Ewing Marion Kauffman (September 21, 1916 – August 1, 1993) was an American pharmaceutical entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Major League Baseball owner.

[5] In later years, Kauffman believes his success in the pharmaceutical business stemmed from his ability to read quickly.

On days spent with his father, it was not uncommon for the two to compete in arithmetic competitions, the most common game being adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing the numbers on license plates.

He wanted to help young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, get a quality education that would enable them to reach their full potential.

Today, the mission of the Kauffman Foundation follows his vision by focusing its grant making and operations on two areas: advancing entrepreneurship and improving the education of children and youth.

Inspired by his wife, who told him it would be a new frontier that would be good for him, Kauffman joined the forefront for the push for a expansion team in Kansas City, Missouri.

[10] Described by one historian as "too far too ahead of his time" in terms of his management style in innovations, he strived to have the finest organization in baseball, setting a goal for a pennant in five years.

Seeing the need to develop players into athletes, he established the Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy in 1971, although it closed three years later due to costs, much to the subsequent regret of Kauffman.

He had tried to sell a significant interest in the club (with an option to become majority owner down the road) to Michael Shapiro in the winter of 1982.

David Glass, who became the interim CEO and chairman of the Royals when Kauffman died, would eventually purchase the team and become its new owner in 2000.

Project Choice promised to fund post-secondary education to all students who stayed in school, did not use drugs, did not become pregnant, and were committed to being an upstanding citizen in the community.

[17] To be eligible for the program, parents also had to agree to be involved in their child's education by attending meetings and participating in parent/teacher organizations and other activities.