The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is changing how it invests in the community. The Kansas City-based philanthropy cornerstone announced a shift in its grantmaking strategy, and the new rules are already in effect.
The foundation is narrowing its focus with a goal of making Kansas City “a model force for equitable economic mobility” by 2035. They want to see prosperity and mobility accessible for everyone in Kansas City, not just a few.
To reach that goal, they’ve identified three priority areas of focus: college access and completion, workforce and career development, and entrepreneurship.
“If we look at that North Star and say, how do we get there, we’ve identified these three priorities,” says Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, Kauffman Foundation’s chief impact and strategy officer. “We know that if we were to only invest in one of those at a time, that wouldn’t be enough, but the three together, we are hopeful, will help translate to much more opportunity for an entire community.”
Gone is the separate civic grants category. The foundation is also scaling back from its national and global reach; and focusing its efforts on Kansas City.
“We want to make sure everything we’re investing in has impact back in Kansas City,” says Bajracharya.
The foundation isn’t totally abandoning its national influence and it doesn’t mean only Kansas City organizations can apply for funding.. However, all projects must benefit the city directly.
Increased Grant Making Transparency
As part of the foundation’s “restart,” they are streamlining their grant making process.
Before, three separate teams handled grants for entrepreneurship, education, and civic initiatives. Each team had its own way of doing things, which caused confusion.
Now, there’s one unified approach, and five new grants areas.
- Capacity Building: Help organizations grow stronger.
- Project: Fund specific, multi-year projects.
- Research: Support studies in Kauffman’s focus areas.
- Collective Impact: Back coalitions driving system-level change.
- Sunset: One-time grants for previous recipients who no longer fit the new focused priorities.
The foundation is also being more open about its process. It will publish all grant opportunities for the year in advance. This lets applicants plan better.
“We’re really trying to be as transparent as possible about all the grant making opportunities and our priorities,” Bajracharya said.
Grant Making Focus Areas
Four focus areas now guide all grants:
- Essential competencies and skills: Developing the mindsets, behaviors, knowledge, and skills for success in school and career, including helping aspiring entrepreneurs learn how to create a business plan or access capital.
- Equitable access: Make learning pathways more affordable and capital more accessible to all learners, workers, and entrepreneurs, potentially through grants to financial institutions to provide startup loans or efforts to eliminate bias in lending practices.
- Participation and belonging: Creating an environment where everyone can participate regardless of background, like fostering communities of entrepreneurs of color.
- Education and employer connection: Strengthen the ties between education and employers to create a more relevant and prepared workforce, bridging the gap between what students learn and what employers need.
These focus areas apply across the three priority focus areas detailed earlier in this article: college access and completion, workforce and career development, and entrepreneurship.
For entrepreneurs, this isn’t general business funding. It’s about building skills, ensuring equitable access to capital, and creating supportive communities.
In education, it’s not just about getting students into college. It’s about making sure they can afford it, feel welcome, and connect with future employers.
For workforce development, it’s about bridging the gap between education and employment. It’s ensuring workers have the skills employers need and creating pathways to good jobs.
The foundation is betting on this focused, local approach to create wider impact. It’s a significant shift, but leaders say it fits founder Ewing Marion Kauffman’s original vision and that it’s necessary to address today’s challenges.
As Kansas City’s needs have evolved, so has the foundation’s strategy. The goal remains the same: foster economic opportunity and mobility. But the path to get there has changed.
Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Kauffman’s president and CEO, explained: “We’re embracing bold ideas and working with innovative organizations to drive meaningful change for our community.”
Kauffman Foundation Grant Information
Grants open now:
Capacity Building deadline Oct 8, 2024
Collective Impact planning stages, deadline Nov 1, 2024
Sunset deadline Mar 31, 2025
Grants to open Oct. 15:
Project
Research
Grant information sessions are available in person, via webinar, or during office hours through October. For more information, visit kauffman.org/funding/grants.
