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Business Journals
11 hours ago
- Business
- Business Journals
Kauffman Foundation Project grants awarded to advance education, workforce, and entrepreneurship initiatives
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation awarded Project grants to 27 organizations that have the potential to close economic mobility gaps in the Kansas City region. Project grants represent more than $32 million in total funding being disbursed during the next three years. This funding was highly competitive with more than 250 organizations applying for the funding and 25% advancing from the letter of interest (LOI) stage to the full application stage; ultimately, 10% of those were selected for funding. Those that advanced are especially focused on unique approaches to advancing economic mobility in Kansas City. 'This funding acknowledges the importance of bold, strategic efforts,' said DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Ed.D., president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. 'Project grants allow organizations to pilot new ideas, scale proven models, and create momentum around programs that support long-term community transformation. They serve as catalytic investments – fueling innovation, fostering collaboration, and amplifying the impact of initiatives that are deeply rooted in the needs and strengths of the communities they serve.' expand Meet the inaugural Project grantees Accelerator for America: Project connects workforce and training providers in the skilled trades industry in the KC region. The Aspen Institute: Project helps emerging KC leaders build civil discourse skills through connection and cultural exchange. Beacon Media, Inc.: Project creates a hub on automated uploads of public meeting data, and training for local editorial staff. CHWC, Inc.: Project creates a Small Contractor Loan Program for small contracting companies in Wyandotte County. Community Capital Fund: Project funds an intermediary to strengthen nonprofits driving economic mobility in the KC region. ConnectED: National Center for College and Career: Project ensures equitable access to high-quality college and career learning in North KC schools. Credit & Homeownership Empowerment Services: Project expands Porterhouse KC's 811 retail incubator program to reach unmet demand. The Curators of the University of Missouri (KC STEM Alliance): Project funds KC STEM Alliance career preparation activities. El Centro, Inc.: Project supports expansion of the Economic Empowerment program serving digital literacy, GED classes, and business support. Generating Income for Tomorrow: Project expands technical assistance to support 33% more East Side Kansas City business owners than currently served. Greater Kansas City Community Foundation: Project supports the Hispanic Development Fund's Family College Prep Program and bilingual college advising. Goodwill of Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas: Project scales adult basic education programming to increase the number of working age adults with a high school diploma. Literacy Kansas City: Project sustains and expands adult education and literacy (AEL) programs. Kansas State University: Project expands the Kansas State College Advising Corps program to 12 KC area schools. Keystone Community Corporation: Project implements and scales programming to remove barriers for underrepresented groups and reduce fragmentation within the innovation-led startup ecosystem. The Metropolitan Community College Foundation: Project launches a Diesel Technology Degree in the Fall of 2026. Mid-Continent Public Library: Project supports expansion of the existing Excel Adult High School program, focused on library patrons interested in starting businesses and those interested in pursuing better career options. Operation Breakthrough, Inc.: Project scales and expands youth career and entrepreneurship programs. Ownership Works, Inc.: Project expands a new national model that will increase employee-owned businesses and create wealth for employees with potential for impact in KC. Partnership for Regional Educational Preparation – Kansas City, Inc. (Prep KC): Project expands in-school college access and exposure programs starting as early as elementary school. Per Scholas, Inc.: Project provides nationally recognized IT skills training, professional development, and employment support to students in the KC region. Show Me the World Project: Project expands its youth global education, international travel, entrepreneurship, and STEM learning to the Kansas City Public Schools. Truman Heritage Habitat for Humanity: Project will give construction entrepreneurs a pathway to economic mobility by improving access to work on public construction contracts. TNTP, Inc.: Project seeks to increase the post-secondary readiness of a focus cohort of approximately 1,000 students entering four KCKPS middle schools next year through their 11th grade year. University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc.: Project elevates a university-community partnership model providing career readiness technology education for justice-impacted women in the greater Kansas City area. Western Governors University: Project supports the development of community-led nursing pathways through a unique one-year Bachelor of Nursing program for RNs who do not currently hold nursing degrees. Youth Ambassadors, Inc.: Projects prepares youth ages 14-18 with career skills through ACT WorkKeys Assessments and programming. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Missouri-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities.
