Kauffman Foundation
VC Fund
Kansas City, United States
Kauffman Foundation is a VC fund in Kansas City focused on Non Profit and Education. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, the Kauffman Foundation is among the largest foundations in the United States with an asset base of approximately $2 billion.Their vision is to foster "a society ofeconomically independent individuals who are engaged citizens, contributing to the improvement of their communities." In service of this vision, they focus grant making and operations on two areas—education and entrepreneurship—which founder Ewing Kauffman saw as two ends of a continuum.
- Total investments:
- 103
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 95%
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries Kauffman Foundation invests in
Stages Kauffman Foundation invests in
Countries Kauffman Foundation invests in
Contacts
| Name | Phone | Socials | |
|---|---|---|---|
Ben McDougal
|
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C J Cornell
|
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Derek Ozkal
|
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Evan Absher
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Fabian Pfortmüller
|
Investment Focus
Industry
- Non Profit 61 (59%)
- Education 29 (28%)
- Training 13 (13%)
- Charity 10 (10%)
- Communities 10 (10%)
Stage
- Grant 99 (96%)
- Series A 1 (1%)
- Series C 1 (1%)
Team
| Name | Title | Investments | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ben McDougal
Midwest Regional Rep
|
Midwest Regional Rep | Total investments: 0 | Find email | |
|
C J Cornell
Kauffman Ecosystem Building Committee
|
Kauffman Ecosystem Building Committee | Total investments: 0 | Find email | |
|
Derek Ozkal
Senior Program Officer, Entrepreneurship
|
Senior Program Officer, Entrepreneurship | Total investments: 0 | Find email | |
|
Evan Absher
Program Officer in Research and Policy
|
Program Officer in Research and Policy | Total investments: 0 | Find email | |
|
Fabian Pfortmüller
Innovator in Residence
|
Innovator in Residence | Total investments: 0 | Find email | |
| See all 9 team members → | ||||
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
KC BioHub
|
KC BioHub is a consortium that supports the growth of biologic medicines and biomanufacturing innovation. | $38.1M / Grant / Jul 20, 2026 | |
Association of Women's Business Centers
|
Association of Women's Business Centers is a nonprofit organization that supports economic and business development for women. | Grant / Apr 07, 2026 | |
GoodBread Innovations
|
GoodBread Innovations provides small business loans and lending services for entrepreneurs who face barriers in traditional finance. The company offers relationship-based loans starting around $5,000 and growing up to $50,000–$100,000 for returning borrowers. It uses behavioral insights, character assessments, and real-time business financial datainstead of conventional credit scores. GoodBread focuses on owners such as service providers, food businesses, retailers, creatives, and caretakers. It also develops tools and post-loan support to help borrowers strengthen operations, leadership, and financial habits over time. | Grant / Apr 07, 2026 | |
Endeavor Heartland
|
Endeavor Heartland is a nonprofit organization that provides entrepreneur support and economic development services. | $250K / Grant / Mar 27, 2026 | |
Alliance for Decision Education
|
Alliance for Decision Education improve lives by empowering students to be better decision-makers. | Grant / Jun 30, 2025 | |
Community Housing of Wyandotte County
|
Community Housing of Wyandotte County's mission is to stabilize, revitalize, and reinvest in Kansas City, Kansas neighborhoods through improved housing and other quality-of-life initiatives. CHWC's community organizer works with neighborhood residents to promote sustainable quality of life improvements through after-school art classes,community gardens, and resident engagement. CHWC is governed by a board of directors comprised of 20 community volunteers who are committed to improving their neighborhoods. | Grant / May 30, 2025 | |
Youth Ambassadors
|
Youth Ambassadors is an educational employment program meticulously crafted to empower underserved teenage youth with crucial life skills, soft job skills, avenues for creative expression, and adult mentors. These mentors play a pivotal role in nurturing the participants into future community leaders who are not only willing but also capable ofeffecting positive change | Grant / May 08, 2025 | |
Mid-Continent Public Library
|
Mid-Continent Public Library is the largest library system in the Kansas City metropolitan area serving in Clay, Jackson & Platte counties. | Grant / May 08, 2025 | |
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
|
The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation has ranked among the top 1 percent of community foundations in America since 1999, delivering innovative products and services that make charitable giving convenient and efficient for donors. The Community Foundation knows that every gift matters – no matter how big or small – and encourages donors tomaximize their giving and support the causes they care about through charitable giving accounts like donor-advised funds.In 2004, the Community Foundation created Greater Horizons to serve those who wish to use the Community Foundation's products and services with the flexibility of a national entity.View our most recent annual report: https://www.growyourgiving.org/annual-report/ | Grant / May 08, 2025 | |
Ownership Works
|
Ownership Works is a nonprofit organization that helps employees with financial planning, wealth management, consulting, and labor advocacy. | Grant / May 08, 2025 | |
| See all 103 investments → | |||
Co-Investors
Missouri Technology Corporation
2 deals together
Rockefeller Foundation
2 deals together
Kansas Bioscience Authority
1 deal together
Living Cities
1 deal together
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FAQ
What does Kauffman Foundation invest in?
Kauffman Foundation invests primarily in Non Profit, Education and Training startups, most often at Grant and Series A stage. Most of the 103 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
How do I contact Kauffman Foundation?
Public channels for Kauffman Foundation include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.
Who are the partners at Kauffman Foundation?
The team at Kauffman Foundation includes Ben McDougal (Midwest Regional Rep), C J Cornell (Kauffman Ecosystem Building Committee) and Derek Ozkal (Senior Program Officer, Entrepreneurship), among 9 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.
Is Shizune's investor data accurate?
Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.
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