Media Contact:
Barbara Pruitt, 816-932-1288, bpruitt@kauffman.org
, Kauffman Foundation
Expert essays help fill the gap in research on entrepreneur-philanthropists; ebook now available
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Aug. 4, 2014) – Little academic research exists on the juncture of entrepreneurship and philanthropy. A just-released Kauffman-funded book, Handbook of Research on Entrepreneurs’ Engagement in Philanthropy , explores how and why successful entrepreneurs become engaged in philanthropy. Available in hardcopy and ebook, the book includes a compilation of essays by 31 academics and experts who offer an understanding of entrepreneurs in their for-profit world and an understanding of the world of philanthropy. The essays address the motivations that drive entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and the social and political environments that are conducive to their success.
The book is the outcome of a collaboration among three researchers who had experiences with entrepreneurship and philanthropy – including the inspiration of Ewing
Marion Kauffman, founder of the Kauffman Foundation.
“Mr. Kauffman’s evolution from an entrepreneur who focused on creating jobs to a philanthropist with a profound desire to benefit his community represents an important phenomenon that warrants more study,” said Robert Strom, research director at the
Kauffman Foundation. “There is little systematic investigation into entrepreneurs and their philanthropic engagements, so we wanted this volume to shed light on the underlying dynamics of the topic.”
Strom co-edited the book with Marilyn L. Taylor, Arvin Gottlieb/Missouri chair in
Strategic Management, Henry W. Bloch School of Management and David O. Renz,
Beth K. Smith/Missouri chair in Nonprofit Leadership and the director of the Midwest
Center for Nonprofit Leadership.
The book differentiates the behaviors and practices of successful entrepreneurs from the larger world of the wealthy who become philanthropists, identifying entrepreneurphilanthropists as unique because they have generated their wealth through the creation and development of their own enterprises.
Chapter topics include:

Women entrepreneur-philanthropists

Black entrepreneur-philanthropists

Multi-generational entrepreneur-philanthropists


High-tech entrepreneur-philanthropists

Case study of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Global entrepreneur-philanthropists in Europe, China, Africa and the United States

Case studies of two entrepreneurs who transitioned to philanthropy: Ewing Marion
Kauffman and Mario Morino
The book is published by Edward Elgar Publishing.
About the Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that aims to foster economic independence by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion
Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, Mo., and has approximately $2 billion in assets. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org, and follow the
Foundation on www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.