Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is committed to racial equity, diversity, and inclusion. We believe all people – regardless of their race, gender, or geography – should have the opportunity to share in America’s prosperity through success in their jobs and careers, as employees or entrepreneurs.

In the spirit of Ewing Marion Kauffman, we seek to build inclusive prosperity through a prepared workforce and entrepreneur-focused economic development by changing the conditions, addressing root causes, and breaking down systemic barriers that create inequities based on race, gender, and geography.

As we have written about previously, we start that imperfect journey internally by examining how our own practices must change to support equity and inclusion. We are committed to continually improving our strategies, processes, and policies to better support the communities in which we work. Together, we will do better.

For more information, please read our REDI frequently asked questions.

2021 Demographic Data

We invite you to review our 2021 demographic data. We acknowledge that we are early in this journey. Because of this, we are currently only displaying data including gender and race/ethnicity of the Kauffman Foundation and Kauffman Scholars board of trustees, senior leaders, and associates. The data is based on 2021 self-reporting with 99.1% of associates, 100% of senior leaders, and 78% of trustees completing the reporting. We have plans to continue to update this section with additional data from our grants.

Gender

In 2021, 71.6% of associates identified as female, 27.5% identified as male, and 0% identified as transgender. Our senior leadership team, 60% identified as female, 40% identified as male and 0% identified as transgender. Amongst our board of trustees, 44.5% identified as female, 33.3% identified as male, and 0% identified as transgender. Across the sector, the Council on Foundations study reported a staff gender break down of 75% women and 25% men.

Note: Data includes the Kauffman Foundation and Kauffman Scholars, Inc.

Race/Ethnicity

In 2021, 31% of our associates identified as a person of color. By comparison, 24% of staff at foundations across the country identified as a racial/ethnic minority, according to the Council on Foundations’ 2016 study, The State of Change: An Analysis of Women and People of Color in the Philanthropic Sector.

Note: Data includes the Kauffman Foundation and Kauffman Scholars, Inc.