The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation recently announced a massive investment in Kansas City’s higher education: Over the next 10 years, its new KC Scholars program will devote $79 million to college scholarships and savings programs.

The initiative could be a big win not only for the scholarship recipients, but for the regional economy, too.

By 2020, two out of every three jobs will require some kind of postsecondary degree or certification, said Larry Jacob, vice president of public affairs and communications at the Kauffman Foundation.

Unless something changes, Kansas City might not have enough workers with postsecondary education to meet its workforce needs.

How KC Scholars Works

KC Scholars is addressing the need for a better educated workforce with a three-tiered program:

»   High school students in the 11th grade can apply for scholarships worth up to $10,000 per year and renewable up to five years. KC Scholars will award 250 of these scholarships each year.

»   Adult learners—those who are at least 24 years old and have earned at least 12 college credits but didn’t receive a postsecondary degree—are eligible for scholarships worth up to $5,000 per year, renewable up to five years. Each year, 200 of these scholarships will
be awarded.

Here in the metro, there are roughly 281,000 people age 25 or older with some college credits but no degree. That’s about a quarter of the population, said Beth Tankersley-Bankhead, director of KC Scholars.

»   A 529 college savings plan will award $25 each to up to 1,000 local ninth-graders. Fifty of those students will be selected for a four-to-one match, so long as it doesn’t go over $5,000. Students who hit certain milestones could earn another $2,000.

KC Scholars is open to applicants from both low- and modest-income backgrounds. The scholarships and savings funds can be used at 17 schools in the region.

Plus, KC Scholars’ partner organizations will offer support services to help students stick with their schooling and complete their degrees.

“We are not aware of anything like this across the nation,” Tankersley-Bankhead said. “We believe this will be a national best practice.”

‘Mr. Kauffman Would Have Been Delighted’

The Kauffman Foundation is no stranger to the world of scholarships. Thanks to its Project Choice and Kauffman Scholars programs, thousands of Kansas Citians were able to pursue college educations.

“The Kauffman Foundation—and Mr. Kauffman himself personally—has always been dedicated to postsecondary completion,” Tankersley-Bankhead said.

KC Scholars grew out of a yearlong series of meetings and conversations with 70 community partners who helped generate ideas for the initiative.

The foundation is dedicating considerable resources to KC Scholars, but officials hope other individuals and organizations will contribute money to the project. The goal is to make KC Scholars a long-running, community-sustained effort.

Donors can create a named scholarship by giving $2,500 per year for five years, Jacob said, though smaller donations are welcome, too.

The application window for the 2017 scholarships will open on Jan. 2. In recent weeks, KC Scholars personnel have been meeting with community groups and high schools to publicize the program.

“Every one of them remarks this is a game-changer for the community, for the region, for families,” Tankersley-Bankhead said.

She recalled what one person told her after a presentation about KC Scholars: “Mr. Kauffman would have been so delighted to see this program and the impact.”