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Purpose Works KC Awarded $1.5M Grant to Strengthen Kansas City’s Nonprofit Workforce
Coalition of 17 nonprofits launches collaborative effort to address sector-wide talent challenges
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (April 15, 2026) – Purpose Works KC, a coalition of 17 nonprofit organizations across Greater Kansas City, has received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to strengthen workforce sustainability across the region’s nonprofit sector.
Representing organizations across health, education, housing, food security, special needs services, and more, Purpose Works KC brings together leaders with diverse missions but a shared challenge: attracting, retaining, and supporting the people who power their work.
This effort marks the first time a collective of this scale in Kansas City has come together to address workforce challenges collaboratively, shifting from isolated solutions within individual organizations to a coordinated, sector-wide approach.
A Critical Sector for Kansas City’s Economy and Community
The nonprofit sector is not a peripheral part of Kansas City's economy. According to Cause IQ, more than 15,000 nonprofit organizations operate across the metro area, employing over 124,000 people and generating more than $29 billion in annual revenue. These organizations deliver the services, supports, and safety nets that define quality of life across the region.
Yet nationally, three in four nonprofits report job shortages, according to the Council of Nonprofits. In a sector of this scale, that level of workforce instability doesn't stay inside organizational walls. It reaches the people and communities those organizations exist to serve.
A Long-Term, Collaborative Approach
Purpose Works KC was formed in 2024 to address workforce challenges that cross every organizational boundary in the nonprofit sector. The collaborative was designed with expansion in mind, and pathways for organizations across the region to participate are taking shape, reflecting a long-term commitment to building something that belongs to the entire Kansas City nonprofit community.
“Every organization at this table has experienced the same frustration: talented, mission-driven people who never considered a nonprofit career, not because they wouldn't thrive here, but because they didn't know what was possible,” said Merideth Rose, Chair of the
Purpose Works KC Steering Committee and President and CEO of Cornerstones of Care. “Purpose Works KC exists to make Kansas City's nonprofit sector more visible and compelling. This investment sends a signal we couldn't send alone: this is a problem worth solving, and Kansas City is ready to solve it."
Philanthropic Support for an Uncommon Collaboration
“We’re excited to champion the uncommon collaboration of Purpose Works KC and the leaders driving solutions for a stable and dynamic nonprofit workforce in Kansas City,” said Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, chief impact and strategy officer at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. “This project is well-positioned to meaningfully address the challenges and opportunities in the mission-driven workforce to develop a strong and enduring nonprofit landscape.”
Nonprofit organizations interested in joining this effort are invited to connect with Purpose Works KC by completing the Get Involved form.
About Purpose Works KC
Purpose Works KC is a coalition of 17 nonprofit organizations in greater Kansas City working together to attract, retain, and sustain a strong, mission-driven workforce for the nonprofit sector, ultimately delivering more for the communities that depend on them.
The nonprofits represented by the Purpose Works KC Steering Committee include Alphapointe, Cornerstones of Care, Futures First, Girl Scouts of NE Kansas and NW Missouri, Greater Kansas City YMCA, Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City, Harvesters, KidsTLC, Lakemary Center, Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership at UMKC, Newhouse, Nonprofit Connect, Operation Breakthrough, reStart, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City, Support Kansas City, and United Way of Greater Kansas City.
Media Contact:
Julie Klima
913.538.1434