SU, strategic partners offer joint funding for entrepreneurs

SU, strategic partners offer joint funding for entrepreneursApril 16, 2009Stacey Keefesekeefe@syr.edu

Enitiative is soliciting grant applications from faculty members engaged in entrepreneurial or innovative activities that forge connections between college campuses and the surrounding communities in Central New York.

The grant application deadline is July 1. To apply for a grant and learn more about becoming a part of Enitiative, visit http://www.entrepreneurship.syr.edu or contact the ExCEL Center at Syracuse University at (315) 443-7086 or excel@syr.edu.

Now in its third round of funding, Enitiative has collaborated with other SU strategic partners-including the Syracuse Center of Excellence, the Connective Corridor, the Near Westside Initiative, Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life, and the Burton Blatt Institute-to offer joint funding for entrepreneurial projects.

Eligible initiatives include developing a new business, advancing a unique idea, and promoting new ways to forge academic and community partnerships. In addition to funding, the grants can provide entrepreneurs with hands-on assistance from professionals who have experience in entrepreneurship development. Enitiative grants are made possible through a $3 million, five-year grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, awarded to Syracuse University and a number of academic and community partners in Central New York. Enitiative focuses on entrepreneurship in the arts, technology and neighborhoods-with the goal of creating a positive economic impact in Central New York-and is another step in advancing the University’s vision of Scholarship in Action.

SU’s academic and community partners in this initiative include Cayuga Community College (CCC), Le Moyne College, Morrisville State College, Onondaga Community College (OCC), the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), the Central New York Community Foundation, The Gifford Foundation, the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, Messenger Associates Inc. and National Grid.