Kauffman wraps three fast-paced rounds of capacity building: Meet the year’s final grantees

A revised strategy to help nonprofit organizations strengthen their internal effectiveness and long-term stability — while still aligning with the Kauffman Foundation’s focus areas — next must showcase outcomes, said Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, announcing a final round of capacity building grant winners for 2025.

Built with intentional versatility, capacity building grants are meant to meet grantees where they are as they navigate complex funding environments, said Bajracharya, chief impact and strategy officer for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The funding pathway’s two previous cohorts of grantees were announced in November 2024 and July 2025.

Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, chief impact and strategy officer for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, shares a laugh with panelists during a 2025 GEWKC conversation on “Understanding Entrepreneurship-Centered Economic Development Capital” at Union Station; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

“When we designed these grants, our goal was to give organizations the flexibility to focus on what matters most to them — whether that’s planning for leadership transitions, building tech capacity, or strengthening fundraising,” she continued. “Now, after distributing three rounds of capacity grants in a very fast 14 month period, it’s exciting to see how these investments, totaling close to $27 million, will help more than 120 organizations be even better equipped to advance economic mobility for thousands of Kansas Citians and beyond.”

Kauffman saw tremendous demand for capacity building grants, Bajracharya said, noting the influential philanthropic nonprofit accepted 151 applications for the pathway’s final round of the year.

“We also have received tremendous feedback from previous rounds of capacity building grantees,” she added. “Participants in the first round (Fall 2024) have said the grant has been a ‘game changer,’ has provided tremendous clarity, has created time and space for effective planning, and has positioned organizations to see, plan, and do more than one step ahead.”

Building organizational capacity isn’t just about growth, emphasized Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation.

“It’s about ensuring these organizations have the foundation and resilience to carry their missions forward,” she said.

And those missions all roll into Kauffman’s overarching strategy to boost economic mobility through impact.

“Investing in the capacity of organizations is powerful because strengthening their people, processes, and structures also strengthens the communities they serve,” Burns-Wallace said.

Moving forward, applications for the grants pathway will open once per year.

The latest round of Capacity Building grantees include:

• Ares CDL Institute — Support to expand CDL training by purchasing a driving simulator, upgrading curriculum, and strengthening staff and employer partnerships to meet rising student demand and regional workforce needs.

• Avila University — Support to design and deploy AI solutions that increase overall student enrollment by leveraging predictive analytics and behavioral insights.

• The Black MasterMind Group Charitable Foundation — Support to enhance the Launch/ReLaunch Program, an incubator initiative providing entrepreneurs with essential training and improved access to capital.

• Cristo Rey Kansas City — Support to update digital infrastructure enhancing cybersecurity and technology for effective instruction and learning.

• Cultivate Kansas City, Inc. — Support to provide tools, training, and access to land and markets for farmers aspiring to start and grow farm businesses.

• The Downtown Shareholders of Kansas City Kansas, Inc. — Support to strengthen leadership, increase staff, and build sustainable infrastructure, expanding partnerships and accelerating revitalization for small businesses and residents.

• Endeavor Nwa Entrepreneurs — Support to expand the Angel Gateway Program, beginning in Kansas City and scaling across Missouri.

• Hub Argentine, Inc. — Support offering entrepreneurs affordable access to licensed kitchen space, equipment, and business coaching to help launch and grow food-based businesses.

• Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council — Support for workforce development program operations and fundraising planning.

• Kanbes Markets — Support to formalize a workforce development program that equips drivers with credentials, technical skills, and experience, creating career pathways from insecure jobs to stable logistics careers.

• Startland —Support to strengthen leadership and board development, as well as enhancing digital infrastructure by rebuilding the Startland News website.

• Kansas State University Foundation — Support to develop a design curriculum and host real-world projects for eighth graders, expanding access to design careers for historically underrepresented youth.

• Mid-America Regional Council Community Services Corporation — Support to conduct strategic planning and increase staff capacity in leveraging AI for data systems to enhance economic forecasting and workforce development initiatives in the KC region.

• Missouri Chamber Foundation — Support to pilot and expand youth manufacturing apprenticeships, strengthening workforce pipelines and promoting economic mobility.

• MoKan 20/20 Vision, Inc. — Support to build data systems and program enhancements to improve college persistence and completion.

• National College Attainment Network — Support to strengthen organizational capacity through strategy research and development, facilitated planning, and updated communications tools.

• National World War I Museum and Memorial — Support to upgrade the website infrastructure to prepare the museum and memorial to serve as a key destination for FIFA World Cup 2026 visitors.

• Right To Start — Support to build an infrastructure consisting of tools for digital outreach marketing, grassroots engagement, partner organizing, customer tracking, data capture, and mass mobilization.

• Strada Education Foundation, Inc. — Support to create a KC Playbook and update the membership model by embedding work-based learning credit for prior learning into a scalable national practice for how colleges, employers, and workforce collaborate.

• The History Co:Lab — Support to enhance the ability to serve Kansas City’s schools, museums, and community partners by strengthening data, communications, and collaboration capacity.

• The Philanthropy Roundtable — Support for an intermediary to engage in systems-level, field-building work within the philanthropic sector.

• The Prospect KC — Support to strengthen hospitality workforce training through staff development, employer engagement, technology, and planning to prepare Kansas Citians for opportunities ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

• University Academy Foundation — Support to conduct a formal evaluation of the college persistence programs, review operations, and provide development for staff and leadership.

• University of Missouri – Kansas City — Support strategic planning and operational capacity for KCUR 2.0.

• Urban League of Kansas City Missouri — Support to modernize technology and enhance staff IT and cybersecurity skills, strengthening data security, reducing downtime, and supporting digital and AI skill development.

• Women Leaders in Sports — Support to replace existing software with a modern CRM to streamline operations, strengthen data systems, and enhance efficiency and member engagement.

• Young Women on the Move — Support to strengthen organizational capacity and long-term sustainability to transform from program-based delivery into an integrated hub for youth development.