Coleman Foundation Boosts Amount and Size of Grants Available at Annual National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship Conference
The Coleman Foundation will provide up to $150,000 in grants in the NACCE Entrepreneurial Colleges in Action Competition, which opens now and concludes at the 2013 NACCE Conference in Charlotte, NC, Oct. 13-16.
Springfield, MA, July 13, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Attendees at the 2013 annual conference of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) will have the opportunity to vie for $150,000 in grants through the NACCE Entrepreneurial College in Action Grant Competition, powered by The Coleman Foundation. NACCE is the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges. The Coleman Foundation is a private, independent grantmaker that has donated over $50 million to improve the quality of entrepreneurship education, promote the option of self-employment, and help create a new generation of business owners.
The $150,000 in grants represents the largest support yet provided by the Coleman Foundation, which has offered grants at the NACCE Conference since 2007. Grants of up to $15,000 – which is a larger grant size than in previous years – will be awarded during a two-round process in which multi-disciplinary teams from the vying community colleges will make 10-minute pitches to a team of judges and a live audience. Winners will be announced at the conference.
The focus on this year’s competition will be on building programs that 1) create or expand internal and external teams dedicate to entrepreneurship or 2) increase entrepreneurs’ engagement on campus. “These two areas are the first two steps of NACCE’s Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge,” said NACCE President & CEO Heather Van Sickle. “Through this commitment, forward-thinking college presidents agree to undertake five steps that will improve their institution’s ability to build strong entrepreneurship education programs and support services to fuel the growth of local economies. The first two steps that the action grants focus on are very critical to building a strong base upon which a college can build its entrepreneurship initiatives.”
The NACCE Entrepreneurial College in Action Grant Competition, Powered by The Coleman Foundation replaces the Coleman Elevator Grants that have been a popular feature of the NACCE conference. “The new name signifies our focus on helping community colleges become entrepreneurial themselves as they work to support entrepreneurs and small business owners in their communities,” said Van Sickle. “We have also expanded the eligibility criteria to include schools at all levels of entrepreneurial programming – from getting started to having well-established programs – and varying degrees of prior implementation of the Presidents for Entrepreneurship action steps – from no prior implementation of any steps to successful prior implementation of one or more of the steps. This means no matter where your community college is in its journey toward becoming a leader in entrepreneurship education and support, you are eligible for a grant.”
To be considered for making a presentation at the conference, colleges must submit an application that describes their proposed project by 8 a.m. Eastern time on September 6, 2013. Complete information and access to the application can be found atwww.nacce.com/grants.
About The Coleman Foundation
The Coleman Foundation is a private, independent grantmaker focusing primarily on supporting Midwest non-profit organizations. Foundation resources support cancer treatment, developmental disability services, and entrepreneurship education. In 1981, the Foundation began to question why individuals are encouraged to “get a job” rather than to “create” one. Since that time, the Foundation has committed over $50 million to improve the quality of entrepreneurship education, promote the option of self-employment, and help create a new generation of business owners. For more information, visit http://www.colemanfoundation.org.
About NACCE
The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) is an organization of educators, entrepreneurs, and distinguished business development professionals providing quality programs and services in entrepreneurship education and serving as advocates for community-based entrepreneurship. Founded in 2002, NACCE is at the heart of the "entrepreneurship movement.” Through membership, an annual conference and exhibition, regional summits, a quarterly journal, monthly webinars, a dynamic list-serv, and training resources, NACCE serves as the hub for the dissemination and integration of knowledge and successful practices regarding entrepreneurship education and student business incubation. These programs and courses advance economic prosperity in the communities served by its member colleges. NACCE is a founding member of the White House-led Start-up America Partnership.. For more information on NACCE’s 11th Annual Conference, visit www.nacce.com/nacce2013.
The $150,000 in grants represents the largest support yet provided by the Coleman Foundation, which has offered grants at the NACCE Conference since 2007. Grants of up to $15,000 – which is a larger grant size than in previous years – will be awarded during a two-round process in which multi-disciplinary teams from the vying community colleges will make 10-minute pitches to a team of judges and a live audience. Winners will be announced at the conference.
The focus on this year’s competition will be on building programs that 1) create or expand internal and external teams dedicate to entrepreneurship or 2) increase entrepreneurs’ engagement on campus. “These two areas are the first two steps of NACCE’s Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge,” said NACCE President & CEO Heather Van Sickle. “Through this commitment, forward-thinking college presidents agree to undertake five steps that will improve their institution’s ability to build strong entrepreneurship education programs and support services to fuel the growth of local economies. The first two steps that the action grants focus on are very critical to building a strong base upon which a college can build its entrepreneurship initiatives.”
The NACCE Entrepreneurial College in Action Grant Competition, Powered by The Coleman Foundation replaces the Coleman Elevator Grants that have been a popular feature of the NACCE conference. “The new name signifies our focus on helping community colleges become entrepreneurial themselves as they work to support entrepreneurs and small business owners in their communities,” said Van Sickle. “We have also expanded the eligibility criteria to include schools at all levels of entrepreneurial programming – from getting started to having well-established programs – and varying degrees of prior implementation of the Presidents for Entrepreneurship action steps – from no prior implementation of any steps to successful prior implementation of one or more of the steps. This means no matter where your community college is in its journey toward becoming a leader in entrepreneurship education and support, you are eligible for a grant.”
To be considered for making a presentation at the conference, colleges must submit an application that describes their proposed project by 8 a.m. Eastern time on September 6, 2013. Complete information and access to the application can be found atwww.nacce.com/grants.
About The Coleman Foundation
The Coleman Foundation is a private, independent grantmaker focusing primarily on supporting Midwest non-profit organizations. Foundation resources support cancer treatment, developmental disability services, and entrepreneurship education. In 1981, the Foundation began to question why individuals are encouraged to “get a job” rather than to “create” one. Since that time, the Foundation has committed over $50 million to improve the quality of entrepreneurship education, promote the option of self-employment, and help create a new generation of business owners. For more information, visit http://www.colemanfoundation.org.
About NACCE
The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) is an organization of educators, entrepreneurs, and distinguished business development professionals providing quality programs and services in entrepreneurship education and serving as advocates for community-based entrepreneurship. Founded in 2002, NACCE is at the heart of the "entrepreneurship movement.” Through membership, an annual conference and exhibition, regional summits, a quarterly journal, monthly webinars, a dynamic list-serv, and training resources, NACCE serves as the hub for the dissemination and integration of knowledge and successful practices regarding entrepreneurship education and student business incubation. These programs and courses advance economic prosperity in the communities served by its member colleges. NACCE is a founding member of the White House-led Start-up America Partnership.. For more information on NACCE’s 11th Annual Conference, visit www.nacce.com/nacce2013.
Contact
National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship
Jeanne Yocum
413-467-9470
www.nacce.com
Jeanne Yocum
413-467-9470
www.nacce.com
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