The Inclusive Entrepreneurial Ecosystems RFP intends to engage researchers and communities in examination of how structural issues shape equity and opportunity in entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Donor Name: Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
State: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/29/2022
Size of the Grant: $300,000
Grant Duration: 36 months
Details:
Specifically, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation solicits research projects that explore structures and systems that shape entrepreneurial ecosystems in the four Heartland states — Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.
Project teams will be asked to develop research-driven case studies that analyze the structures that comprise equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems, and they will also work with Foundation staff to develop templates and tools for assessing equity in ecosystems. Ultimately, this will provide practical, actionable insights for individuals and community leaders who are working to ensure greater inclusivity in support for entrepreneurs.
This 3-year grantmaking initiative has up to $2 million in funding available and is soliciting proposals that demonstrate the intended objectives of this program, including:
- Holistic focus on the systems and structures that shape entrepreneurial ecosystems. In alignment with their Inclusive Prosperity framework, the Foundation aims to deepen understanding of how the systems and structures that shape communities and quality of life also shape entrepreneurial opportunity. Specific areas of interest for this RFP include:
- The role of place and widening geographic inequities. The COVID-19 pandemic — and the attendant rise in remote work — has deeply impacted many Americans’ choices about where to live. Plus, the slowed return of many workers to urban cores has created challenges for entrepreneurs serving those who work in downtown business districts. Meanwhile, suburban communities grapple with auto-centric urban design, the influx of ex-urbanites, and lack the walkability that many firms gravitate toward. How do unevenly distributed assets in urban or rural infrastructure impact entrepreneurial opportunity? How do perceptions of community safety and quality of life indicators for historically underserved individuals impact the geography of business formation? And what are the impacts—on a cultural and community level—of economic growth?
- Equity, diversity and inclusion work, in practice. Increasingly, communities are working to increase representation and support of diverse entrepreneurs. For example, through diversifying civic boards and commissions, offering tailored support for Hispanic, Black, and immigrant entrepreneurs, and targeting start-up capital, communities are rising to meet the needs of historically underserved entrepreneurs. What are they learning about the efficacy of such programs and structures? How are they operating on the ground? Are they creating sustainable structures that positively impact entrepreneurs of color over the long term? How do broader systems of inequity — and pervasive discrimination — affect entrepreneurs of color, even if/as they receive targeted support from municipalities?
- Structures of entrepreneurship and impact on inclusive prosperity. Many entrepreneurs are rethinking the relationship between business and community. For example, through emerging models of employee-ownership and worker cooperatives, insistence on adherence with ethical business measures (such as living wages, ethical purchasing, and fair tax policy), and recognition of ecological and social limits on business growth. What are we learning about the role Heartland entrepreneurs play within their communities? How are entrepreneurs impacting social and ecological contexts within the communities where they start, sustain, and grow their businesses? Are Heartland entrepreneurs developing business models that contribute to inclusive prosperity and community wellbeing — and if so, what are we learning about their journeys?
- Generate practical, actionable, and rigorous evidence around inclusive ecosystem building. Research-driven guidance is needed on how inclusive and equitable Heartland ecosystems can be built and sustained. Successful applicants in this RFP will work with Foundation staff to develop templates, tools, and processes — based on their research findings — to help guide community leaders in this work.
- Community-engaged research. The Foundation aims to accelerate the research-to-practice process through the engagement of communities in research. Proposals are welcomed from project teams of multiple configurations (i.e., jointly-written proposals between researcher and community partners; proposals submitted by PIs at Universities, Colleges, or 501c(3) organizations with named community or researcher partners; 501c(3)-led projects that engage Heartland researchers, etc.), provided the project approach and case study development are research driven.
- Case-study development. Through this RFP, the Foundation aims to support the creation of research-driven case studies of entrepreneurial ecosystem building in the Heartland. This funding call solicits proposals from research teams who are prepared to develop holistic case studies of the community where their research is situated.
Categories
- Entrepreneurship
Funding Information
- Applicants may request funding up to $300,000 for projects spanning 36 months. While award amounts for individual projects will vary, we anticipate the average grant size to be $250,000.
Eligibility Criteria
This call is open to research teams within the Heartland region—which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Community-engaged research partnerships, in which ESOs or other community organizations are included as active research partners, are required. Collaborations that bring national expertise are welcome, provided that the principal investigator (PI) or Co-PI is located within the Heartland and that the research focus is on a community located within the Heartland region.
Additionally, eligible applicants must meet all the following criteria:
- Located in the United States.
- Funding will only be awarded to PIs who are affiliated with organizations that are either institutes of higher education or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Applicants at for-profit organizations are welcome to apply, but will be required to prove charitable purpose of the activities.
- Capacity and willingness to produce a case study of their community’s entrepreneurial ecosystem that is closely aligned with the format outlined in this RFP.
- Capacity and willingness to work collaboratively with Foundation staff during the grant period to create actionable templates and guides supporting inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems.
For more information, visit Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
