Overview

Upward Mobility is 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. 

Today, too many Kansans are working hard but still unable to get ahead. While Kansas ranks 11th nationally on income inequality according to America’s Health Rankings – a strength for our state –  persistent gaps in opportunity remain for many Kansans.  

These Kansans—often referred to as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) cannot afford basic living expenses. 

In Kansas: 

• Nearly 40% of households fall below the ALICE Survival Budget threshold 

• In 84 of 105 counties, the average job pays less than $0.60 for every $1 needed to meet basic costs of living  

• 1 in 5 Kansans has debt in collections  

• 1 in 5 Black Kansans live in poverty—nearly twice the rate of White Kansans  

These are not isolated challenges. They reflect a systemic mismatch between wages, costs, and access to opportunity.  Working families are not failing—the math simply does not work.  Kansas has the ideas, people and commitment to move this work forward, and KHF is investing in solutions that accelerate progress on Upward Mobility across Kansas.   

The Opportunity

Kansans have shaped a shared understanding of Upward Mobility through a year-long process of statewide listening, crowdsourcing, data analysis and cross-sector collaboration.  Approximately 1,000 Kansans contributed ideas, insights and feedback.  This process resulted in the creation of a Blueprint for Upward Mobility—a focused set of strategies to address the key barriers preventing Kansans from getting ahead.

KHF is seeking bold, scalable ideas to accelerate the Blueprint.  Funded projects will: 

• Advance one of the eleven Blueprint strategies 

• Operate at a regional or statewide level, or clearly serve communities experiencing concentrated economic hardship (*)   

• Launch within one year of receiving funding 

• Catalyze new approaches, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and unlock additional resources.  Rather than funding disconnected projects, KHF intends for these grants to contribute to a broader, coordinated movement advancing Upward Mobility across Kansas. 

*For this opportunity, concentrated economic hardship includes communities where 50% or more of households fall below the ALICE Survival Budget threshold. (Use the ALICE mapping tool to examine zip codes and other geographic areas.) Organizations do not need to serve only these communities to apply. However, proposals should clearly describe how the project will intentionally benefit populations experiencing the greatest barriers to Upward Mobility in these communities. Please be certain to detail this in the “description of need” section of the grant.  Competitive applicants should also demonstrate the organizational capacity and partnerships needed to implement work that reaches beyond a small number of individuals or a single program and have the potential for broader community or systems impact. 

Funding Overview: 

• While $200,000 is the average award amount, we encourage innovative, high-impact proposals and will fully consider applications above or below this average. 

• We anticipate between 8-20 awards, knowing this will be a competitive application process 

• KHF will share quality ideas with other philanthropic partners to explore opportunities for co-funding and resource alignment. 

Criteria Alignment

Information below represents the criteria for grant selection during application review.

All proposed projects must clearly advance ONE strategy from the Blueprint for Upward Mobility.  

Applicants should: 

• Identify the specific strategy their project aligns with.  
• Demonstrate how their work will advance that strategy in a meaningful way.  
• Show how the effort contributes to broader, coordinated progress across Kansas 

Grant Logistics and Timeline

Timeline:

• June 1, 2026: Grant application opens
• June 8, 2026, 1 to 2 p.m.: A grant information webinar was offered. A recording of the webinar can be viewed here.
• July 14, 2026 at midnight: The grant closes.
• September 2026: Grant recipients are notified.
• November 2026: Grant funding is awarded in full.

Additional Details:

Kansas Health Foundation will be responsible for the administration of the grant review process and the grant management.  You can view the scoring rubric. 

Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate: 

• Strong alignment with a Blueprint strategy 

• Organizational readiness to implement work at a regional or statewide level, or in communities experiencing concentrated economic hardship. 

• A clear and compelling project design, including a feasible timeline and well-justified budget 

• A commitment to innovation, learning, adaptation, and shared insight 

• Project potential to align additional resources and scale for impact 

• Potential to benefit populations experiencing the greatest barriers to Upward Mobility 

Selected grantees must choose a primary point of contact within their organization. The staff member will be required to attend all meetings related to the initiative such as learning community activities and grantee calls to share lessons learned and emerging issues. 

Eligibility

Any eligible 501(c)(3) organization, government entity, or church in Kansas classified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, not a “supporting organization” described in Section 509(a)(3), and not a “private foundation” as defined in Section 509(a), may submit an application.  Applying organizations must have their independent 501(c)(3).

How to apply

To apply, please scroll down on this page and complete the application form. Before you begin completing the form, please note the following:

• The application cannot be saved once started, so we recommend preparing a Microsoft Word document in advance for offline reference.
• You will be asked to upload a copy of your IRS determination letter in PDF format. This is a letter issued by the Internal Revenue Service confirming your organization’s non-profit status/tax exemption. Please have this letter ready prior to entering your application information.
• You will be asked to upload a copy of your most recently filed IRS Form 990. Please have this document ready prior to entering your application information.
• One of the questions on the application form asks which regions of Kansas will be served by the initiative. For the purpose of this application, please refer to the Economic Development Districts outlined by the Kansas Department of Commerce. Which counties fall into which regions are indicated on this map.
• Beware of timing out of the form. Once you begin a form submission, the form “times out” after three (3) hours if not submitted.
• You must have the contact information of a legally authorized signatory for the applying organization. Signing authority is restricted to an organization’s CEO, President, Executive Director or School District Superintendent.  Please have your legally authorized signatory’s name, title, and e-mail address ready and available.

When the application form is complete, please hit the “Submit” button. You will receive a confirmation after submission.

Questions

Initiative questions may be directed to Lindsay Wilke, Associate Director of Network Mobilization, at lwilke@khf.org. Questions regarding eligibility should be directed to the Grants & Contracts Manager at applications@khf.org. For technical support, please contact the Business Intelligence Manager at help@khf.org.

KHF may share submitted applications with other philanthropic, public, private, or community partners to help connect promising ideas with additional resources, partnerships, and support opportunities. If you do not want your application shared outside of KHF, please send that information to lwilke@khf.org immediately after submitting your application.