Shawnee Mission Education Foundation

What Shawnee Mission Education Foundation does

Shawnee Mission Education Foundation is a Kansas-based nonprofit (501c3) education foundation that serves as the dedicated philanthropic and program-delivery vehicle for the Shawnee Mission School District. Incorporated as a Kansas nonprofit corporation and operated by a 5-person staff from the Center for Academic Achievement at 8200 W. 71st Street, Shawnee Mission, KS, the Foundation was founded in 1989 and is governed by a Board of Directors composed of community and business leaders, with ex-officio representation from the District Superintendent and Board of Education. Its primary constituents are K-12 students, educators, and families within the school district, alongside local individual and corporate donors.

The Foundation's program portfolio spans five core areas: Leadership Shawnee Mission (a two-week summer leadership program for ~28-30 rising juniors and seniors annually, with a $500 stipend per participant); Scholarship Shawnee Mission (coordinating with 84 college and university partners to surface scholarship opportunities to juniors and seniors); Real World Learning (career preparation via internships, apprenticeships, client-sourced projects, and industry-recognized credentials across 17 career pathways, operated in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation); educator support through Excellence In Education (E2) Grants up to $3,000, the Charles and Virginia Clark Scholarship for math teacher development, and the Denny Family Externships in STEM; and student/family emergency support via the Shawnee Mission Cares Fund and the It Starts with the Arts initiative.

Revenue is generated entirely from philanthropic sources. Individual donations flow through a web-based giving platform (iModules) with suggested amounts from $50 to $1,000+; corporate contributions are structured as a five-tier Corporate Council (Fellow $10,000, Partner $5,000, Associate $2,500, Friend $1,250, Small Business/Nonprofit $750); additional revenue comes from workplace/employee giving campaigns and planned giving programs including the McEachen Circle for estate-planned gifts. The technology stack is a standard third-party nonprofit CRM and online giving system; no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or commercial product is offered. The Foundation's reach is structurally bounded to the Shawnee Mission School District and the broader Kansas City metropolitan area.

Name

Shawnee Mission Education Foundation

Legal name

Shawnee Mission Education Foundation

Website

https://smef.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shawnee Mission Education Foundation is a nonprofit education foundation serving the Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas, delivering scholarships, leadership development, real-world career learning, educator grants, and emergency student assistance funded by individual donations, corporate memberships, and planned giving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Foundation Philanthropy and Student Support Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Education foundation
• Scholarship programs
• Student leadership development
• Career readiness programs
• Educator grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Shawnee Mission

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute at various levels through secure online giving, with suggested amounts of $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, or custom amounts.
2. Corporate Council Memberships: Business memberships at multiple tiers: Corporate Fellow ($10,000), Corporate Partner ($5,000), Corporate Associate ($2,500), Corporate Friend ($1,250), and Small Business/Nonprofit ($750 for organizations under 20 employees or 501c3 nonprofits).
3. Planned Giving: Estate planning and planned giving programs including the McEachen Circle for donors who have included the Foundation in their will and estate plans.
4. Employee Giving Programs: Workplace giving campaigns allowing employees to contribute to the Foundation through payroll deductions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shawnee Mission Education Foundation is a nonprofit education foundation that raises philanthropic funds and delivers programs supporting K-12 students and educators in the Shawnee Mission School District. Its core offerings include the Leadership Shawnee Mission summer leadership program, the Real World Learning career preparation initiative, the Scholarship Shawnee Mission college scholarship connection platform, the Shawnee Mission Cares Fund for emergency student assistance, and educator-focused grants and externships.

