The Blackstone Charitable Foundation is an international organization dedicated to directing its resources and supporting capital to foster entrepreneurship. Part of that support has landed in New Orleans. Specifically, The Idea Village has just received a $125,000 grant as part of the third annual Blackstone Innovation Grants Program.
The Idea Village’s grant is part of the larger $3 million program targeting nonprofits that strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems and support high growth entrepreneurs. The grant will allow The Idea Village to scale New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, improve user experience, and increase community engagement across the board.
“Through our Entrepreneurship Initiative, the Foundation is committed to strengthening and supporting entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ecosystems globally through programs that enable the most promising new companies to remain and grow in their local economies,” said Amy Stursberg, executive director of the Foundation. “We view Blackstone Innovation Grants as an extension of that work – the organizations we support are helping create the conditions necessary for entrepreneurs to thrive, and we look forward to working with them on these important efforts in the year ahead.”
The Idea Village was one of twenty organizations selected from over 550 applications by a committee of Blackstone employees. The hub for entrepreneurship was then approved by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation’s board of directors.