Opportunity Overview
The Kansas Health Foundation 2026 Upward Mobility Mass Action Mini-Grant Program, administered with the Kansas Leadership Center, will award grants of up to $10,000 each for community-driven Kansas projects that help people facing financial hardship build greater economic stability. Funded projects must advance at least one strategy in KHF’s 2026 Blueprint for Upward Mobility.
Deadline
Applications are due September 29, 2026 at 12:00 PM Central Time. KHF’s current opportunity page states noon on September 29, and KHF’s August 18, 2026 announcement specifies noon CT.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include independent Kansas 501(c)(3) organizations, government entities, and churches that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3). Supporting organizations under Section 509(a)(3) and private foundations under Section 509(a) are excluded. Fiscal sponsorships are not permitted. All funded activity must occur in Kansas or directly benefit Kansans.
Allowable and Ineligible Uses
Funding is intentionally flexible for project activities aligned with the Blueprint. Applicants should include travel costs for up to two team members to attend the required Strategy Lab. Funds may not be used for grants to individuals, capital campaigns or endowments, debt retirement, or duplicate funding for the same activity.
Application Requirements
The online application cannot be saved once started and times out after three hours. Nonprofit applicants must upload an IRS determination letter and provide contact information for a legally authorized signatory. Authorized signers are limited to an organization’s CEO, President, Executive Director, or School District Superintendent. Selected grantees must designate a project contact, attend the January 28, 2027 Strategy Lab in Wichita, and provide project updates through Actioneer. Project activities may begin January 29, 2027.
Health and Workforce Relevance
The Blueprint includes several health-connected strategies. Strategy 4 calls for career pathways and employer-based training, including healthcare; Strategy 5 calls for aligned navigators, community health workers, and social workers across workforce, education, and community settings. The Blueprint also identifies healthcare access, behavioral healthcare, medical debt, and resource navigation as significant barriers reported by Kansans.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 64/100. N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. This is a strong applicant-side community health and healthcare-workforce opportunity, but Dr. Miltie is not an eligible direct applicant. N9+ or QC Healthcare should not be inserted unless a specific eligible applicant develops a project in which those capabilities have a truthful, material role aligned with a Blueprint strategy.
Priority Applicant Lead
Community Care Network of Kansas has a particularly credible workforce-alignment pathway because its current Medical and Dental Assistant Registered Apprenticeship Programs provide structured didactic and clinic-based training for Kansas community health center staff. That work closely aligns with Blueprint Strategy 4’s healthcare career-pathway and employer-based training language. Any application must remain applicant-owned and satisfy KHF’s project, budget, evidence, collaboration, and learning criteria.
Review Criteria
KHF’s current review rubric evaluates project need, project design, Blueprint alignment, timeline feasibility, partners/collaboration, budget, and impact/learning. Optional bonus points are available for leveraging additional funding and serving populations experiencing high levels of inequity.
Official source: Kansas Health Foundation – Upward Mobility Mass Action Mini-Grant Program.