Kauffman Foundation Inc.

Kauffman Foundation Inc. (EIN 27-3760860) is a private family foundation headquartered at 1380 W Paces Ferry Rd NW, Suite 1230, Atlanta, GA — not to be confused with the far larger Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, which shares a similar name and owns the kauffman.org domain. This Atlanta foundation is led solely by Mark A. Kauffman (President, $0 compensation), with no paid staff in any recorded fiscal year. Every dollar of grantmaking flows through his personal discretion and relationships.

The foundation's giving philosophy is concentrated, long-term, and institutionally rooted. Its top three grantees — University of Georgia Foundation ($1.325M across 3 grants), Children's Healthcare of Atlanta ($940,000 across 3 grants), and Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute ($475,000 across 3 grants) — account for approximately 70% of all tracked grant dollars. This concentration is not incidental: it reflects an intentional strategy of deepening relationships with a small cohort of trusted institutions rather than broadening the grantee pool.

All recorded grants carry the designation 'GENERAL PURPOSE,' meaning the foundation provides unrestricted operating support exclusively. There are no documented program-restricted grants, project deliverables, or reporting requirements disclosed in available filings. This is a meaningful advantage for grantees — but also a signal that the foundation is buying into institutions and leadership teams it already trusts, not funding specific outcomes.

Two cause areas define the portfolio beyond flagship institutions: (1) K-12 private schooling in Atlanta's Buckhead corridor (The Lovett School, The Schenck School, Trinity School), and (2) learning differences and dyslexia (The Schenck School's core mission; Dyslexia Resource Trust). This pairing strongly suggests a personal motivation — family or peer connection to dyslexia or learning disabilities — that creates thematic alignment for organizations in this space.

First-time applicants must understand this foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. There is no published grant calendar, no LOI portal, and no RFP cycle. The path to a grant runs entirely through a personal relationship with Mark A. Kauffman, established through warm introductions, civic connections, or board-to-board relationships with existing grantees.

Kauffman Foundation Inc. has grown from a modest operation giving $75,000 annually (FY2013) to a significant Atlanta philanthropic player disbursing $2.89M in FY2025 — a 38x increase in 12 years. This trajectory reflects capital deployment, not endowment growth: a $10.2M contribution received in FY2021 supercharged assets to $20.2M, and the foundation has been distributing that capital at an elevated pace ever since.

Grant sizing: Across 23 tracked grants in the database, the average disbursement is $167,971. However, per-grant averages for long-term partners are substantially higher: University of Georgia Foundation averages $441,667 per grant across 3 awards; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta averages $313,333; Emory Winship averages $158,333. The floor is $25,000 (KIPP Metro Atlanta, a one-time gift), and the ceiling likely exceeds $500,000 per disbursement for flagship relationships. The DB's typical_grant_size metadata — derived from 9 grants, median $100,000, average $103,889 — reflects a different sampling window and understates actual award levels for institutional partners.

Sector breakdown (estimated from grantee data): - Higher education: ~56% of tracked giving ($2.17M — UGA Foundation, Emory Winship, College of Wooster) - Pediatric healthcare: ~24% ($940K — Children's Healthcare of Atlanta) - K-12 private education: ~12% ($478,333 — Schenck, Lovett, Trinity schools) - Cultural/science institutions: ~4% ($170K — Fernbank Museum) - Education equity/learning access: ~2% ($75,000 — Dyslexia Resource Trust and KIPP Metro Atlanta)

Geographic concentration: 21 of 23 tracked grants (91%) went to Georgia-based organizations; the 2 outliers went to College of Wooster in Ohio. All Georgia grantees are in the Atlanta metro, concentrated in Buckhead and Sandy Springs.

Asset trajectory: Assets peaked at $20.2M (FY2021), declined to $18.2M (FY2022), and reached $15.1M by FY2025. At the current net loss rate of $1.73M/year, the foundation will exhaust its endowment within approximately 8-9 years unless new contributions arrive — making the next 3-5 years the most active and impactful window for existing and new grantee relationships.

The database identifies five peer foundations matched by asset size (~$15.1M) and NTEE category (Philanthropy & Grantmaking, T90 Named Trusts/Foundations). Detailed annual giving data for peers is not publicly available in the database; estimated payout assumes a standard 5% private foundation distribution rate.

