Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: 2019 Inclusion Open

To find uncommon solutions that accelerate the rate of business starts and growth in all communities, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation invites proposals from organizations that can either test new ideas or scale already-proven programs to remove barriers that make starting and growing a business more difficult.

Organizations working to provide quality entrepreneurial support programs that reduce or eliminate barriers to entrepreneurial starts and company growth for communities that have been systemically left behind are welcome to apply. The Foundation is especially interested in programs that test or scale solutions in the following areas:

Solutions supporting quality experiences to promote inclusive and equitable entrepreneurship:

• Equitable entrepreneurship in industries traditionally lacking diversity
• Support for under-addressed stages of company development and growth
• Support for coaching and instruction models that drive company acceleration

Solutions focused on inclusive and equitable ecosystems and communities for entrepreneurs:

• Solutions to diversify decision makers in entrepreneurship ecosystems
• Solutions that influence gatekeeper decision making behaviors
• Innovations in models for cross-organizational alignment
• Developing nontraditional entrepreneurship hubs
• Policy solutions and activity to strengthen inclusive ecosystems
• Innovative rural entrepreneurship solutions
• Solutions to reduce isolation and related stresses of entrepreneurship

To remove barriers, the Foundation believes that work with entrepreneurs must be done with certain values in mind. For this reason, all applicants will be evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate a combination of some of the following:

1. Evidence of the applicant organization’s impact
2. Providing community-informed strategies and programming
3. Systemically demonstrating a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
4. Building equitable organizational collaborations
5. Having the ability to articulate their organizational impact on the entrepreneurship ecosystem
6. The organization’s use of best practices and current research in program design and delivery
7. The organization’s ability to measure impact of proposed activities
8. The organization’s openness to learning
9. The scope of the project’s impact
10. The viability and sustainability of the proposed project

Amount: Grants will range from $50,000-$450,000 over a period of 24 months.

Eligibility: Nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

Link: https://rfp.kauffman.org/prog/kauffman_inclusion_open

Note: Specifically, applications are due on February 7 by 12:00 AM (CST).

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