First Step Fund

After nearly sixteen years of providing entrepreneurship training and support in the Greater Kansas City area, First Step Fund has transitioned its programs to long-term partners in the community. The transition was deliberate and took place over the last three months of 2009, as the Board of Directors concluded that the stand-alone microenterprise development program was not sustainable in the existing economic environment. The programs have been separated into three categories: First Step FastTrac courses, Developing Your Child Care Business courses, and continued support for course graduates. The transition plan aims to allow the mission of First Step Fund to thrive in Kansas City in 2010 and beyond. The original founders of First Step Fund started the organization in 1993 with the goal of providing the "first step into entrepreneurship" for individuals with low to moderate incomes. The 2009 program transition plan brings the mission of First Step Fund full circle, using the relationships, collaborations, and partnerships forged over the past sixteen years to realize the original vision of the founders.