(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) Sept. 16, 2013 – What are the fastest growing startups in my city? Which of them are hiring? Who are the founders and investors in my industry that I should meet given the stage I'm at in my entrepreneurial journey?

These are the questions local entrepreneurs and city leaders often ask, and finding the correct answers can be time-consuming, if not impossible.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation today announced a grant to an organization that has a tool to help them find the answers. Startup Genome is a worldwide network of volunteer curators who create up-to-date and accurate maps of the entrepreneurial communities in which they live and work.

Kauffman's grant will support and accelerate Startup Genome's ability to build its database and collect and evaluate data.

"Mapping local startup ecosystems not only provides an important tool to communities, but it will create a treasure trove of rare data on local startups," said Dane Stangler, director of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation. "Our plans include studying how startup communities develop and identify action steps that cities can take to grow their entrepreneurial community and measure their progress."

"Startup Genome enables entrepreneurs and investors to plug into their city's startup scene, which has untold benefits to them and their local economies," said Thom Ruhe, vice president of Entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation. "So everyone wins when communities gain a better understanding of their city's entrepreneurial climate."

Startup Genome's goal is to recruit 1,000 local curators who will populate startup community data in their city's maps. Currently, 332 curators are curating maps in 271 cities and 57 countries. So far they've collected data on more than 26,000 founders, 84,000 startups, 5,800 investors and more than 18,000 deals. Curators can be entrepreneurs, investors, accelerator program managers, Startup Weekend organizers, community builders, students, journalists and more.

Relate:  "How to raise $1 million in 30 days or less" (Co-Founder Indiegogo, Slava Rubin)