2013 Partner: Kansas City, MO & Kansas City, KS[BETA]
The Code for America project will take a regional approach working with both Kansas City governments to find ways for local municipal agencies to invest in ideas and innovation, acting as entrepreneurs themselves, to develop self-sustaining programs. The Fellowship will also help both governments identify web-based solutions to engage and partner with local entrepreneurs as the new knowledge economy continues to evolve. Entrepreneurs typically view their relationship with municipal government as existing strictly in the licensing and regulatory sense. This needs to change and municipal government needs to be a creative driver and partner in the entrepreneurship process, not a paperwork impediment.
Goals:
- increase local government’s ability to serve as an asset to entrepreneurs
- assist local government in becoming more entrepreneurial in their operations
Key Outcomes:
- development of new, web-based entrepreneurial tools for local government
- increased entrepreneurship skills and training opportunities among staff in local government
- increased community engagement and collaboration among stakeholders in the entrepreneurial work of government
Lead Agency: KC Kansas + KC Missouri Mayor’s Offices
Primary City Contacts: David Rowe (Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Mayor, KCMO), John McGurk (Chief of Staff, KCMO), Pam Curtis (Unified Government, KCK), Brett Deichler (Unified Government, KCK)
Core Partners: Kauffman Foundation, Mayor’s Bi-State Innovations Team, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Big 5 Initiative, KC Next, Google Fiber, KC IT Professionals Peer Network (KCITP)
