Rooted Change Fund
Empowering Communities. Expanding Opportunities. Building Brighter Futures.
Community Capital Fund, with support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, created the Rooted Change Fund to support grassroots, community-based organizations advancing economic mobility in historically underserved areas of the Kansas City metro.
Eligible applicants can request up to $50,000 (one-year) or $100,000 (two-year) to launch or grow projects that create and expand economic mobility in target areas of need.
Examples of What Can Be Funded
Job Creation & Entrepreneurship: employment pathways; small-business creation
Sector-Focused Skill Building: mentorships, apprenticeships, certificates, and industry-aligned training
Financial Assistance: grants, stipends, credit repair, debt management, property improvements, or other catalytic capital
Social Capital: partnerships, memberships, and networks that open doors to opportunity
Transportation & Access: commute supports, car repair clinics, ridesharing, digital skills, and wayfinding to employment hubs
Housing Stability (light-touch): minor home repairs; homebuyer or tenant education; home-based business education
Note: Requests to build new housing units are not eligible. Improvements to public infrastructure require permission from the governing authority. If you have an idea to promote economic mobility that is not listed here, please contact CCF — we’d love to hear new ideas.
Eligibility
Organizations must be based in Jackson County, MO; Clay County,MO or Wyandotte County, KS and serve low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. Applicants may be registered nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status) or other entities with a charitable purpose, must have at least one year of operating history, and $300,000 or less in current/prior-year revenue. Grant awards are capped at 30% of the previous year’s budget.
Application Timeline
Applications open: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025 (online only)
Info Session #1: Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Register here.
Info Session #2: Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, 5:00–6:00 p.m. Register here.
Application deadline: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, 11:59 p.m. CST
Award notifications: Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026
Disbursements & cohort kickoff: Early March 2026
Apply
Organizations interested in applying must do so online.
For questions: Email grants@ccfkansascity.org or call 816-502-9584
About the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Grounded in the generosity and love for Kansas City that Mr. Kauffman instilled, the Foundation is dedicated to advancing equitable access to opportunity and spurring economic growth. It supports organizations and communities testing innovative solutions, connecting students, educators, families, and small business owners with resources to achieve their goals. Through this work, new businesses and a skilled workforce drive regional growth, fostering financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity. The Foundation is private, nonpartisan, and committed to racial equity, diversity, and inclusion. For more, visit kauffman.org.