About Great Jobs Kc
To provide access to college scholarships and tuition-free skills training along with employment assistance to secure family-sustaining jobs for low- to modest-income individuals in the Kansas City area.
Focus Areas
EducationScholarshipsWorkforce developmentJob training / skills trainingCollege access & advisingCareer placement / employer partnerships
Who They Fund
individual students / scholarship recipients
Funding Style
direct financial aid/scholarshipsrestricted support (tuition and qualified educational expenses)compliance-driven (IRS-qualified expense rules)
Topics
About Great Jobs Kc
Great Jobs Kc Inc channels large tuition payments to education and training providers that serve low- to modest-income learners in the Kansas City area. Its recent grants are dominated by qualified educational expenses under IRS guidelines, with repeated support for degree programs and career-training institutions across Missouri and Kansas. The foundation’s biggest awards in the recent record went to the University of Missouri-Kansas City, including a $4,518,178 grant in 2025, and to the University of Missouri in Columbia, which appears multiple times in the top grant list. That pattern points to a funder built around paying for education at scale rather than making a broad mix of discretionary grants. The portfolio also shows a workforce-training dimension. Great Jobs Kc Inc funded Centriq Group in Kansas City, Apex CDL Institute in Kansas City, Zeta Commercial Driving School Inc in Lenexa, and Medcerts LLC in Livonia, Michigan, all with the same IRS-qualified expense language. Leadership is listed as Earl Martin Phalen, and the organization reports annual grants of $116,138,141 against total assets of $13,453,756. The grant record suggests a structured scholarship and tuition-support model with recurring commitments across years.
What Great Jobs Kc Funds
Education and college access are central to Great Jobs Kc Inc’s giving. In 2025, it awarded $2,277,467 to University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg and $1,289,082 to Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, both labeled for tuition and other qualified educational expenses. Those grants sit alongside repeated support for four-year institutions and community colleges in the region. Workforce development appears through funding for job-specific training providers. The foundation gave $2,378,750 to Centriq Group in Kansas City and $2,036,581 to Apex Cdl Institute in Kansas City, reflecting a focus on career preparation rather than general operating support. It also backed Zeta Commercial Driving School Inc in Lenexa with multiple grants, including $1,975,463 and $1,420,078. Its scholarship administration model is clear from the language attached to each award: payments are made to cover tuition and other qualified educational expenses per IRS guidelines.
How Great Jobs Kc Gives
Great Jobs Kc Inc gives at a large scale. The typical grant size is $75,000 at the 25th percentile, $304,744 at the median, and $760,750 at the 75th percentile, while individual awards in the recent record reach into the millions. The repeated appearances of the same institutions across 2023, 2024, and 2025 indicate a recurring grant pattern rather than isolated one-time gifts. The foundation appears to operate as a scholarship and tuition-support fund, with grants framed around IRS-qualified educational expenses. It does not fund individuals directly, and the available record shows no program-related investments.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$86.1M
Total Assets
$13.5M
Total Revenue
$51.8M
Total Expenses
$51.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $75K and $761K, with a median of $305K.
25th Percentile
$75K
Median
$305K
75th Percentile
$761K
Geographic Reach
Regional7 states funded
About 55% of grants go to recipients in MO.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
EARL MARTIN PHALEN
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