KC Can Compost works to be a model for workforce and environmental sustainability

At KC Can Compost, what otherwise might go to waste becomes an opportunity. The Kansas City-based nonprofit organization diverts organic waste from landfills for composting while helping people build skills and pathways to green industry jobs. A 2024 Kauffman Foundation Capacity Building grant is helping to bolster internal operations for long-term sustainability and to scale its Green Core Training (GCT) program.

“It was incredibly timely,” said Kristan Chamberlain, co-founder and CEO of KC Can Compost. “Growth is exciting, but it can also put real pressure on employees and infrastructure. For us, the challenge is not simply growing, it is growing in a way that is smart, sustainable, disciplined, and true to the mission.”

As the organization’s programs continued growing, Chamberlain and her associates realized that expanding their team and streamlining internal operations would be necessary to realize their mission.

KC Can Compost used Capacity Building funding to strengthen both its Green Core Training program and the organization behind it. The funding supported a new Employer Relationship Manager who is expanding partnerships with regional correctional facilities and employers, preparing long-term incarcerated participants to serve as GCT instructors, and helping graduates transition into full-time employment. KC Can Compost also brought in expertise in accounting, grant writing, and administration to build the internal infrastructure needed to grow and sustain the organization.

We are continuing to evolve our internal systems so they can support a larger, more complex organization. That means strengthening processes, clarifying accountability, improving data and financial management, and building the operational structure needed to scale without losing the quality of our work or sacrificing the health of our team.

— Kristan Chamberlain
Co-founder and CEO, KC Can Compost

With greater capacity, KC Can Compost was positioned to take part in more opportunities within the community, such as the 2026 FIFA Fan Fest, and a green jobs expo event scheduled for 2027.

FIFA Fan Fest created expansive reach for the organization to drive its composting and workforce development goals. KC Can Compost deployed 135 of its bright orange KC Cans to manage wasted food, making composting more accessible across 22 event days at FIFA Fan Fest, Kansas City Stadium, and municipal watch parties in North Kansas City and Overland Park, Kansas.

Currently, the organization’s composting program serves more than 1,800 customers, including municipalities, Kansas City International Airport, museums, Arrowhead Stadium, and private residents. In July, the organization reached a major milestone – it diverted more than 10 million pounds of wasted food from the landfill, keeping an estimated 7 million net pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

The GCT program has equipped more than 350 Kansas City residents with skills and training for careers in the green economy, expanding access to employment opportunities for people who have historically faced barriers to entering the workforce. The goal is to scale the number of people who complete the program, educating an additional 30-35 participants per year, with the majority engaged in long-term employment within 60 days of program completion.

Chamberlain envisions Kansas City as a practical, inclusive, and lasting model of workforce and environmental sustainability. As a social entrepreneur, she is focused on how KC Can Compost can achieve long-term system change.

“What I see ahead is the opportunity to complete the system we have been building,” said Chamberlain. “The biggest next step is CORE, the Community Organic Recycling & Exchange. CORE will give us local processing capacity and allow KC Can Compost to connect collection, workforce development, and compost production in one complete system.”

Recognizing that significant change is rarely achieved by one organization alone, KC Can Compost collaborates with local organizations including Knabe’s Markets, Cultivate KC, The Kansas City Food Hub, Urban Produce Push, and Pete’s Garden, as well as regional environmental organizations and municipalities. The GCT program works closely with the Transition Center of Kansas City and the Center for Conflict Resolution to pursue their shared goals of supporting people returning from incarceration as they build pathways to living-wage employment.

Together, we are helping make sure food is used to feed people whenever possible, and, when it can no longer be eaten, it becomes compost that supports local growers, creates jobs, and drives economic value for our community. Everyone brings a different part of the solution and that is what makes real systems change possible.

— Kristan Chamberlain
Co-founder and CEO, KC Can Compost