The Enterprise Center in Johnson County (ECJC), home of the Women’s Business Center (WBC), has been selected as a 2026 Project Grant recipient by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

This award supports an entrepreneurship initiative to expand a loan readiness program that strengthens the capacity of entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) and lenders to better serve underrepresented entrepreneurs—advancing access to capital and economic mobility across the region.

“We are honored and grateful to be named a Project Grant recipient by the Kauffman Foundation,” said Jeff Shackleford, CEO of the Enterprise Center in Johnson County. “This investment allows us to scale a disruptive, proven, and collaborative approach to loan readiness—bringing ESOs and financial institutions together to better support entrepreneurs who have historically faced barriers to accessing capital.”

The expanded Loan Readiness Training Initiative will equip ESOs and financial institutions with shared tools, practices, and strategies to more effectively support small business owners and create a more inclusive funding ecosystem.

This grant will help scale a collaborative, equity-centered model that builds ecosystem capacity and supports long-term economic growth.

ECJC and the Women’s Business Center are grateful to the Kauffman Foundation for its continued investment in programs that drive economic diversity, innovation, and mobility.

Learn more:
https://www.kauffman.org/currents/2026-project-research-grantees-announced/