The Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation is a private foundation established by Muriel Irene Kauffman in 1987 with a vision toward communities in which the arts flourish.
The Foundation’s mission is to support organizations and programs that enhance the quality and accessibility of the arts in the greater Kansas City community.
The Foundation provides significant annual funding for the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Kansas City Ballet, and the Harriman-Jewell Series, which were appropriated by Mrs. Kauffman in 1994 when she established $1 million endowments for each organization. Other significant grantees include the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, UMKC Conservatory of Music, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, ArtsKC – Regional Arts Council and the Kansas City Art Institute. Examples of some of the smaller grantees to which annual funding is provided include The Coterie Theatre, Owen/Cox Dance Group, Kansas City Chorale, Charlotte Street Foundation, and Youth Symphony of Kansas City.