Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Six leaders. Six stories of impact. One remarkable Kansas City community.

🎉 Congratulations to the finalists for the inaugural Kauffman Uncommon Leader Visionary Award: Brennan Crawford, Alana Henry, Micheal Lawrence, Tysie McDowell, Kar Woo and Heidi Wooten.

Their work shows what’s possible when vision manifest as lasting change.

Follow our socials as we share more insights about the finalists, and learn more about the KUL Visionary Award on our website: https://bit.ly/4wO1XDt

The second quarter of the year passed in a hot flash, prompting us to take a moment to cool off and reflect on the recent new beginnings at the Foundation.

We are pleased to welcome Michael Evangelist and David Ryckman!

Michael joined the Research, Learning, and Evaluation team as a Senior Data Officer, and David joined the Finance and Grants Administration team as Sourcing and Vendor Manager. Together, they have brought their expertise and fresh perspectives to their work at the Foundation.

Thank you to our newest Kauffman associates for helping us beat the heat this summer and keep up our momentum as we head towards the fall!

Not often enough do readers get a view behind the curtain of a story—a glimpse into the mind of the storyteller—so as an epilogue to the Meet the Interns social campaign, we had to make sure we not only gave kudos to the one who carefully shared the journey of each intern highlighted on our socials this summer, but shared her story as well.

Meet Alex Potter: intern for the Strategic Communications team, where she has written and edited digital communications to assist in spreading the mission of the Foundation as well as supported the strategic retrieval of archival storytelling opportunities related to the Foundation’s service to the Greater Kansas City community.

"One way I’m improving myself this summer is by taking part in opportunities that will help me pursue a career as a young adult book editor," Alex said. "From reading Jane Friedman’s 'The Business of Being a Writer' and newly published young adult books to networking with local writers and publishers, I’m doing all I can to learn and grow as a young professional!"

We have been lucky to have received all the knowledge, support, and contributions from Alex and her fellow interns this summer. We wish you all nothing but the best in your future endeavors!

It’s a wrap!

This summer, we welcomed 20 interns to the Kauffman Foundation. Over the last few months, they showed up each day with the willingness to be curious, embrace challenges, and dedicate themselves to our mission.

Through their commitment to building relationships to attending professional development events and serving our community through volunteering opportunities, our interns have not only grown as young professionals, but as proud members of the Kansas City community.

From all of us at the Kauffman Foundation, thank you for an amazing summer! We look forward to seeing all that you can accomplish.

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From left to right:
Row 1: Brennan Ferguson, John Jacobson, Cerilo Yousif, Malika Kopbayeva, Eusavio Williams, Sophia Meyer, Brooklyn Farris, Ariella Allen, Alex Potter

Row 2: Sanika Saraf, Manoa Nicholson, Laila Troxler, Wendoly De La Rosa Almonte, Laura Benteman, Abby Kelley, Tamara Robinson, Bella Holloway, Stella Hughes, Annalia Escalante

Not Pictured: Anuva Kolli

This week, we celebrated Gloria Jackson-Leathers as she begins her retirement after 28 years with the Kauffman Foundation. Surrounded by friends, colleagues, and community members, Gloria was recognized for the care, wisdom, and dedication she brought to our work every day.

Her fellow associates gifted her an open calendar, and she says it's staying that way...for now. 😊

Help us celebrate Gloria by sharing your well wishes in the comments!

We are mid-way through our Capacity Building grant application window, but we want to encourage organizations who are striving to strengthen the systems, strategies, and people who make long-term impact possible to apply now to this $100,000-$250,000 funding opportunity.

If you're thinking about applying, but have questions, sign up for an upcoming “Ask an Impact Officer” session.

These aren't one-on-one conversations, but relaxed gatherings for group conversation with other grant seekers and Kauffman Foundation Impact Officers to learn more about the Capacity Building grant pathway.

We are offering in-person and virtual sessions:

- Monday, Aug. 3, 9 to 10:15 a.m. at the Kauffman Foundation
- Wednesday, Aug. 5, 3 to 4 p.m., via Zoom
- Monday, Aug. 10, 3 to 4 p.m., via Zoom
- Wednesday, Aug. 12, 3 to 4 p.m., via Zoom

Register now: https://bit.ly/4yL2sz9

The application deadline for Capacity Building grants is Aug. 13.

Meet our interns: Wendoly De La Rosa Almonte and John Jacobson! Wendoly is a student at Metropolitan Community College and a neuroscience student at Brigham Young University and is interning with Research, Learning, and Evaluation. John Jacobson is a finance and economics student at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is interning with the Investments team.

This summer, Wendoly and John are looking forward to furthering their career goals:

In Wendoly’s words: “One skill I'm trying to develop this summer is becoming better at taking all of my ideas when brainstorming and turning them into something tangible because in the future I want to have my own nonprofit that serves people in the area of mental wellbeing and mastering how to evaluate ideas and research. I also have been loving communicating and connecting with others and hope to keep developing that habit.”

For John: “This summer, I have the opportunity to learn how an endowment model runs from the inside. Also, I am looking forward to connecting with other interns and professionals!”

We are honored to support Wendoly and John’s goals as they hone their skills at the Foundation. We're happy to have you on the team!

Big challenges call for collective action.

Some of the biggest barriers to economic mobility can't be solved by one organization alone. They require collaboration, shared purpose, and a commitment to long-term change.

That's why we're proud to announce that Teach KC is the recipient of the Kauffman Foundation's first Collective Impact implementation grant.

Through this three year, $13 million investment, Teach KC will work alongside partners across the Kansas City region to strengthen the educator workforce by creating coordinated pathways to recruit, prepare, place, and retain teachers.

Congratulations to the Teach KC coalition, led by BLAQUE KC and a broad network of partners, including the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, Teachers Like Me, The Educator Academy, Teach for America Kansas City, Latinx Education Collaborative, Credit & Homeownership Empowerment Services, Starting Early, the University of Kansas Center for Research on Education Workforce, and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.

Learn more about Teach KC and the Foundation's Collective Impact initiative: https://www.kauffman.org/currents/why-collective-impact-matters/