For many years, the Kauffman Foundation has focused efforts on improving educa­tion for children in Kansas City. Prior to opening the Kauffman School, the Kauffman Foundation operated several programs that addressed the challenges faced in urban education, such as Project Early (an early childhood program), Project Choice (a high school dropout prevention program), and the Kauffman Scholars program (an after-school college preparatory program). The success of these programs led Foundation leaders to consider the impact they might have on students in Kansas City if they established a charter school. The path they followed and the lessons they learned may be of interest to those working to found and/or improve charter schools.