Katy Hamilton is a senior director of workforce and career development in Impact for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where she serves as the key programmatic, operations, and administrative director for the Workforce and Career Development strategy. Hamilton is responsible for implementing the strategic plan and translating the strategy into actionable talent and operational practices, […]

Andrea Ellis is a senior director, strategic initiatives in Impact for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where she orchestrates and coordinates high-level operational, financial, planning, and strategic areas of the Impact team, acting as an integration manager for internal and external program-related activity. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ellis was principal creative strategist, at Walkabout […]

Suzanne Stluka, Ph.D., is a director of evaluation in Research, Learning, and Evaluation for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where she provides leadership for all evaluation-related initiatives and facilitation of grantmaking program evaluation to inform program assessment. Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Stluka was the deputy director for the Institute of Food Safety and […]

Joshua Akers, Ph.D., is a director in Research, Learning, and Evaluation for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he provides leadership for developing and improving operations for all research-related initiatives to facilitate research and knowledge generation. Dr. Akers will place special emphasis on actionable and practical research that can inform policy and programmatic strategies for […]

Appointed across the Impact and Research, Learning, and Evaluation teams, new directors will drive progress toward the Foundation’s 2035 vision.

The process Research grant opportunities follow a five-step process, outlined below: A panel of the Foundation’s Research, Learning, and Evaluation (RLE) staff and impact officers will review all LOI. The panel will also review full proposals and send them to external content experts for peer review. Learn more about our grants cycle and timeline >

What are the Project grant opportunities for 2025? Project grant opportunities are designed to drive impact around equitable economic mobility. Funded organizations are expected to design and implement, or scale, a multiyear project in alignment with our strategic priorities and focus areas. Project should focus on scaling proven approaches in the Kansas City region and/or launching new, promising […]

What is the focus for Research funding in 2025? In this round of Research grants, the Kauffman Foundation solicits research projects advancing our understanding of how to expand equitable economic mobility and increase opportunity. Please note: Our final Research grant opportunity for 2025 closed on August 10. The next opportunity is scheduled to open again […]

What are Capacity Building grants? Capacity Building grants are designed to support an organization’s internal effectiveness and long-term stability, rather than funding a specific program or singular service. These one-time, short-term investments are intended for charities that can clearly articulate a specific capacity gap and demonstrate alignment with our strategic priorities and focus areas. Successful […]

The blue carpet was rolled out to welcome more than 250 community members into the Foundation for the second-annual open house Thursday, Sept. 19. President and CEO Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, and other members of Foundation leadership, greeted guests for a night to “spark” connection and engagement. “‘Spark’ was really our inspiration as we thought about […]