Hospitality Net
6 days ago
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Carrie Williams has been appointed General Manager at Aspen Meadows Resort
Salamander Collection has appointed Carrie Williams as the new general manager of Aspen Meadows Resort. A hospitality and operations professional who has called the Aspen area home for 20 years, Williams will assume the role on June 14. The AAA Four Diamond-rated resort, which attracts visitors, families and corporate retreats from around the world, recently completed a comprehensive renovation of its spacious guest accommodations and stylish reception and opened its acclaimed new restaurant West End Social. Williams currently serves as managing director of operations and facilities for the Aspen Institute, which owns Aspen Meadows. Since 2020 she has served as a strong liaison for the resort helping driving capital projects, leading sustainability and key housing initiatives, and completing a variety of renovation projects. Managed by Salamander Collection, which was founded by Sheila Johnson, Aspen Meadows features 98 suites and is located on 40 beautiful acres surrounded by picturesque mountain views. A secluded sanctuary, the resort is the original home of the Aspen Institute and brings Aspen's past and present to life with unique art and history alongside ample access to the outdoors and mountain recreation. Throughout the year, Aspen Meadows hosts the Institute's famed array of programming, including the Aspen Ideas Festival. Prior to joining the Aspen Institute in 2020, Williams was director of operations at The Limelight Hotel in Aspen and held various leadership roles at The Little Nell, where she developed a deep appreciation for exceptional food and wine paired with warm, attentive service. Originally from Pennsylvania, she is a passionate animal lover, enjoys fine food and wine, and discovering new flavors and experiences wherever she goes. Away from her desk, you'll find her traveling abroad, fishing, or diving.
Bloomberg
23-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Tech Bros Are Facing the End of the ‘Technipolar Moment'
For intellectuals of a certain bent, no game is more absorbing than discovering the 'real' power behind the throne. Who is pulling the strings? What class interests does the regime serve? Who is 'really' in charge? Such questions inspire learned disquisitions as well as conspiracy theories. So far, the favorite target when it comes to the Trump administration is the tech industry. Ian Bremmer, the head of the Eurasia Group, a political consultancy, talks about the 'technipolar moment' and the ' frightening fusion of tech power and state power.' Steve Bannon, Trump's former adviser, laments the influence of 'technofuedal globalists bent on turning Americans into digital serfs.' The opening session of an Aspen Institute Italia conference on the future of capitalism in Milan on May 16 (at which I spoke) addressed the subject of 'Techno Capitalism: America's New Gilded Age.'
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Parents: When you're eating a ham sandwich on the soccer sidelines at 3 p.m., is it time to reevaluate your life?
Advertisement Welcome to Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I have a hard time understanding how sports trump sleep and health. Full stop,' says Arlington's Dana Lynne Varga, a mom of two neurodivergent elementary schoolers. Both play spring sports. The games start late and run long, upending dinner and crucial downtime. 'I expressed my frustration with the late start times for games for kids so young and was met with lots of camaraderie and a lot of 'get over it.' … The late games are a huge lift,' she says. Advertisement Her kids' routines are disrupted; everyone is grouchy. She understands that many coaches are volunteers who can't arrive until evening — they double as working parents! — but this means that games seem to finish when bars close. She's reconsidering her kids' participation in certain sports because it's untenable. What's going on here? Do kids with extracurriculars belong to a leisure class of parents with ultra-flexible jobs — or no jobs at all — with infinite time to chauffeur, cheer, and coach? Don't the Sports Gods know that people work? 'In my town, it feels like [sports are] social hour for parents who have too much free time: It's a battle of judgment on both sides, which is so unfair and ultimately makes kids feel like they aren't as supported as other kids. I think youth sports organizations need to better support families,' says one Freetown parent. Sign up for Parenting Unfiltered. Globe staff #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Subscribe * indicates required E-mail * Organized sports are increasingly becoming the realm of the well-off, with parents who can afford to pay hefty club fees and maintain autonomous schedules. A recent The study found that about 70 percent of Americans born in the '90s, reaching age 18 by 2015-16, said they took part in organized sports through recreational, school, or club teams, while slightly more than half of those born in the '50s reported participating in organized youth sports. However: For kids born in the '50s, there were few class differences in who played organized sports. For kids born in the '90s, the share of those who played organized sports were 24 percentage points higher when they had a college-educated parent. The average family paid $883 annually for one child's primary sport in 2022, according to Project Play by the Aspen Institute. Advertisement 'For most of us who are single parents, poverty, a lack of time, an always messy home, a lack of support in emergencies, and loneliness is enough of a burden. We don't need the responsibility of providing more play and activity as well to keep our kids at a baseline level of health. The ironic thing is that most schools have plenty of playground space and wouldn't have to do much to provide the physical activity kids need to be healthy. I truly hope someone takes this seriously at some point,' says Cambridge's Pam Cash. One interesting factoid: This disparity is particularly noticeable for kids ages 6-12, where sports participation in homes earning $100,000 or more increased 6 percent from 2023 to 2024 — but actually declined 2 percent for the wealthiest youth ages 13-17. Why? Too much pressure, maybe. Instead of choosing one sport, some kids are loading up on two or three. Or else they're specializing in one sport so narrowly, competing on so many teams with so many conflicting schedules, that they're run ragged before they're old enough to drive to a 9 p.m. practice themselves. 