Kansas Human Rights Commission

What Kansas Human Rights Commission does

The Kansas Human Rights Commission (KHRC) is a Kansas state government agency, established in 1953 under the name Kansas Commission on Civil Rights and renamed in 1991. It is the statutorily designated state enforcement body for the Kansas Act Against Discrimination (KAAD) and the Kansas Age Discrimination in Employment Act (KADEA), with jurisdiction over employment, housing, and public accommodations discrimination. KHRC processes and investigates complaints filed by Kansas residents free of charge, conducts public hearings for unresolved cases, and operates a voluntary third-party mediation program in partnership with Kansas Legal Services (with IOLTA matching funds). It also maintains a worksharing agreement with the EEOC that enables dual-filing of employment complaints across state and federal jurisdictions.

KHRC's core "products" are regulatory services rather than commercial offerings: a discrimination complaint processing and investigative system, a mediation referral program through Kansas Legal Services, a Public Information Program of cost-free presentations on Fair Housing, Sexual Harassment, Diversity, and Inclusive Workplace topics, an Annual Employment Law Seminar in Topeka, a quarterly Spectrum newsletter, free downloadable posters and publications, and a Free Online Harassment Prevention Training (English and Spanish). Its underlying technology stack is minimal — online intake is handled via a SurveyMonkey questionnaire, full complaint forms are distributed as PDF downloads, training is hosted on a state-administered domain, and PSAs are distributed in wmv video format. There is no proprietary technology, app, SDK, or API offering.

KHRC has no commercial revenue model. It is funded through state appropriations and federal pass-through grants, and all complainant services are provided at no cost. Its customer base is the entire Kansas population — primarily Kansas residents filing discrimination complaints, with secondary segments of Kansas employers (private and public sector) and housing providers receiving education and compliance guidance. Operations run from a Topeka headquarters and three regional offices in Wichita, Dodge City, and Independence, staffed by approximately 16 personnel including supervisors, special investigators, intake representatives, and receptionists. Governance is by a board of commissioners appointed by the Governor, with an Executive Director (currently Ruth Glover, appointed April 2014) and a Chair (Christal Watson, designated January 2021).

Name

Kansas Human Rights Commission

Legal name

Kansas Human Rights Commission

Website

https://khrc.net

Company type

Public

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Kansas Human Rights Commission is a Kansas state government agency that enforces anti-discrimination laws in employment, housing, and public accommodations by investigating complaints, providing mediation, and delivering free public education to Kansas residents, employers, and housing providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Rights Enforcement

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAB

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPAIAOAF

Labor, Employment Standards & Occupational Licensing Boards

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Regulatory Agencies & Licensing (Cross-sector)

Keywords

• Civil rights enforcement
• Discrimination complaint processing
• Fair housing services
• Equal opportunity compliance
• Harassment prevention training

Headquarters

HQ city

Topeka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriation/Funding: KHRC is a Kansas state government agency funded through state appropriations and federal pass-through grants. Services to complainants are provided free of charge. No commercial revenue model.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Kansas Human Rights Commission is a Kansas state government agency that administers and enforces anti-discrimination laws (the Kansas Act Against Discrimination and the Kansas Age Discrimination in Employment Act) covering employment, housing, and public accommodations. Its core offering is free complaint intake and investigation, supplemented by a voluntary third-party mediation program through Kansas Legal Services, public hearings, a cost-free Public Information Program of educational presentations, free online harassment prevention training, and an annual Employment Law Seminar. All services are provided at no charge to Kansas residents and organizations.

