Kauffman earmarks $32M in grants to boost entrepreneurship, workforce, education efforts

Just-announced Kauffman Foundation funding for a cohort of 27 organizations — each focused on advancing economic mobility in Kansas City — reflects the grantees’ “relentless commitment to innovation and equity,” said Allison Greenwood Bajracharya.

“Rather than being defined by the challenges our communities face, they’re defining what’s possible — building on the brilliance and resilience already present in our communities to create lasting, transformative change,” said Greenwood Bajracharya, chief impact and strategy officer for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

More than $32 million in total funding is being disbursed over the next three years via this first round of awards through the Foundation’s new Project Grants funding pathway.

Awardees range from such large-scale organizations as Kansas State University and groups with a national lens like Accelerator for America to more hyperlocal operations at places like Kansas City G.I.F.T. and Beacon Media. (Individual funding allotments were not released.)

The Project Grants pathway is specifically meant to support time-bound efforts that pilot new approaches, and expand access to economic opportunity in the Kansas City region, the Foundation said. Grantees are expected to design and implement or scale a multiyear project in alignment with the Foundation’s rebooted strategy and refined pillars — entrepreneurship, career and workforce, and college access and completion. Projects must focus on scaling existing approaches in the Kansas City region or launching new initiatives that have a strong research basis or success in peer cities.

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Operation Breakthrough, one of Kansas City’s core nonprofits — which for more than a half-century has worked to empower and educate children living in poverty — is among those earning funding through Kauffman’s new Project Grants pathway.

Impact from the funding will be widespread, said Mary Esselman, president and CEO of Operation Breakthrough, who detailed the planned launch of a mentorship-infused Young Entrepreneurs program at the Troost Avenue-headquartered center.

Students work on graphic designs projects within the Ignition Lab Studios program at Operation Breakthrough; photo courtesy of Operation Breakthrough

“From squeezing lemons to fixing computers to printing T-shirts, teens will help younger students learn about the four key areas of business development — operations, marketing, finance, and research as they build business plans and plan pop ups,” Esselman told Startland News. “It is the logical next step. The teens can teach what they’ve learned and develop leadership skills in the process.”

Operation Breakthrough students work within the center’s “Mechatronics” program, which combines robotics, electronics, and programming; photo courtesy of Operation Breakthrough

The funding also will expand hours at the popular Ignition Lab, as well as increasing the number of teenagers who can learn industry skills across 10 different labs — from welding to fabrication to digital media, mechatronics, 3-D modeling, and green tech, she added.

Click here to learn more about Operation Breakthrough’s Ignition Lab.

“While working in the labs, teens will have the opportunity to help create student-run businesses to expand our growing network of entrepreneurial ventures from our food truck (Bytes with Soul) and our hydroponic farm (Growing Outside the Box) to our film studio (Ignition Lab Studios),” Esselman said.

RELATED: These Operation Breakthrough graphic design students just designed MADE MOBB’s latest streetwear drop

The grant also will allow Operation Breakthrough to add several additional labs, including general automotive, HVAC, cybersecurity and health sciences.

“We are so appreciative of the investment the Kauffman Foundation is making in our children,” she said.

Click here for a full list of Project Grant winners and the proposed initiatives set for funding.

Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace speaks during the Sept. 19 Spark event at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

More than 250 organizations applied for the funding, with 25 percent advancing from the Letter of Interest (LOI) stage to the full application stage; and 10 percent of the initial LOI submissions advanced for funding.

 “This funding acknowledges the importance of bold, strategic efforts,” said Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. “Project grants allow organizations to pilot new ideas, scale proven models, and create momentum around programs that support long-term community transformation. They serve as catalytic investments – fueling innovation, fostering collaboration, and amplifying the impact of initiatives that are deeply rooted in the needs and strengths of the communities they serve.” 

Along with Operation Breakthrough’s expansion, funded projects that put a specific focus on entrepreneurship include:

• Chwc — Support for an entrepreneurship project to create a Small Contractor Loan Program for small contracting companies in Wyandotte County to access for Kansas City fellows.

• CHES, Inc. — Support for an entrepreneurship project to expand The Porter House KC’s 811 Retail Incubator program by providing wraparound accounting, legal, and mentorship services to participants to reach unmet demand.

• Kansas City GIFT (Generating Income for Tomorrow) — Support for an entrepreneurship project to expand and provide technical assistance to support 33 percent more east side Kansas City business owners than currently served.

• Keystone Community Corporation — Support for an entrepreneurship project to implement and scale programming based on national best-practices that removes barriers for underrepresented groups and works to reduce fragmentation within the innovation-led startup ecosystem.

• Mid-Continent Public Library — Support for an entrepreneurship project to support expansion of the existing Excel Adult High School program, focused on library patrons interested in starting businesses and those interested in pursuing better career options.

• Ownership Works — Support for an entrepreneurship project to expand a new national model that will increase the number of employee-owned businesses and create wealth for employees across the nation with potential for impact in Kansas City.

• Show Me The World Project — Support for a college access and completion project to expand its youth global education, international travel, entrepreneurship, and STEM learning to the Kansas City Public Schools.

• Truman Heritage Habitat for Humanity — Support for an entrepreneurship project that will give construction entrepreneurs a pathway to economic mobility by improving access to work on public construction contracts.

Daniel Smith, co-founder of The Porter House KC, center, opens the 811 Retail Incubator alongside co-founder Charon Thompson, entrepreneurs working within the space, their family members and community members, during a July 2024 ribbon cutting event at 811 E. 31st St.; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Leaders at CHES, Inc. and The Porter House KC expressed gratitude for the financial runway Kauffman’s Project Grant provides them to continue building alongside the entrepreneurs they serve.

“We are blessed to have the Kauffman Foundation as a supporter of our work,” said Daniel Smith, co-founder of The Porter House KC, which officially launched the 811 Retail Incubator in July 2024. “This will give us the opportunity to continue to deepen our commitment to retail-based businesses, and further our drive to change the effect of the social determinants of health in our communities.”

The Kauffman Foundation previously released inaugural funding rounds for its Capacity Building and Collective Impact grant pathways.

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Up next: Successful awardees from the Research Grants pathway are set to be announced in mid-June, prioritizing efforts that help to dismantle systemic barriers and achieve the Foundation’s 2035 strategic vision.

New rounds from within the Project and Research grants pathways are expected to open in early July, and a third round of Capacity Building grant applications could potentially launch in late 2025.

Previously funded organizations that are not aligned with Kauffman Foundation’s new priorities and pathways may apply for Sunset Grants through June 30. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis and these one-time funds are intended to help organizations transition to new funding sources or bring closure to projects that are ending.

Nearly $1.5 million already has been awarded across 15 organizations through the Sunset Grant pathway.