Kauffman Knowledge Challenge

The Kauffman Knowledge Challenge is a biannual research grant program from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation that funds rigorous, actionable research on entrepreneurship in the United States. Awards range from $50,000 to $400,000 and support activities aimed at improving understanding of entrepreneurs and identifying tools, policies, and systems that advance inclusive and equitable entrepreneurship.

The program focuses on topics such as barriers to entrepreneurship for underrepresented populations, alternative ownership models, the future of work, supplier diversity, and community wealth building. Eligible applicants include researchers at universities, academic institutions, laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and individuals.

The foundation's problem-based grantmaking approach prioritizes proposals that generate practical insights for program designers, ecosystem leaders, and policymakers. The Knowledge Challenge runs on a biannual cycle with an open RFP process.

Kauffman Knowledge Challenge RFP Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation | Kauffman. org Kauffman’s Currents features stories and insights that underscore the essential role of education and entrepreneurship in empowering all people to shape their futures, create vibrant communities, and grow an inclusive economy.

Dr. Rachel Melson named Kauffman Uncommon Leader Impact awardee Meet the latest cohort of Capacity Building grantees Collaboration strengthens the KC region's research and data community Our strategic priorities reflect the heart of our mission: college access and completion, workforce and career development, and entrepreneurship.

Research, Learning, & Evaluation Through transparency, rigor, inclusivity, and responsiveness, we aim to ensure accountability, build trust, and acknowledge diverse perspectives. The Kauffman Foundation operates the following programs: 1 Million Cups, Kauffman FastTrac®, and Real World Learning. Our funding philosophy is shaped by research, community-informed feedback, and the legacy established by our founder, Ewing Marion Kauffman.

Our grantmaking is aligned to our strategic priorities and focus areas, driving toward our goal of equitable economic mobility for Kansas Citians. In sponsorships, we support organizations and programs that align with our strategic priorities, which reflect the heart of our mission. The Kauffman Uncommon Leader Awards recognize leaders who are making a lasting impact within their nonprofit organizations and the communities they serve.

Everything we do is grounded in the generosity and love for Kansas City that Mr. Kauffman infused into the heart of our mission. Our team is made up of connectors and supporters who believe all people should have the opportunity to thrive. Ewing Kauffman’s life took him on an unconventional path that allowed him to enrich the lives of others along the way.

Learn about Mr. K's legacy Kauffman Knowledge Challenge The 2022 Knowledge Challenge RFP is intended to support activities that improve our understanding of entrepreneurship and generate practical, actionable, and rigorous evidence to inform decision making and change systems. The 2022 Knowledge Challenge focuses on two areas: systems and structures to support inclusive prosperity, and equitable opportunities and the future of work.

Meet the grantees funded in the 2022 Knowledge Challenge: American Sustainable Business Institute | Support for research to identify scalable best practice cases, observations, and tools focused on alternative ownership models and community-supported entrepreneurship in the United States, including alternative ownership opportunities, alternative capital raising, and alternative lending and deployment methods.

Board of Regents Nevada System of Higher Education , on behalf of the University of Nevada System | Support to study job creation among entrepreneurs by examining the effects of various policy levers — including minimum wages, payroll taxes and employment protection legislation — on entrepreneurial hiring and job creation in communities that vary by wealth levels and racial and ethnic composition.

Brookings Institution | Support for policy reports and events to produce evidence-based research and policy work to inform key decision-makers about policies to support entrepreneurs and reduce economic inequality. Champlain College | Support for community and action-based research that will explore contexts, networks, and outcomes for women, migrant, and BIPOC entrepreneurs in two US communities on the East Coast.

Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc. | Support to study how financial aid policies may affect post-college opportunities to become entrepreneurs, and how resulting entrepreneurial activity may differ across communities and geographic regions.

Johns Hopkins University | Support for community-led research that identifies barriers and opportunities, and develops interventions to support systemically marginalized entrepreneurs. Kean University Foundation | Support to research, and implement, measures that support the resilience of Black entrepreneurs during exogenous shocks.

NEST | Support to build and disseminate knowledge around the barriers to economic advancement faced by makers and creative entrepreneurs, particularly those in Black and Indigenous communities. Northeastern University | Support for research on how to increase supplier diversity in higher education procurement.

RAND | Support to build a dataset to answer questions about the challenges that newer, smaller businesses face, the supports they rely on, and the ways in which solutions can be more effectively targeted to maximize their growth and success. Regents of the University of Michigan | Support for research to identify trauma-informed practices that could improve the quality of inclusive entrepreneurial support services.

Research Foundation of State University of New York | Support for research to identify the impact of state funding and Regional Economic Development Council’s policies on rural and agriculture-focused entrepreneurs in New York State over the last decade and their effect on strengthening entrepreneurship and re-localizing food systems.

Research Foundation of The City University of New York | Support for research to identify the comparative success rates of new businesses which receive either individualistic or cooperative ESO support and will explore if there are approaches that individualistic ESOs, those who support more of a single-founder model, can learn from those working with cooperatives and vice versa.

Texas State University Development Foundation | Support for research to identify the inter-related, systemic challenges that Latino-Owned Businesses (LOBs) face when growing and develop tools to help these business owners overcome such obstacles.

The Regents of the University of California at Riverside | Support for research to identify the role that local and regional partnership networks play in fostering inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems in traditionally underserved communities and how these partnerships function across cities.

The Regents of the University of California at San Diego | Support to study how gender, race/ethnicity, and geography interact to shape the experience of small business owners — particularly regarding access to government lending during COVID-19. United Way of Northern New Jersey, Inc. | Support for research on measuring and addressing systemic inequities in the maintainer labor force.

The University of Pittsburgh | Support to study the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great reshuffling on how individuals work, who they work for, and the implication for equitable opportunities. Washington University | Support for research on emerging entrepreneurship-centered community wealth building (ECCWB) models. What is the Kauffman Knowledge Challenge Request for Proposals (RFP)?

The Knowledge Challenge is a biannual program that invites proposals for research activities aimed at improving our basic understanding of entrepreneurs and the levers, tools, and methods that can advance entrepreneurship in the United States. The Knowledge Challenge is open to proposers conducting research in universities and academic institutions, laboratories, companies, nonprofit organizations, and as individuals.

The goal of the Knowledge Challenge is to produce tangible insights for entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship program and policy design, ecosystem leaders, and researchers. The portfolios of grants sourced from the Knowledge Challenge reflects the problem-based grantmaking approach in our Research strategy .

Previous Knowledge Challenge Grantees Entrepreneurship Research Explore our other newsletters Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation | Kauffman. org 4801 Rockhill Road Kansas City, MO 64110