'These kids are often being fed sports with a fire hose,' said Tom Farrey, Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program executive director. 'There is lots of pressure on them to play one sport year-round, traveling all over the place. Some are burning out or are just too injured to continue playing.' Advertisement Their parents are burned out, too, and this is true even for activities that kids enjoy. Westwood's Patrick French found time to weigh in on the extracurricular conundrum mid-afternoon, while driving his son to an a cappella lesson. Both he and his wife have full-time jobs with on-site components; she serves on their town's school committee, and he performs in community plays. Their teens participate in soccer (school and club), theater, and voice. Occasionally, the couple finds time to watch a TV show; they're midway through four different series and will finish one, hopefully 'The Wire,' when they find time. I ask French how we got here. I tell him that I remember my own childhood — when the highlight of my week was riding a pink Huffy to New London Style Pizza with my best friend, Vicky, and when extracurricular activities were held right after school, at the school. Seems quaint now. 'We're often signing our kids up for all these structured activities in the hopes that, by doing all these things, they're going to continue to really develop as human beings,' he says. 'I think it's probably peer pressure. If you're not participating in as many things, then maybe, in some ways, you're worried about your kid being left out.' FOMO is real. Parents who weighed in for this piece underscored that the meteoric rise of club sports — with weekends-long travel tournaments in towns you've never heard of, often populated by college recruiters — are a presumed necessity for kids who long to compete at a higher level. Which, fine: But for every budding Jayson Tatum, there are thousands of anonymous athletes riding the bench and devouring 12 straight nights of Chipotle while their parents do off-camera Zoom calls from a hot spot in the parking lot. Advertisement Then there's the mental load: the logistics, the carpool strategizing, the remembering which bag goes with whose cleats and which car goes to which field. New research from the University of Bath and the University of Melbourne, published in the Journal of Marriage & Family, reminds us that mothers overwhelmingly carry this mental load. The study found that American moms take on seven in 10 of all household mental load tasks, ranging from planning meals and arranging activities to managing household finances. This comes as no surprise to any mother who has six different league-scheduling apps on her phone, a carpool text thread with 12 unknown numbers, and a rickety foldable chair with a cup holder rattling in her trunk, ready for action. Emily Sheff, an assistant professor of nursing at Rivier University, has a PhD in burnout among nursing faculty. Expertise aside, the Bedford, N.H., mom is a work in progress as she navigates extracurriculars for her teenagers; in fact, she transitioned to a work-from-home teaching position to keep up with their schedules. To maintain some shred of balance, Sheff wakes up at 5:10 a.m. for a morning boot camp to meet friends. 'That's where we stress about our days ahead. I need to have fellow moms and friends in the trenches with me, and it helps to debrief and de-stress,' she says. Meanwhile, pulling her kids from activities — even inconveniently timed ones — doesn't feel like an option, either. Success favors the flexible. 'Then they miss out on an opportunity, which leads into the tryouts in two months, and that means they don't make the team,' she says. 'What I've been doing for the past 17 years is just taking on the burden, and then once every six to eight months, I have a huge cry session. I break, and then I pick up the pieces, and I start all over.' Advertisement Once a month, she joins friends for margarita lunches to vent about the inequity of it all, even though she has a helpful partner who pitches in. The household systems are so entrenched that it doesn't much matter. 'My husband always says: 'What can I do? How can I help? Let me know what to do.' But again, it goes back to the mental load: If I have to know what to do in my head and then communicate to you what to do and then check after it's done, that doesn't even help,' she says. Hingham's Cam Smith, who has a fairly autonomous work schedule — and three kids in a total of 20 activities, many of which meet multiple times per week — sees the double-standard firsthand. Although he's the point person for most activities, many messages are still reflexively channeled to his wife, whose job is less flexible. 'I do think there's a deeply unfair mental load which still gets put on mothers every time in this. The sports tend to be a little better, but all these activities take [my wife's] contact info because they just assume she needs to be the primary contact. Our daughters have been competing in Irish step dance for more than six years, and we have tried numerous times to get their Irish dance school to add my contact to all their correspondence. They just don't do it,' he says. Brookline's Julie Starr, a single mom who works full time as a nutritionist, relies on carpools and ride-sharing for her high-school athlete, who runs track and plays soccer. She outsources where she can because she has to: At a certain level, deprioritizing practices or games just isn't an option. Her work vacations don't match up with her daughter's vacations, but sports schedules don't match working realities, either. So she improvises. 