Corporate

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

By Tommy Felts / July 1, 2025

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…

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Coming home to KC: Brandon Haggard is sharpening his axe with humility

By Tommy Felts / June 27, 2025

Editor’s note: The following story was written and first published by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri (EDCKC). Click here to read the original story. [divide] For Brandon Haggard, returning to the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri (EDCKC) wasn’t just a career decision. It was a commitment — to impact, Kansas City, and…

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Kauffman awards $5.8M funding pipeline to research how to close wealth gaps in KC, beyond

By Tommy Felts / June 18, 2025

Eight newly announced research grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation are expected to help catalyze research-based efforts aimed at growing equitable economic mobility in Kansas City, regionally, and nationally. More than $5.8 million in research funding will be disbursed over the next three years through this first round of grantmaking through Kauffman’s new research…

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Topeka’s new community-built innovation incubator turns soil; leaders eager to show the world what grows

By Tommy Felts / June 7, 2025

TOPEKA — It’s not just about breaking new ground in the state’s capital, said Neal Spencer; the Link Innovation Labs project’s global reach serves as “a foundation for growth, impact, and the future of our great city.” “It’ll be a hub for ideas, connection and opportunity — a place where startups launch, collaborators spark, and…

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Global startups plug into Topeka: How Kansas connections are powering their innovation

By Tommy Felts / June 7, 2025

TOPEKA — Collaboration in the Midwest is just a call away, said Romaine Redman. It’s a reality that sets the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem apart, he added, and a heartland trait that seeds Topeka’s Plug and Play accelerator with the potential for international impact. “I pick up the phone and I call someone, and they’re here…

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