Product overview

The Kansas Human Rights Commission (KHRC) is a state government agency that administers anti-discrimination laws rather than a commercial technology product company. Its core offering is a complaint processing and investigative service for discrimination cases under the Kansas Act Against Discrimination (KAAD) and Kansas Age Discrimination in Employment Act (KADEA), encompassing three areas: employment, housing, and public accommodations. The KHRC's service portfolio includes a third-party mediation program operated through Kansas Legal Services, a Public Information Program providing cost-free educational presentations on topics such as Fair Housing, Sexual Harassment, and Diversity, an Annual Employment Law Seminar, free Online Harassment Prevention Training (available in English and Spanish), and publications including the Spectrum newsletter and Annual Reports. The commission operates offices in Topeka (main), Wichita, Dodge City, and Independence, Kansas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Discrimination Complaint Processing and Investigation Government complaint intake, investigation, conciliation, and public hearing services for employment, housing, and public accommodation discrimination cases filed under the Kansas Act Against Discrimination (KAAD) and Kansas Age Discrimination in Employment Act (KADEA). Free of charge to Kansas residents and dual-filed with the U.S. EEOC when applicable.
• Third-Party Mediation Program (via Kansas Legal Services)

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant reduction in open caseload and processing time since 1995 through procedural improvements, mediation programs, and investigator accountability measures

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kansas Legal Services (KLS)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKLS operates a voluntary third-party mediation program for KHRC complaints in employment, housing, and public accommodations. KLS's Midland Mediation Services provides three full-time mediators with offices in Topeka, Lawrence, and Wichita. KHRC contracts with KLS for this program; matching funds are provided by the IOLTA (Interest on Lawyer Trust Account Program).
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKHRC maintains a worksharing agreement with the EEOC. When employment complaints fall outside Kansas's six-month time limitation but within the EEOC's 300-day federal limitation, KHRC assists individuals in forwarding complaints to EEOC for investigation. The dual-filing system allows complainants to file simultaneously with both agencies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kentucky Commission on Human Rights: Kentucky's state agency enforcing the Kentucky Civil Rights Act across employment, housing, and public accommodations, similar in mandate and small-staff agency model to KHRC.
• Iowa Civil Rights Commission: Iowa's state civil rights enforcement body, with jurisdiction over employment, housing, public accommodations, education, and credit — a comparable small-state civil rights enforcement commission with the same three-domain core as KHRC.
• Illinois Department of Human Rights: Illinois's state agency enforcing the Illinois Human Rights Act across employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit. Mirrors KHRC's mandate and dual-jurisdiction-overlap model with the federal EEOC.
• Colorado Civil Rights Division: Colorado's state civil rights enforcement agency, part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies, with jurisdiction over employment, housing, and public accommodations discrimination — a direct functional peer and similar regulatory-administration structure.
• Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities: Connecticut's statewide civil rights enforcement agency covering employment, housing, and public accommodations, with formal EEOC worksharing — a structural peer to KHRC's KAAD/KADEA enforcement role.
• Florida Commission on Human Relations: Florida's state commission administering the Florida Civil Rights Act and serving as the state-level deferral agency for EEOC claims. Operates the same complaint-investigation-conciliation-public-hearing model as KHRC.
• California Civil Rights Department: California's state agency for enforcing the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Unruh Civil Rights Act, covering employment, housing, and public accommodations — the closest structural analog to KHRC, just at larger scale. Same statutory model, same three-domain jurisdiction, same complaint-investigation-hearing workflow.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): Federal agency enforcing Title VII, the ADEA, ADA, and GINA. KHRC has a formal worksharing and dual-filing agreement with the EEOC, and the EEOC is the federal counterpart to KHRC's employment discrimination jurisdiction — a broader but adjacent enforcement body.
• Hawai'i Civil Rights Commission: Hawai'i's state civil rights enforcement body enforcing the Hawaii Fair Employment Practices Act and Hawaii Fair Housing Act, with broad jurisdiction over employment, housing, and public accommodations — a comparable state-level mandate with broader protected-class coverage.

Regional players

• Idaho Human Rights Commission: Idaho's state civil rights enforcement agency with small-staff operations covering employment, housing, and public accommodations — a comparable regional state commission, though it operates in a different state than KHRC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kansas-human-rights-commission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Kansas Human Rights Commission