Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s Research Grant

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is offering its final Research Grant opportunity for the year 2025, designed to support projects that deepen the understanding of economic mobility and promote equitable opportunities. As a private foundation based in Kansas City, the Kauffman Foundation is committed to advancing social and economic mobility through its strategic priorities: college access and completion, workforce and career development, and entrepreneurship. This funding opportunity aligns with the Foundation's broader 2035 vision of dismantling systemic barriers and advancing equitable economic outcomes, particularly in Kansas City and similar mid-sized cities across the United States. This grant opportunity is open to applicants whose research will inform efforts to close economic mobility gaps. Proposals should explore ways to increase equitable economic opportunity, especially through the lens of the Foundation’s strategic priorities. The Foundation encourages studies that incorporate place-based, community-centered, and systems-level methodologies to address systemic inequalities. Research projects may include qualitative or quantitative analysis, secondary data analysis, policy evaluations, modeling, or participatory research. Topics of interest include economic mobility in critical sectors facing labor shortages, the impacts of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, and improvements in public data access and usage. The Foundation is particularly interested in work that demonstrates relevance to the Kansas City region, either directly or through transferable findings. The Foundation will award grants of $150,000 or more per year on an annual disbursement cycle. There is no stated ceiling or floor beyond this minimum amount, and the total program funding or number of awards has not been disclosed. There is no matching requirement. The grant is not rolling but is offered on a recurring basis, with the next expected round opening in Summer 2026. The current round is accepting Letters of Interest (LOIs) from July 8 to August 10, 2025. Full proposals will be requested from selected applicants in September, and final funding decisions will be announced in March 2026. The application process follows a two-stage format. Interested applicants must first submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) during the open period. Those selected will be invited to submit a full proposal. A webinar hosted by the Foundation’s Research, Learning, and Evaluation (RLE) team will be held on July 16, 2025, to provide further guidance and insights from past grantees. Applications will be evaluated based on clarity, alignment with strategic priorities, methodological rigor, potential for practical application, and community engagement. Proposals should also include thoughtful plans for dissemination and evaluation. Eligibility is broadly defined. While specific categories are not enumerated, the Foundation seeks projects with direct or transferrable experience to manage a grant of this scope. The program is available nationwide and there are no restrictions on geographic eligibility beyond the requirement to contextualize findings for Kansas City if the research is conducted elsewhere. No specific contact name is listed, but interested applicants can reach the Kauffman Foundation at 4801 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110. There is no listed phone or email contact for grant-specific inquiries, and no application questions or estimated application completion times are provided in the public materials. This is the final opportunity to apply for a Research Grant from the Kauffman Foundation in 2025. The Foundation encourages applicants to attend the informational webinar and review the full application preview materials available on their website to ensure a strong submission. All awarded projects will work closely with the RLE team throughout the grant period to ensure community resonance, research translation, and impact evaluation.