Kauffman Foundation Inc. stands out sharply from its asset-class peers in one critical dimension: it is disbursing $2.89M annually — nearly 4x the standard 5% payout expected from a $15M endowment. This signals a spend-down mission rather than a perpetual endowment strategy, making the current window uniquely valuable for grant seekers. Additionally, Kauffman's hyper-local, sector-concentrated giving model (one city, five primary institutions) is unusual among similarly-sized foundations, which typically spread giving more broadly. Peer foundations in this tier generally operate with no staff and minimal public presence, but Kauffman's elevated distribution pace is a distinguishing characteristic that grant seekers with Atlanta institutional ties should recognize as a time-sensitive opportunity.

Kauffman Foundation Inc. has no independent web presence, social media, or press office, making public intelligence on recent activity dependent entirely on regulatory filings and third-party databases.

FY2025 financials (most recent): The Form 990-PF for the fiscal year ending June 2025 — the most recently available — reports total charitable disbursements of $2,891,708 (95.4% of all expenses), total assets of $15,129,901, total revenue of $1,299,931, and a net loss of $1,730,784. Revenue derived from sales of assets ($866,353, 66.6%) and dividends ($410,348, 31.6%), with no new contributions received. This confirms the foundation is drawing down existing capital, not attracting new inflows.

Leadership stability: Mark A. Kauffman remains the sole listed officer as President with $0 compensation through all available filings (FY2011-FY2025). No governance changes, new trustees, or staff hires have been publicly reported.

Grantmaking trajectory: The 23 tracked grants in the database span multiple years and show consistent year-over-year renewal for flagship grantees (UGA Foundation, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory Winship), with occasional smaller one-time awards to mission-adjacent organizations (KIPP Metro Atlanta at $25,000, Dyslexia Resource Trust at $50,000).

Important identity note: Web searches for 'Kauffman Foundation' in 2025-2026 return exclusively coverage of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City — a multi-billion-dollar organization that recently awarded $32M+ in Project grants, hired a new CFO (Ben Clouse), and runs Capacity Building grant cycles. None of this activity involves or connects to Kauffman Foundation Inc. in Atlanta.

Kauffman Foundation Inc. is a preselected-only grantmaker. This single fact overrides every other tactical consideration: no submission through any portal, website, or email campaign will generate a grant. The following tips are grounded in the foundation's demonstrated grantmaking behavior.

1. Prioritize relationship-building over applications. Mark A. Kauffman personally directs 100% of giving with no intermediary staff. The only viable strategy is establishing a direct relationship with him, or cultivating an introduction through a trusted third party.

2. Use existing grantees as warm introduction channels. The Lovett School, Fernbank Museum, and Trinity School are the most accessible entry points in the grantee portfolio — each has a board and alumni network significantly broader than the foundation's closed grantee circle. A board member or senior staff at any of these institutions represents a credible introduction pathway.

3. Lead with learning differences or dyslexia alignment if applicable. The Schenck School (3 grants, $213,333 total) and Dyslexia Resource Trust ($50,000) reflect what appears to be a personal priority for the founder. Organizations serving students with dyslexia, reading disorders, or learning disabilities have documented thematic alignment unavailable to most Atlanta nonprofits.

4. Frame any conversation around unrestricted operating support. All portfolio grants are classified 'GENERAL PURPOSE.' Do not approach with a project proposal, capital campaign, or deliverable-based funding request. Demonstrate organizational strength, leadership credibility, and long-term sustainability instead.

5. Think multi-year from the first conversation. Every major grantee has received 2-3 consecutive grants. Signal long-term vision and institutional stability — not urgency around a single grant cycle — to align with how the foundation actually deploys capital.

6. Contact directly if no warm introduction is available. The foundation's phone number is (404) 256-1606. A brief, professional introduction call describing your organization's mission and Atlanta roots is a reasonable first step in the absence of existing connections.

7. Do not approach through kauffman.org. That portal belongs to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, MO — a completely separate organization. Submitting any application, LOI, or inquiry there will have no effect on Kauffman Foundation Inc. in Atlanta.