Kauffman’s new grants go live this week; here’s what we know about the revised funding priorities

The announcement of five new grants opportunities from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation brings months of anticipation and potential uncertainty to a head, offering a more clear view into the relaunched grantmaking strategy of the influential Kansas City philanthropic organization.

New applications for funding through the Kauffman Foundation open Aug. 29 — about four months after Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, president and CEO of the foundation, first publicly detailed plans for the organization’s hard reset for how it brings impact to the communities it serves.

The just-announced funding opportunities include a one-time “Sunset Grant” program for previously funded grantees who no longer are aligned with Kauffman’s strategy.

ICYMI: Kauffman CEO: Foundation’s reset aligns Mr. K’s intent with KC’s needs of the moment

Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

An over-arching goal for Kauffman’s 2035 vision: Make Kansas City a national model for equitable economic mobility by focusing its giving on impactful change and removing systemic barriers, setting generations on the path to prosperity.

“This updated approach to grantmaking represents our deep commitment to fostering equitable economic mobility in Kansas City,” said Burns-Wallace. “We’re embracing bold ideas and working with innovative organizations to drive meaningful change for our community.”

The foundation is seeking solutions, and working with national and local collaborators, coalitions, and organizations to model uncommon courage in pursuit of our goals, it said in a press release.

Click here for more on the Kauffman Foundation’s grantmaking approach.

What kinds of projects can earn funding?

Community members, past and current Kauffman Foundation grantees, and potential applicants saw the organization’s giving temporarily paused earlier this year as it recalibrated its strategy. 

Kauffman ultimately unveiled three priorities: college access and completion, workforce and career development, and entrepreneurship.

In alignment with those priorities, Kauffman now plans to fund projects at the intersection of innovation and impact through the following focus areas: 

1. Essential competencies and skills: Growing the mindsets, behaviors, knowledge and skill sets essential for success in school and career
2. Equitable access: Making learning pathways affordable and capital accessible to all learners, workers, and entrepreneurs
3. Participation and belonging: Cultivating an environment where everyone can participate and feel seen and valued, regardless of background
4. Education and employer connection: Strengthening the ties between education and employers to create a more relevant and prepared workforce

Click here to learn more about the four focus areas.

Here’s how those opportunities translate into the newly announced grant programs, three of which open for applications this week:

• Capacity Building grants — designed to address explicit organizational capacity needs that, if addressed, would strengthen, deepen, or scale impact in our focus areas. (Opening Aug. 29.)

• Collective Impact grants — designed for coalitions of high-capacity organizations to drive systems-level impact and change in the Kansas City region. Kauffman Foundation leaders are especially interested in proposals related to two key focus areas — education and employer connection, and equitable access — across its three strategic priority areas. (Opening Aug. 29.)

• Sunset grants — available to previous grantees with grants ending between Jan. 1, 2023, and June 30, 2025, that no longer align with Kauffman’s funding priorities. The foundation is offering one-time Sunset grant opportunities to help long-term grantees transition to new funding sources or bring closure to projects that are ending. (Opening Aug. 29.) 

• Project grants — provide funding for an organization to design, implement, or scale a multiyear project that will drive impact across Kauffman’s strategic priorities (Opening Oct. 15.)

• Research grants — provide funding to build a deeper understanding of our focus areas, address gaps in the foundation’s research base, and translate research findings into practice. (Opening Oct. 15.)

Click here to explore more related to these grant opportunities.

Ways to learn more before applying

A series of webinars — beginning this week — is planned to help guide potential grantees as Kauffman rolls out its new new approach and the opportunities available.

Sessions will cover the grantmaking philosophy, strategic priorities, and the application process.

• 3:30 p.m., Aug. 29 — Our Approach to Grantmaking — This webinar will cover the Kauffman Foundation’s grantmaking goals and philosophy, along with its relaunched framework. Leaders will discuss strategies priorities, the four focus areas of the organization’s grants and how all of this applies to Kauffman’s new funding opportunities. Additional sessions for this have been opened. Click here to register for Sept. 4 and here for Oct. 1.

• 4 p.m., Sept. 3 — Capacity Building — The foundation’s Capacity Building Grants are for organizations that have identified an explicit organizational capacity that, if built, would strengthen their ability to deepen or scale impact in the Foundation’s focus areas.

• 11 a.m., Sept. 10 — Collective Impact — The foundation’s Collective Impact Grants include two areas: Planning Grants and Implementation Grants. A second webinar on this topic is planned for 1 p.m.., Sept. 16. Click here to register.

Additional “office hours” sessions for more informal question-and-answer engagement about any of the grantmaking webinar topics also is planned. No registration needed.

• 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Sept. 12 — Heartland Black Chamber, in-person
• 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Sept. 18 — The Merc Co+Op, Community Room, in-person
• 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Sept 25 — virtual

Past grantees hoping to learn about Sunset Grants will have their own office hours by appointment only. Click here to register for Sunset Grant office hours.

“This rollout is the result of extensive research, community feedback, and a commitment to transparency,” said Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, chief impact and strategy officer for the Kauffman Foundation. “By focusing on areas with the greatest potential for impact, we’re setting the stage for long-term economic mobility and equitable growth in Kansas City and beyond.”