Great Jobs KC leaps closer to its $100M goal with massive grant to support adult financial stability
April 3, 2025 | Startland News Staff
A just-announced $60 million investment by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation marks a significant step in a Kansas City-based nonprofit’s plans to support 50,000 adults on their journeys toward financial stability, said Earl Martin Phalen.
The grant to Great Jobs KC serves three priorities outlined within the Kauffman Foundation’s new grantmaking strategy: college access and completion, workforce and career development, and entrepreneurship.
Earl Martin Phalen, Great Jobs KC; courtesy photo
“We are eternally grateful to our partners at the Kauffman Foundation for supporting our mission of making higher education and good-paying jobs with benefits accessible to our Kansas City community,” said Phalen, CEO of Great Jobs KC. “Our work aligns with the goals of the Kauffman Foundation to foster equitable economic mobility. Hopefully, our partnership will positively impact Kansas Citians for generations to come.”
Great Jobs KC, which grew out of KC Scholars, provides access to college scholarships and tuition free job training, along with employment assistance for adults from low- and modest-income families in the metropolitan area, providing a pipeline of talent for a strong regional workforce.
Click here to learn more about Great Jobs KC, which is set to award a new round of scholarships in May and is enrolling new students in its job training programs daily.
Since Great Jobs KC’s first-year awarding college scholarships in 2017, nearly 10,000 Kansas Citians have been awarded more than $491 million in scholarships. Since the launch of its job training program in 2022, the organization has supported more than 1,500 residents in securing permanent jobs, offering household-sustaining wages and benefits.
The organization set an aggressive $100 million fundraising goal to fully realize its mission of supporting 50,000 residents into great jobs.
With the Kauffman Foundation investment, Great Jobs KC will be able to support thousands of residents across the six counties they serve within the Kansas City metro area into household-sustaining jobs with benefits over the next five years, the organization said.
(The grant from the Kauffman Foundation is part of a long-term commitment by Kauffman to Great Jobs KC and KC Scholars that predates its new grant funding pathways, but still aligns with Kauffman’s strategy and priorities, the organization said.)
“While this funding is more than generous, we cannot stop fundraising because we have not met our ultimate goal,” said Natalie Lewis, COO for Great Jobs KC. “Meeting our $100 million goal is a stepping stone to ensure that no one is left behind and everyone is able to get a chance to improve their lives for the better.”
Featured Business
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Hack Midwest offers coders freedom through 24-hour app creation competition
Technologists are often surprised by what they’re able to accomplish when they work together in a competitive format, Mike Gelphman said. That’s part of the reason Hack Midwest is returning this summer with the objective to inspire more techies to embrace their imagination, said Gelphman, founder of the competition, as well as KCITP, an area…
KCultivator Q&A: John Coler champions making a quick impact, packs of dolphins
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Today Startland takes a closer look at startup ecosystem champion John Coler. Check out our features on Made in KC’s Tyler Enders, Hispanic business builder Pedro Zamora, ‘fashionpreneur’ Jordan Williams, Plexpod founder Gerald Smith, innovation coach Diana…
Backed by $4M round, Hilary’s Eat Well expanding organic food line, hiring 10-15 workers
Hilary’s Eat Well is growing its plant-based food line, company leaders said. The move to diversify the company’s offerings — as well as to more efficiently produce larger quantities of its free-from (dairy- and gluten-free) products — comes as the Lawrence-based operation moves its storage to an off-site facility, freeing up manufacturing space, said Lydia…
City challenges startup leaders to swap social media for in-person dialogue on regulation
Editor’s note: Rick Usher is a member of the Kansas City Startup Foundation’s policy committee, and Sarah Shipley is a board member for KCSF, the parent organization of Startland News. This piece was independently produced. There’s a void of shared awareness between city government and the startup community, Rick Usher said. That’s why government officials and leaders…