Hailey
Two faculty members from Washington University’s Brown School have received a total of $1.4 million in research grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to investigate innovative solutions for boosting economic mobility and reducing wealth inequality.
Community Wealth Building in Kansas City
Heather Cameron, the Michael B. Kaufman Professor of Practice in Social Entrepreneurship, was awarded $920,000 to explore how Community Wealth Building (CWB) strategies can enhance economic opportunities in the Kansas City region.
CWB emphasizes locally owned and democratically governed assets such as worker cooperatives, employee-owned firms, limited-equity housing, and community investment trusts.
Her research aims to adapt successful CWB strategies from other U.S. cities to fit Kansas City’s unique economic and demographic landscape.
“Asset ownership through entrepreneurship is a key pathway to narrowing racial wealth gaps,” said Cameron, emphasizing the transformative potential of CWB.
This marks Cameron’s fourth Kauffman-backed project. She will collaborate with notable partners including the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, Democracy Collaborative, Peter Boumgarden of the Olin Business School, and Kansas City-based organizations such as AltCap, Community Capital Fund, and Trust Neighborhoods.
Evaluating Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work-Study Program
Jason Jabbari, assistant professor and director of community engagement at the Center for Social Development, received $500,000 to evaluate the long-term impact of the Cristo Rey Network’s Corporate Work-Study Program on social mobility.
This college-preparatory high school model combines rigorous academics with real-world job experience for low-income students.
In collaboration with Shaun Dougherty (Boston College), Lauren Russell (University of Pennsylvania), and Fahvyon Jimenez (Jimenez Strategy & Analytics), Jabbari’s research will focus on employment rates, income, credit health, and college graduation outcomes—especially at Cristo Rey Kansas City.
“This is one of the first studies to measure the long-term social and economic outcomes of a hybrid college-prep and career-learning model,” Jabbari said.
This effort builds on his broader research into how career-connected education contributes to professional skill-building and upward economic mobility, particularly for marginalized communities.
Commitment to Racial Equity and Economic Justice
The projects are part of a larger initiative by the Kansas City-based Kauffman Foundation to fund data-driven research that addresses racial wealth disparities and expands equitable opportunities.
“We’re proud to support researchers tackling the complex issue of economic mobility,” said DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Kauffman Foundation President & CEO. “This work will deepen our understanding of persistent and growing wealth gaps in Kansas City and beyond.”
These transformative grants signal a powerful commitment to addressing economic inequality through evidence-based, community-centered strategies.
The combined work of Cameron and Jabbari promises to uncover scalable models that promote inclusive prosperity, advance racial equity, and reshape education-to-career pathways for the better.