Product overview

Shawnee Mission Education Foundation is a non-profit education foundation that does not offer commercial technology products or services. Its offerings consist of educational programs and initiatives including Leadership Shawnee Mission (a summer leadership development program for high school students), Real World Learning (career preparation through internships, apprenticeships, and industry credentials), Scholarship Shawnee Mission (connecting students with college scholarship opportunities), Shawnee Mission Cares Fund (emergency financial assistance for students and families), Excellence In Education (E2) Grants (innovative teaching project funding), It Starts with the Arts (arts experiences for economically disadvantaged students), Charles and Virginia Clark Scholarship (math teacher professional development), and Denny Family Externships in STEM (industry experiences for educators). These are community programs, not commercial technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leadership Shawnee Mission A prestigious two-week summer program for rising high school juniors and seniors across the Shawnee Mission School District that develops leadership skills, personal growth, and real-world career mentorship. Each participant receives a $500 stipend and engages in hands-on experiences and professional networking. Approximately 30 students are accepted annually (about 6 from each high school).
• Real World Learning A career preparation initiative for Shawnee Mission School District students that provides internships, apprenticeships, client-sourced projects, industry-recognized credentials, and entrepreneurial opportunities across 17 career pathways including Animation, Business, Construction, Culinary, Engineering, Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Technology. Delivered in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and local business partners who provide mentorship, coaching, guest speaking, and project collaboration.
• Scholarship Shawnee Mission A program that connects Shawnee Mission School District juniors and seniors with college and university scholarship opportunities. Works with 84 college and university partners and has awarded $7.7 billion in scholarship offers to district students. Parents opt in to share student data with participating institutions.
• Shawnee Mission Cares Fund
• Excellence In Education (E2) Grants
• It Starts with the Arts
• Charles and Virginia Clark Scholarship
• Denny Family Externships in STEM
• Corporate Council Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• $7.7 billion in scholarship offers awarded to Shawnee Mission students
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ewing Marion Kauffman FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Real World Learning initiative providing students with career preparation experiences including internships, apprenticeships, client-sourced projects, industry-recognized credentials, and entrepreneurial opportunities aligned with district Strategic Plan.
• 84 College and University PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partners offer scholarship opportunities to Shawnee Mission School District juniors and seniors. Parents opt in to share student data with participating colleges and universities that make scholarship offers based on admissions and scholarship criteria.
• Local Businesses and Industries (Business Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCritical component of Real World Learning providing mentorship, coaching, guest speaking, and project collaboration opportunities across 17 career pathways including Animation, Business, Construction, Culinary, Engineering, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Technology, and more.
• Corporate Council MembersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate members including AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, Capitol Federal, DLR Group, JE Dunn Construction, and others supporting Real World Learning which provides mentoring, job shadows, internships, and networking with high school students.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Olathe Public Schools Foundation: Education foundation serving the Olathe Public Schools (USD 233), a neighboring Johnson County, KS district. Operates the same model: scholarships, classroom grants, teacher innovation funding, and district-wide fundraising events. Most structurally comparable peer given identical Kansas suburban district context.
• Park Hill Education Foundation: Education foundation for Park Hill School District (Kansas City, MO side of the metro). Runs scholarships, innovative teaching grants, and emergency assistance programs for Park Hill families. Comparable mission, donor base, and program mix on the Missouri side of the same metropolitan area.
• Blue Valley Educational Foundation: Foundation supporting the Blue Valley School District in Johnson County, KS (Overland Park area). Provides classroom grants, scholarships, and teacher development programs. Direct competitor for the same corporate donors and household donor pool in the Johnson County corridor.
• Des Moines Public Schools Foundation: Education foundation for Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa. Funds scholarships, classroom innovation grants, and student support programs. Comparable mid-size urban-district foundation structure with similar donor-tier and event-based fundraising approach.
• Kansas City Public Schools Education Foundation: Foundation supporting Kansas City Public Schools (MO), the urban core district. Operates teacher grants, student scholarships, and program-specific fundraising. Comparable role as district-affiliated education philanthropy, though serving a distinctly different urban demographic and donor pool.
• Lawrence Schools Foundation: Education foundation for Lawrence Public Schools (USD 497) in Lawrence, KS. Provides scholarships, innovative teaching grants, and emergency student assistance. Comparable Kansas-district model with similar program mix, though smaller scale and university-town context.

Emerging players

• DonorsChoose: National crowdfunding platform that lets teachers post classroom project requests that donors fund directly. Overlaps with the foundation's E2 Grants (innovative teaching projects) and Cares Fund functions, but operates as a digital marketplace rather than a community-anchored foundation. Represents a different model for achieving similar student/educator support outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Major Kansas City-based philanthropy focused on education and entrepreneurship. Strategic partner to Shawnee Mission Education Foundation on the Real World Learning initiative, but operates at much larger scale with national grantmaking reach and is a funder/incumbent rather than a peer foundation serving a single district.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theSMEF
• Facebookfacebook.com/thesmef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shawnee Mission Education Foundation