Sam Aleinikoff Sam Aleinikoff is a director of college access and completion on the Impact team for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. He serves as the Foundation’s programmatic and operational strategist for its college access and completion priority area, translating the organization’s grantmaking vision into an intentional and robust grantmaking portfolio. Aleinikoff began his career in education, […]
Heart on Kauffman Foundation campus invites the Kansas City community to come together in common unity May 19, 2026 Parade of Hearts sculpture “CommUnity Through CommonUnity” finds permanent residency at the Foundation.
Q&A with Maria Meyers: Innovator who built KC’s resource-connected entrepreneurial ecosystem May 19, 2026 Meyers will retire summer 2026, leaving a strong legacy as a visionary, and Kansas City as SourceLink’s flagship city and a model for entrepreneurship support.
Michael Evangelist Michael Evangelist is a senior data officer with the Research, Learning, and Evaluation team at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he implements the RLE team’s data strategy and operationalizes data analysis to inform policy and local activities in alignment with the Foundation’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities. Prior to joining the Kauffman Foundation, Evangelist […]
Nominate an executive leader for the inaugural Kauffman Uncommon Leader Visionary Award April 29, 2026 The award honors those who have brought their vision to life by creating lasting, measurable change.
Visionary Award Visionary AWARD — 2026 Uncommon leaders make more possible Honoring executive leaders building an inspiring and impactful legacy within Kansas City. The Visionary Award The Kauffman Uncommon Leader Visionary Award is designed to honor an executive leader from a 501(c)(3) public charity in the Kansas City region who is building an inspiring and impactful legacy within their […]
David Ryckman David Ryckman is a sourcing and vendor manager in Finance and Grants Administration for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he supports teams in securing high-quality partners that align with the Foundation’s mission by providing expertise in sourcing strategies, vendor relationships, and procurement processes that strengthen operational capacity and cross-functional effectiveness. Ryckman serves as the […]
Kansas City-based Youth Volunteer Corps will introduce its service-learning model to military-connected youth at U.S. Navy installations worldwide April 15, 2026 Capacity Building grantee expanded its learning model and enhanced evaluation enabling them to scale impact with organizations like Navy Child and Youth Programs.
Gloria Jackson-Leathers to retire this summer after nearly 28 years at the Kauffman Foundation April 15, 2026 Well-known as a community ambassador with a stellar legacy of leadership and relationship building, Gloria Jackson-Leathers, senior advisor to the president, community engagement, will retire this summer after nearly 28 years at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Throughout her career, Jackson-Leathers engaged and supported countless community members both locally and nationally. Her work with organization […]
Hometown heart: Explore the Kansas City region through Parade of Hearts April 7, 2026 The installation of 150 unique heart sculptures brings the perennial free public art celebration back to Kansas City.