The Idea Village, the New Orleans organization focused solely on supporting entrepreneurs, has received a grant from the Kauffman Foundation.
The Idea Village team offers support to New Orleans-based entrepreneurs year round.
The Foundation’s grant was awarded to a total of eight entrepreneurial support organizations, all of which expand support for entrepreneurs and help them launch and grow businesses.
Over 300 proposal from 47 states were received by the Kansas City, Missouri-based Foundation. Other grantees include the Austin Technology Incubator, Interise, MassChallenge, Seed Spot, VentureWell, Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE), and Village Capital.
“These eight organizations have demonstrated success in helping entrepreneurs meet key challenges they face in growing their businesses,” said Wendy Guillies, president and CEO of the Foundation. “The Foundation also is interested in developing a better understanding of what makes such programs effective so that we can help other organizations replicate their strategies and contribute to greater entrepreneurial success.”
The Idea Village plans to expand its reach and impact, increase community engagement, and foster a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem with this grant.
“The Kauffman Foundation partnership will allow us to scale our impact by growing the New Orleans Entrepreneur Week platform to provide deeper resources to local entrepreneurs,” said Tim Williamson, Co Founder and CEO. “The Foundation’s investment validates the efforts we’ve made over the last 15 years to foster an inclusive, collaborative ecosystem in New Orleans.”