WICHITA, Kan. – A collaboration between the Hall Family Foundation, Patterson Family Foundation and Kansas Health Foundation has awarded more than $5 million to Kansas nonprofits through the 2026 Upward Mobility Transformation Fund.

“By partnering on these important efforts and pooling our resources, more nonprofit organizations will have the opportunity to pursue meaningful and impactful work to improve upward mobility in our state,” said Ed O’Malley, President and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation. “Through this collection of demonstration projects, we’ll begin to see what could be possible in Kansas on this issue.”

For the purpose of this grant program, upward mobility was defined as the opportunity to stabilize, thrive and build a better future over time. It means that hard work leads to real opportunity, and people have the freedom to make choices about their lives without constantly falling behind. Economic mobility is another common way to describe this work.

“Thriving communities depend on people being able to build a future without having to leave home,” said Jessica Hunt, Chief Impact Officer of Patterson Family Foundation. “That’s why upward mobility matters; it’s about keeping every part of Kansas full of the people who make it strong.”

More than 100 Kansas nonprofits applied, totaling requests for more than $34 million. The recipients were chosen based on innovation, collaboration and a desire to work within regions of the state facing the greatest health and financial disparities. The application process was geared toward a connection to the Blueprint for Upward Mobility, a set of 11 strategies co-created through the ideas and efforts of thousands of Kansans.

“The Hall Family Foundation believes that economic mobility is fundamental to strong families and thriving communities. The Upward Mobility Transformation Fund reflects what is possible when partners come together to address systemic barriers and create new opportunities for economic success,” said Halley French, Program Officer at Hall Family Foundation. “We are eager to learn from these efforts and are proud to support innovative, community-led initiatives that can create lasting pathways to economic mobility for Kansans across the state.”

Research shows nearly 40 percent of Kansas households fall below the ALICE Survival Budget threshold. Further, nearly 1 in 5 Kansans has debt in collections.

Grant recipients will spend the next year showing how their ideas can make a long-term impact on improving these types of statistics.

Organizations receiving funding are listed below. To learn more about the grant-funded initiatives for each organization, please view the full list of project descriptions.

• Black Entrepreneurs of the Flint Hills
• Build WyCo
• Community Foundation of Dickinson County
• Credit and Homeownership Empowerment Services (CHES, Inc.)
• El Centro
• Habitat for Humanity of the Northern Flint Hills
• Kansas Action for Children
• Kansas Children’s Service League
• Kansas Department of Commerce
• Kansas State University
• Mid-America Regional Council (MARC)
• Omni Circle
• Opportunity Wichita (Greater Wichita Partnership)
• SENT, Inc.
• The Building Community
• Thrive Allen County
• University of Kansas Center for Public Partnerships and Research
• Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas

Additionally, the Wichita State University Public Policy and Management Center (PPMC) has been selected as the upward mobility statewide coordinator. In this role, PPMC will partner with the funders to track and manage the grant projects, establish shared metrics, and utilize the Kansas Data Trust to consider system-level impact.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Hall Family Foundation: Debbie Whiles, debbie.whiles@hallfamilyfoundation.org

Patterson Family Foundation: Felicia Tyler, felicia.tyler@pffkc.org

Kansas Health Foundation: Chase Willhite, cwillhite@khf.org

ABOUT HALL FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Hall Family Foundation is a private philanthropic organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of human life in the Greater Kansas City area. Initiatives that enrich the entire community, help people, and promote excellence are considered to be of prime importance. The Foundation acts as both a catalyst and collaborative community partner. It seeks to invest in programs that are innovative and strive to create systemic solutions to community needs.

ABOUT THE PATTERSON FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Patterson Family Foundation, based in Kansas City, Missouri, is a family-led foundation that extends the legacy of Neal and Jeanne Patterson. The Foundation’s mission, “Working together to help rural communities thrive,” is carried forward through strategic grantmaking and other collaborative initiatives that serve rural counties across Kansas and western Missouri.

ABOUT THE KANSAS HEALTH FOUNDATION

The Kansas Health Foundation (KHF) is a nonprofit organization based in Wichita but statewide in its focus. At KHF, all our work centers on our mission: to improve the health of all Kansans. As part of the KHF strategic framework, developed by our staff and board of directors, KHF also strives to accomplish three primary purposes: empower Kansas to lead the nation in health; eliminate the inequities that create health disparities; and, for KHF to become THE model for philanthropic impact.