Game on: Kauffman adds 37 nonprofits to its just-funded roster, building impact capacity ahead of World Cup

Efforts to boost economic mobility across Kansas City and beyond needn’t follow a well-worn playbook, Kauffman Foundation officials said, announcing a range of newly funded initiatives — from grassroots entrepreneurial training to World Cup-focused public-private partnerships to capital access expansion.

The influential philanthropic organization announced this week it awarded $8.5 million in grants to 37 nonprofit organizations — most based in the Kansas City region — through a second round of funding from its Capacity Building pathway.

“Capacity building isn’t a one-size-fits-all; it’s a continuous process of trust, iteration, and responsiveness,” said Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, chief impact and strategy officer for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, emphasizing the funding announcement reflects Kauffman’s updated grantmaking strategy, shaped by community feedback and early takeaway from pathway grantmaking model’s rollout.  

“We’re learning from organizations on the ground and working to remove barriers so they can focus on driving change in their communities,” Greenwood Bajracharya said.

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Winning proposals focused on advancing economic mobility through college access, workforce development, and entrepreneurship, according to the Kauffman Foundation. Each grantee identified a specific internal need, from leadership development to IT infrastructure, that will strengthen their operations and long-term sustainability.

Thirty-eight percent of the latest grantees focused on advancing entrepreneurship, the foundation said. Among the funded-initiatives:

• Black Excellence — Support for a workforce and career development proposal to strengthen organizational capacity to provide leadership training to working professionals and entrepreneurs.

• Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City Foundation — Support for an entrepreneurship proposal to help small businesses prepare for the increase in economic activity with translation to support and culture awareness training in the lead up to and through FIFA World Cup 2026.

• City of Kansas City, Missouri — Support for an entrepreneurship proposal to implement a public/private partnership, Project Vine, providing small businesses and artists with technical assistance and short-term commercial leases in advance of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

• Enterprise Center in Johnson County — Support for an entrepreneurship proposal for general operating funds for the Kansas City Women’s Business Center to continue delivering services to entrepreneurs in the Kansas City area.

• Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce Inc. — Support for an entrepreneurship proposal to host entrepreneurship education classes to prepare economically disadvantaged KC metro businesses to compete for contracts related to the FIFA World Cup 2026.

• Inner-City Computer Stars Foundation — Support for a workforce and career development proposal collaborating with the Center for Bioethics on learning pathways focused on ethical AI skills and a series of pilot initiatives strengthening support for non-traditional learners.

• Kiva Microfunds — Support for an entrepreneurship proposal to deploy capital to underserved entrepreneurs, partnered with technical assistance.

• Mid-America Arts Alliance — Support for an entrepreneurship proposal to expand facilitator development and conduct program research to understand and expand the impact of 16 years of programming of Artist INC, a cohort-based artist entrepreneur training program.

• Union Station Kansas City, Inc. — Support for an entrepreneurship proposal to prepare Union Station to serve as a hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 visitors, including translation services, enhancing safety, and directing visitors to local small and mid-sized businesses.

• West Central Community Development Corporation — Support for an entrepreneurship proposal to strengthen internal capacity to expand microenterprise lending to food and farm businesses across the Kansas City metro.

Click here to see the full list of Round 2 grantees, 43 percent of which are focused on workforce and career development.

Dr. DeAngela Burns Wallace, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, speaks during the KC Chamber’s Small Business Celebration in June; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Applications for a third round of Capacity Building grants are expected to open in late summer 2025. The Foundation will continue to assess progress, gather community feedback, and refine its approach to maximize impact in alignment with its strategic priorities, the organization said.

“Feedback from applicants helped shape this grant process, and we’re grateful for their insight,” said Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. “These investments reflect a shared vision for a more resilient, inclusive ecosystem that supports economic opportunity for all.”

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