'If you go on vacation, you're not going to play. During her school vacation, practices are during the day, so she takes an Uber sometimes,' Starr says. 'The vacation weeks are horrible.' Sometimes Starr takes client calls from the parking lots of games; other times, she skips games entirely (and hopes other parents let themselves off the hook, too). But she insists on serving a nutritious dinner no matter what — 'we're humans, not raccoons,' she says — but that requires conscientious meal prep on Sundays: sweet potatoes, pre-chopped salads, and roast chicken play starring roles. Even when she's not working, she's working. Starr has advice for parents just now wading into the madness, wondering if their kids are benefiting from this whirlwind. 'Notice: 'Are they happy? Do they really enjoy doing this?' And don't get too crazy before they're in seventh grade, especially with the club and the travel teams — and find somebody to carpool with,' Starr says. Needn't be a friend, just a sentient being with access to a driver's license. Another key tip: Keep perspective. 'Having so many sports all at once is too much on their bodies as well. It's about keeping in mind that, when they're 25 years old, the bulk majority of these kids aren't going to be professional sports players,' says Lakeville's Krista Allan, a single mom who was widowed several years ago. Time is precious. And so, when deciding how to occupy her kids, she thinks: 'This is really about learning teamwork, learning how to take guidance from other people, and thinking through the real purpose of sports and activities for kids. I think it's important to level-set.' Wise words, but hard to remember when you're driving from Raynham to Rowley in the hopes of seeing your child compete for 10 seconds in the high-visibility lacrosse tournament while eating a Chipotle burrito with your one free hand. 'I personally always feel like I'm running from one thing to the next and hardly ever taking time to just stop and — I don't know — look at a flower blooming for a second,' says French, the Westwood dad. That is, unless he's stopped in traffic on the way to a game at rush hour. Kara Baskin can be reached at
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Li Lu's Strategic Moves: Significant Reduction in Bank of America Corp Holdings
Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Sign with BAC. Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) recently submitted the 13F filing for the first quarter of 2025, providing insights into his investment moves during this period. Born and raised in China, Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) attended Columbia University, where he received three degrees simultaneously: B.A., J.D., and M.B.A. from Columbia College, Law School, and Business School. In 1997, he founded Himalaya Capital, a multibillion-dollar investment firm that primarily focuses on long-term investment opportunities in Asia and the U.S. Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Columbia University and a member of the Board of Trustees of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He is also a member of the Committee of 100, the Council on Foreign Relations, and an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow. He is featured in the Smithsonian Institute's Family of Voices, part of the ongoing Many Voices, One Nation exhibition at the National Museum of American History. He is the author of "Moving The Mountain: My Life in China" (1990 in English) and "Civilization, Modernization, Value Investing---and China" (2020 in Chinese). Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio)'s firm embraces the value investment principles of Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio), and Charlie Munger. It primarily focuses on publicly traded companies in Asia, with an emphasis on China. The firm aims to achieve superior returns by being long-term owners of high-quality companies with a substantial economic moat, great growth potential, and are run by trustworthy people. Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) said, "In making investments, I have always believed that you must act with discipline whenever you see something you truly like. To explain this philosophy, Buffett/Munger likes to use a baseball analogy that I find particularly illuminating, though I myself am not at all a baseball expert. Ted Williams is the only baseball player who had a .400 single-season hitting record in the last seven decades. In the Science of Hitting, he explained his technique. He divided the strike zone into 77 cells, each representing the size of a baseball. He would insist on swinging only at balls in his best cells, even at the risk of striking out, because reaching for the worst spots would seriously reduce his chances of success." Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) also reduced position in 3 stocks. The most significant changes include: Reduced Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) by 4,234,500 shares, resulting in a -23.42% decrease in shares and a -6.86% impact on the portfolio. The stock traded at an average price of $44.56 during the quarter and has returned -4.90% over the past 3 months and 1.62% year-to-date. Reduced Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) by 592,700 shares, resulting in a -19.47% reduction in shares and a -4.16% impact on the portfolio. The stock traded at an average price of $183.12 during the quarter and has returned -11.39% over the past 3 months and -13.05% year-to-date. At the first quarter of 2025, Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio)'s portfolio included 8 stocks, the top holdings included 26.12% in Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC), 21.61% in Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK.B), 17.78% in Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL), 17.31% in Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), 11.26% in East West Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ:EWBC). The holdings are mainly concentrated in 4 of all the 11 industries: Financial Services, Communication Services, Energy, Technology. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
