when you want, where you want.
Grantmaking reboot ‘just one piece of the larger puzzle’ in Kauffman Foundation reset, CEO says
Overhauling the Kauffman Foundation’s grantmaking strategy aligns with a broader, holistic reset for the influential Kansas City organization, said Dr. DeAngela Burns Wallace, emphasizing org-wide moves to deepen the impact and dialogue sparked by its giving.
“We’re still engaged in the work happening locally, regionally, and nationally,” said Burns-Wallace, president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. “The new grantmaking process is just one piece of the larger puzzle. Our other programs and initiatives remain fully integrated across the board.”
RELATED: Kauffman’s new grants are live; here’s what we know about the revised funding priorities
While the Kauffman Foundation’s primary role remains that of a grantmaker, it is also expanding its support for startups, and engaging in national and regional conversations about entrepreneurship and workforce development, said Burns-Wallace.
[Editor’s note: Startland News is among organizations financial supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.]
Announced in April, the Foundation’s three revised pillars — college access and completion, career and workforce, and entrepreneurship — remain central, and also interconnect with one another, to address these areas more deeply and effectively.
“We’re trying to be really intentional, to not fall into siloed work,” said Burns-Wallace. “Entrepreneurship plays a critical role in developing our workforce. Early career exploration needs to include not just pathways to jobs but also an understanding of entrepreneurship.”
“We want our youth to be exposed to entrepreneurial thinking and opportunities because that’s part of the pathway as well,” she added.
And as Kansas City succeeds, the community can become a national model for regions struggling through similar challenges, said Burns-Wallace, noting the Foundation’s scalable efforts to remove systemic barriers focus not only on grants, but also through convening, learning, and collaborations.
Ongoing Kauffman-created programs — like 1 Million Cups and FastTrac — remain core to The Foundation’s mission. These programs, along with newly announced grant strategies, are designed to be fully integrated, providing a cohesive support system for grantees and the broader community.
Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, discusses the organization’s refreshed approach to grantmaking; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
New pathways to funding
Refreshing grantmaking at the Kauffman Foundation was vital to advancing the organization’s goal of expanding economic mobility and innovation — both locally in Kansas City and on a national scale — while staying true to the mission of its namesake and founder: Ewing Marion Kauffman.
Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace holds a copy of the booklet “The Philosophies of Mr. K”; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“Mr. K had a particular perspective, and our donor intent is clear,” said Burns-Wallace. “The refresh allowed us to identify how we continue to do this work today. We build on the legacy and then refine it to address our current situation.”
RELATED: Foundation’s reset aligns Mr. K’s intent with KC’s needs of the moment, says Kauffman CEO
To better accomplish Kauffman’s priorities — and meet the needs of grantees — the organization is leaning into greater transparency and communication, Burns-Wallace detailed, noting the changes should help organizations and entrepreneurs make clear choices about where their work fits within the foundation’s broader strategy.
Newly debuted grant categories — including capacity-building grants, project and research grants, and larger collective impact grants — are designed for grantees at different stages of development.
“We were very intentional about trying to identify different types of grant pathways,” said Burns-Wallace. “We didn’t have that level of clarity in the past. Our hope is that this allows grantees to see where their work fits in the continuum of our work.”
Click here to learn more about the grant pathways.
Within the rebooted grants process — applications opened in late August — grantees now have more upfront information about available opportunities, including multiple grant cycles to give organizations the flexibility to apply when they are most prepared.
“We want grantees to have enough information to make an informed decision, which isn’t always the case,” said Allison Bajracharya, vice president of program strategy for the Kauffman Foundation. “We want them to think about where they are now and what they need most in order to continue to grow their impact.”
The foundation’s website also includes timelines, eligibility quizzes, webinars, and office hours to assist applicants in navigating the process. The first upcoming deadline is for capacity grants on Oct. 8, followed by collective impact grants on Nov. 1.
Click here for more information on key dates and funding amounts.
Allison Bajracharya and Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace detail changes at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Supporting transitions
Recognizing that Kauffman’s strategic shift could create challenges for organizations that have relied on the Foundation’s funding for past support, one-time sunset grants are among the available offerings this fall.
These grants are designed to support organizations that may no longer align with the refreshed strategy, providing them with the resources they need to transition and seek new funding sources. The application window for these grants is extended until March.
“Sunset grants acknowledge that as any organization refreshes, alignment with past work may change,” said Burns-Wallace. “We wanted to ensure that organizations have the time and support they need to transition smoothly.”
Past grant recipients shouldn’t try to realign their work just to meet Kauffman’s new priorities, Bajracharya added, emphasizing the sunset grants serve as an alternative to what could be a damaging pivot for a grantee.
“We don’t want to encourage organizations to suddenly do gymnastics to see alignment, either. That’s not good for anyone,” she said. “We want you to consider which grant makes sense, but if there’s not, this is an opportunity to support that transition.”
Click here to check out Kauffman’s sunset grant opportunities.
Allison Bajracharya, vice president of program strategy for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
A collaborative vision for the future
Kauffman’s reboot also includes an internal restructuring — merging the Foundation’s three previous grantmaking teams behind one single, coherent strategy.
This shift, led by Bajracharya, who has previous experience in nonprofits and education, aims to create greater collaboration among grantees and more intentional learning from their experiences.
“Our impact officers are going to be the face of the grantmaking, as opposed to having three different teams,” she said. “This is because of the intentionality around looking at our priorities as an ecosystem that will get us to our vision.”
The Foundation is also placing a strong emphasis on learning from its grantees, ensuring that both successes and challenges are acknowledged and addressed in future grant cycles.
“We want people to feel comfortable acknowledging what’s going well and what’s not,” said Bajracharya. “We want to use that feedback to inform our next cycle of grantmaking.”
Click here to learn more about the Kauffman Foundation’s new approach.
The post Grantmaking reboot ‘just one piece of the larger puzzle’ in Kauffman Foundation reset, CEO says appeared first on Startland News.