Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

When Jackie Robinson took the field with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, it was: a year before Truman abolished racial segregation in the U.S. Military seven years before the Supreme Court struck down segregation in public schools eight years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus, and... 16 years before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the March on Washington. The Negro Leagues were bigger than baseball. https://bit.ly/3md21qW

We're pleased to announce a Kauffman grant to Living Cities to fund research, development, and the launch of an investment vehicle focused on financing fund managers of color who will invest in underrepresented entrepreneurs. Eighty-three percent of entrepreneurs and small business owners do not access bank loans or venture capital. The inequity in financing is only further aggravated by the global pandemic, disproportionately impacting Black-owned businesses. Nearly 41% of B...lack-owned businesses, 32% of Latinx business owners, and 26% of Asian business owners have closed their businesses during the pandemic. To eliminate the systemic barriers related to how capital flows, the Kauffman Foundation and Living Cities are looking to strengthen and invest in fund managers of color who will in turn invest in entrepreneurs of color. This will support the creation of an environment without roadblocks to success for entrepreneurs of color. https://bit.ly/3kd9pCp See more

Ewing Marion Kauffman was born Sept 21, 1916, on the family farm in western Missouri. His foundation, his most-enduring legacy, was directed to be innovative to dig deep and get at the roots of issues to fundamentally change outcomes in people’s lives. He said, All the money in the world cannot solve problems unless we work together. And, if we work together, there is no problem in the world that can stop us, as we seek to develop people to their highest and best potential. We work together as associates and trustees of this Foundation to meet that legacy every day. Learn more about his life and legacy. https://bit.ly/2EjFzfB

The time is long past due for the kind of change at scale that benefits more of us, for all of us. Now is our collective opportunity to reinvent, repair, reimagine, and rebuild better. Read a message from Kauffman President and CEO Wendy Guillies. https://bit.ly/3jpDsG8

#BlackOutTuesday

"There's a lot of pieces to the puzzle that are causing this inequity, but really what it comes down to is that we've failed communities in the past this current challenge is just the next iteration of how it's playing out," Awais Sufi, CEO SchoolSmartKC. "What are we going to do for COVID-21, the next snow storm that keeps students out a week? How are we going to be prepared based on our learnings right now? The gaps that we have? If we get caught like this again shame o...n us," Sherman Whites, Kauffman Foundation director in Education. I will tell you the divide is economic, which does end up manifesting in it being a digital divide, Dr. Marla Sheppard, deputy superintendent Kansas City Public Schools. Watch the full conversation with this panel of experts as they discuss how the school shutdowns caused by the pandemic is only making it more difficult for vulnerable students to receive a quality education. https://bit.ly/3e45jZw

New and small businesses form the heart of every community. Policymakers need the voice of entrepreneurs at the table as they debate how to stabilize the economy. Be heard. Let them know how we can rebuild better. #StartUsUpNow https://p2a.co/89bfTZ5

Policymakers talk about stabilizing the economy, but when entrepreneurs don’t have a voice in policy, we get policies that privilege big business and leave behind the women, minorities, and rural residents who most need the support. Let's change that. #StartUsUpNow https://p2a.co/89bfTZ5

The new and small businesses at extreme risk during this crisis are the same businesses at the frontlines in the battle to restore our economy. Policymakers have prioritized big business long enough. It's time to rebuild better. Start here. #StartUsUpNow https://p2a.co/89bfTZ5

There's nothing easy about it, so let's work together to help small businesses navigate and recover from the COVID-19 crisis. Start with this resource guide, by Ross Baird founder of Village Capital and Blueprint Local. https://bit.ly/2WVwIYm

Given the scale and need of the COVID-19 response and recovery, President and CEO Wendy Guillies outlined how the Foundation is focusing on the Kansas City region, committing significant support to our community. At the same time, 2020 grantmaking will continue. https://bit.ly/3asHXeV

Given the scale and need of the COVID-19 response and recovery, the Kauffman Foundation is committing significant support to the Kansas City region. https://bit.ly/3asHXeV

Kauffman Foundation President and CEO Wendy Guillies writes that "as we think about the next several weeks and beyond, there is a lot of uncertainty. I’m often reminded that in a crisis what is urgent today will look different a week from now. We take our ability to be a steady hand in these times seriously and look to fill gaps for the short and long term." The Foundation joins its colleagues in the nonprofit sector to ask policymakers at all levels to focus on the organizations that are helping the people most in need during the COVID-19 global pandemic. One thing is certain, our mission remains as we find our way through this challenging time. https://bit.ly/399B4xw

2020 Heartland Challenge Live Q&A