OUR VISION · KANSAS CITY, MO
Building a Kansas City
Where Opportunity Is for Everyone.
SWD was founded on a simple belief - that the people this city overlooks are the same people it cannot afford to keep overlooking. Our vision is to change that. One career at a time.
THE VISION
We Know Exactly Where
The Work Needs to Happen.
SWD proudly serves the Greater Kansas City Area, with a focused commitment to Jackson County and the 18 zip codes east of Troost Avenue. These neighborhoods — rich in culture, resilience, and untapped talent — are at the heart of our mission.
By centering our work in communities that have been historically excluded from economic opportunity, we ensure that residents have direct access to high-quality training, real career pathways, and the support they need to build strong, stable futures.
This is not a citywide scatter approach. SWD goes deep where the need is greatest — and stays.
Jackson County Focus
Our primary service area. Where SWD was built and where our roots run deepest.
18 Zip Codes East of Troost
The communities historically left out of Kansas City's economic growth. SWD plants its flag here.
Greater Kansas City Metro
SWD's employment services and employer partnerships extend across the full metropolitan area.
OUR APPROACH
We Invest in People.
Everything Else Follows.
SWD's approach to workforce development is built on one foundational belief: give people equitable access to training, skills, and support — and they will build the rest.
Prevention Through Opportunity
We reduce barriers to opportunity by delivering high-quality training and career pathways that help prevent the conditions that lead to crime and poverty. Employment is not just an economic solution — it is a public safety strategy.
Equitable Access
Every program SWD offers is free to qualified participants. Our funding model exists specifically so that the cost of a career pathway never falls on the person who needs it most.
Sustained Support
SWD doesn't hand people a certificate and send them off. We maintain relationships with employers, alumni, and community partners to ensure that our graduates don't just get jobs — they keep them and build on them.
“A stable, employed community outgrows violence and builds peace. That is not an opinion — it is what we have watched happen in the neighborhoods where we work.”
— SWD Leadership Team
OUR CULTURE
Where Opportunity
Meets Potential.
At Strategic Workforce Development Inc., we strive to empower and provide sustainable change by connecting veterans, re-entry citizens, young adults, and women to the skills and careers that strengthen populations and create financial stability.
Our culture is not what we post on a wall. It is how we treat every person who walks through our doors — with dignity, without judgment, and with a genuine investment in what they are capable of becoming.
Tough
The resiliency to overcome adversity and barriers to success.
Reliable
Our team, our participants, and our partners can count on us.
Unbiased
We see every person without preconceived limits on their potential.
Skilled
We teach what employers actually need — not what looks good on a flyer.
Team
It takes a community to rebuild the future workforce.
THE IMPACT
Eight Years. Two Cities.
Thousands of Lives.
FUNDED BY THOSE WHO BELIEVE
Funded By Those
Who Believe.
Organizations That Have Invested in Kansas City's Future.
SWD's programs are made possible by the foundations and institutions that recognize workforce development as one of the most powerful tools for lasting community change.
SOCIAL JUSTICE GRANT • 2023-2026
Shumaker Foundation
$120,000
The Shumaker Foundation's Social Justice Grant has been instrumental in sustaining SWD's Community Impact work during a critical period of growth and community need. This funding has directly supported:
- Reducing barriers to opportunity for individuals historically excluded from economic advancement
- Strengthening local workforce pipelines by preparing motivated, skilled, and job-ready candidates
- Expanding SWD's capacity to serve more participants across Jackson County and the 18 zip codes east of Troost
"The Shumaker Foundation didn't just give us resources. They gave us the stability to plan, grow, and serve more people."
- SWD Leadership
BUILDING CAPACITY GRANT • 2025
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
$150,000
SWD gratefully acknowledges the $150,000 awarded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation through the Building Capacity Grant. This investment has been transformative - strengthening SWD's organizational infrastructure during a pivotal period of growth and increasing community demand.
The Kauffman Foundation's investment enabled SWD to:
- Hire two additional staff members dedicated to program delivery and participant services
- Create and launch SWD's Impact Team - a dedicated group focused on outcomes, reporting, and community relationship building
- Operate with the level of excellence that SWD's mission populations deserve
- Build the organizational foundation required to sustain and scale SWD's programs into new markets
"The Kauffman Foundation's investment in our capacity didn't just help us serve more people today. It built the infrastructure to serve more people for years to come."
- Anjou D. Giri, President & CEO
Community Testimonials
"A career is the long‑term journey of your professional life"
Brian Hall
Our 2021 graduate, Asst Foreman to Supervisor
Will Sewell
Our 2025 graduate is an Iron Worker with Local 10
Derrick Hollins
Our 2020 graduate secured multiple jobs
Maurice Johnson
Our 2019 graduate with the Carpenters Union
Miguel Carlocks
Our 2025 Graduate with the Local266
CAPTURING OUR JOURNEY
Moments That Define
Who We Are.
Eight years of showing up, building careers, and changing lives - documented in the moments that matter most.
JOIN THE MISSION
This Mission Belongs to
All of Kansas City.
SWD is not a closed organization. It is a community institution — and community institutions grow through community participation. Whether you have money to give, time to volunteer, expertise to share, or a job to offer — there is a role for you in this mission.
We believe that a stable, employed community outgrows violence and builds peace. That is not a theory. It is what we have watched happen in Kansas City for eight years. And it continues to happen because people like you decide to be part of it.
Donate
Your contribution — at any size — goes directly to training, certifications, and employment services for Kansas City's most underserved workers.
Volunteer
Give your time, expertise, or professional network. SWD needs mentors, interview coaches, business advisors, and community connectors.
Partner
Employers, foundations, and institutions — partner with SWD to build the workforce Kansas City needs and fulfill your workforce compliance requirements.
Stay Connected to
The Mission.
Sign up for SWD's newsletter to stay up to date on our latest programs, events, graduate stories, and community initiatives.
FIND US
Better Yet - Come
See Us In Person.
SWD's doors are open. All program applications and employment interviews are by appointment.
Kansas City - Main Office
- 402 E Bannister Road, Suite C & D, Kansas City, MO 64131
- (816) 433-4682
- [email protected]
- Hours: By Appointment
Where Opportunity
Meets Potential.
Strategic Workforce Development Inc. - Kansas City, MO | Founded 2018 | 501(c)(3)
Strategic Workforce Development Inc.
Where Opportunity Meets Potential — Kansas City, MO
Legal & Status
501(c)(3) Nonprofit — EIN on file.
Section 3 Certified workforce organization.
Privacy Policy
© 2026 Strategic Workforce Development Inc. All rights reserved.
Kelly
SWD AI Brand Ambassador