The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri, has announced grants totaling $2.75 million to eight local community organizations to help them carry out their missions.

The grants were awarded as part of the Kauffman Legacy Fund, which supports projects that fall outside of the foundation's principal funding areas of education and entrepreneurship. A grant of $1 million was awarded to the Liberty Memorial Association, while grants of $250,000 each were awarded to the Harry S. Truman Library Institute, the Kansas City Ballet, the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the Kansas City Zoo, the Rose Brooks Center, and the Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center Foundation.

"The Legacy Fund formalizes our ongoing dedication and commitment to Kansas City," said Kauffman Foundation president and CEO Carl Schramm." As a foundation with national and even international reach, we remain proud of our hometown and want to honor Mr. Kauffman's legacy by continuing his commitment to making Kansas City world-class."