grassroots organizing. ⁴

Advocacy

Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) has taken an active role in environmental advocacy in Kansas. The group supported calls for greater transparency and accountability following the December 2022 Keystone pipeline spill in Washington County, Kansas, which released hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil. In February 2023, KIFA joined other environmentalist and faith-based organizations in calling for more rigorous federal oversight of TC Energy, the company operating the pipeline. KIFA representatives emphasized the need for environmental regulations that account for long-term climate impacts and highlighted the disproportionate environmental burden placed on rural and low-income communities. ^{5 2}

KIFA regularly engages with the Kansas state legislature on a variety of economic issues, including payday loan reform, Medicaid expansion, and labor protections. In a February 2023 newsletter outlining its legislative priorities, KIFA criticized high-interest payday lending practices in Kansas and called for stricter regulations. The group also advocates for expanding taxpayer-funded healthcare programs and raising the state minimum wage. The organization has also hosted “Faith & Public Policy Advocacy Days” at the Kansas state legislature, inviting constituents to meet with lawmakers and promote the organization’s legislative priorities. ⁶

The group’s 2025 state legislative agenda included opposition to school choice programs, support for Medicaid expansion, and support for the expansion of wind and solar energy projects. The group also opposes Republican-led legislation on LGBT issues, stating that “We urge the legislature to reject any further discriminatory legislation targeting our LGBTQ+ siblings.” ⁶

One of KIFA’s stated goals is reducing the “influence of Christian nationalism” in Kansas politics. In October 2023, the group hosted a panel discussion in Emporia featuring clergy and faith leaders that framed Christian nationalism as a threat to democracy and religious freedom. Panelists criticized the blending of conservative religious doctrine with political power and argued it undermines pluralistic values. ⁷

The group is also listed as a member of Boots on the Ground, a Kansas-based coalition of left-of-center advocacy and political groups organized around flipping U.S. Senate seats from Republicans to Democrats and opposing the Trump administration. The group’s founders stated that in organizing the first event for the group they “considered who was taking the punches with the new administration, pinpointing groups that work directly with immigration rights, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, climate activism, food and housing security, the foster system, healthcare access, and reproductive health.” ⁸

In July 2025,  KIFA was one of over 600 nonprofits and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to sign a letter opposing a ruling by the House Homeland Security Committee in June 2025 demanding the financial records of over 200 NGOs accused of assisting the Biden Administration in settling migrants into the United States. ^{9 10} Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) and Subcommittee Chairman Josh Brecheen (R-OK) commented in a letter sent to the NGOs in question claiming the Committee was “deeply concerned that NGOs that receive U.S. taxpayer dollars benefitted from the border crisis created by the Biden Administration, and stand ready to do so under future Democrat administrations.” ¹⁰ The letter signed by over 600 NGOs and non-profits claimed the Committee’s ruling targets “civic organizations that have provided services under valid federal contracts that were authorized and appropriated by Congress…[t]his effort appears to be an attempt to weaponize Congressional power and create the appearance of wrongdoing against those who the signers believe disagree with their political agenda.” ⁹

Events and Organizing

Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) engages in regular public events aimed at educating the public and mobilizing faith-based constituencies. The group hosts an annual “Faith and Public Policy Forum” to train supporters on legislative advocacy and public messaging. In January 2023, KIFA hosted an interfaith prayer service and legislative briefing in collaboration with local Methodist churches, focusing on expanding Medicaid and opposing election integrity laws. ³

Leadership

Kansas Interfaith Action is led by Moti Rieber, a rabbi who has worked as the group’s executive director since the founding and previously led a predecessor to the group, Kansas Interfaith Power and Light. Rieber has a history of left-wing advocacy, particularly in environmental and social justice initiatives. Through KIFA, Reiber has been a vocal critic of both right-of-center state policies and what the organization characterizes as the growing influence of Christian nationalism in Kansas politics. ^{11 12}

In a 2024 guest commentary for the Kansas City Star, Rieber criticized legislation passed by the Kansas legislature banning sex-change treatments for minors. ¹²

1. “Kansas Interfaith Action.” Kansas Interfaith Action. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://kansasinterfaithaction.org/
2. “Michael Regan Says EPA Will Crack Down on TC Energy After Kansas Spill.” The Topeka Capital-Journal. February 9, 2023. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/environment/2023/02/09/michael-regan-says-epa-will-crack-down-on-tc-energy-after-kansas-spill/69886359007/
3. “Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) White Christian Nationalism Seminar for Kansans and Nebraskans Part II.” Great Plains United Methodist Church. 2023. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.greatplainsumc.org/eventdetail/17389952
4. “An Important Announcement.” Kansas Interfaith Action. February 7, 2024. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://kansasinterfaithaction.org/updates/an-important-announcement-1
5. Anderson, Chloe. “Kansas Faith Leaders, Environmentalists Call for Transparency Around Keystone Pipeline Spill.” Kansas Reflector. February 7, 2023. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/07/kansas-faith-leaders-environmentalists-call-for-transparency-around-keystone-pipeline-spill/
6. “KIFA’s 2025 Legislative Priorities.” Kansas Interfaith Action. February 2025. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://kansasinterfaithaction.org/updates/2025-priorities
7. Trahoon, Tagan. “Kansas Interfaith Action Panel Discussion Delves into the Topic of Christian Nationalism Sunday.” KVOE. October 8, 2023. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://kvoe.com/2023/10/08/kansas-interfaith-action-panel-discussion-delves-into-the-topic-of-christian-nationalism-sunday/
8. Glynn, Earl “Boots on the Ground Midwest promotes progressive organizing in KC area.” Watchdog Lab. March 17, 2025. Accessed April 4, 2025.  https://watchdoglab.substack.com/p/boots-on-the-ground-midwest-promotes
9. “Solidarity with Targeted Non Profits.” Muslim Legal Fund of America, July 15, 2025. https://mlfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/07.15-Solidarity-with-Targeted-NonProfits-_1_.pdf
10. Christenson, Josh. “House panel demands records of more than 200 NGOs that nabbed billions of taxpayer dollars to ‘fuel’ border crisis.” New York Post, June 10, 2025. https://nypost.com/2025/06/10/us-news/house-panel-demands-records-of-over-200-ngos-that-nabbed-billions-of-taxpayer-dollars-to-fuel-border-crisis/
11. “Staff.” Kansas Interfaith Action. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://kansasinterfaithaction.org/staff
12. Reiber, Moti and Ricker, Annie. “Anti-Trans Discrimination Is an Affront to Human Dignity.” The Kansas City Star. March 2024. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/readers-opinion/guest-commentary/article287633385.html