John Carroll University Becomes Fifth NEOLaunchNET School with Burton D. Morgan Foundation Grant
At their February meeting, Burton D. Morgan Foundation Trustees approved $1.2 million in grants to organizations throughout Northeast Ohio, including a two-year grant of $221,500 to John Carroll University to establish a NEOLaunchNET entrepreneurship program on campus.
John Carroll University will be joining the existing four-campus network of NEOLaunchNET schools to provide co-curricular entrepreneurship experiences for students as they build the entrepreneurial mindset and experiment with exciting startup ideas. The other schools in the network include Baldwin Wallace University, Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University, and Lorain County Community College.
“NEOLaunchNET is a great example of the connectivity that characterizes our region’s higher education entrepreneurial ecosystem,” commented Deborah Hoover, Foundation President and CEO. “Northeast Ohio colleges and universities consistently work together to advance entrepreneurship programming through efforts like the Entrepreneurship Education Consortium and Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund, also awarded grants in this round.”
John Carroll University Interim President Jeanne Colleran commented, “We appreciate the continued support of Burton D. Morgan Foundation through this generous grant to establish a LaunchNet program at John Carroll University. The LaunchNet program will strengthen our entrepreneurship program and allow the University to offer more opportunities for our students to engage in entrepreneurial thinking and to develop and implement their ideas. Grants like this are the heart of educational innovation and we are deeply gratified to be a partner with Deborah Hoover and her team.”
Additional grants to benefit organizations supporting innovation and entrepreneurship at the youth, collegiate, and adult levels include the following:
Akron SCORE Chapter 81 - $40,000 to support operations, including a $5,000 challenge grant
America SCORES Cleveland - $10,000 for the One Hen entrepreneurship program
Cuyahoga Community College Foundation - $3,275 for the Entrepreneur Expo
Downtown Akron Partnership - $35,000 to support the Pop-Up Retail Program
Effective Leadership Academy - $2,500 to support Entrepreneurship Day 2018 in Warrensville Heights
Entrepreneurship Education Consortium - $93,500 to support Entrepreneurship Immersion Week, the ideaLabs business plan competition, and staff resources
Hebrew Free Loan Association - $50,000 to expand a business loan pool for small business owners and entrepreneurs without access to conventional funding services
Hudson Library & Historical Society - $4,500 to support Lynda database costs
Kent State University Foundation - $5,000 for sponsorship of the 2018 Fashion Show
Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund - $90,000 for operating support, including a $15,000 challenge grant
The City Club of Cleveland - $5,000 to support an entrepreneurship forum
The Greater Expectations Intercontinental Sacred Arts Society - $7,500 for the Saviours Arts & Entrepreneurship program
The Entrepreneurs EDGE - $50,000 to support the 2018 EDGE Fellows summer internship program
University of Massachusetts-Lowell - $10,000 to support the 2018 Deshpande Symposium
University School - up to $175,250 to support the 2018 Enspire Conference
Venture for America - $200,000 to support the Fellows Program in Northeast Ohio (two years)
Other grants to support innovation and entrepreneurship at the youth, collegiate, and adult levels, that have been approved by the Trustees in the interim period between meetings include:
Akron Development Corporation - $3,000 for the FUEL pitch event
Bounce - $4,500 for website development
Oberlin College - $7,125 for a five-event speaker series
Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center - $7,000 for the Founders Exchange events and an energy hackathon
To address community needs that fall outside the Foundation’s primary mission, the Trustees periodically make one-time community grants on a proactive basis to deserving charitable organizations that serve the local area. The following proactive grants were awarded by the Trustees in February:
Akron Children’s Museum - $27,000 to purchase and install Freenotes Harmony outdoor instruments, benches, and exhibit signage
Akron Creative - $10,000 for the strategic planning process and creation of a fundraising plan for the Nightlight Cinema
County of Summit - $25,000 to purchase medication disposal pouches
Cuyahoga Valley Preservation and Scenic Railway Association - $25,000 to support the refurbishment and conversion of the Edu-trainment car
Dancing Classrooms Northeast Ohio - $7,100 for updated sound equipment, a printer, and marketing expenses
Embracing Futures - $10,000 for equipment and instructor costs, including a $5,000 challenge grant
Let’s Grow Akron - $25,000 to purchase a vehicle
Portage Park District Foundation - $65,900 to make the Meadow Loop Trail handicap accessible, install informational signage, and enhance butterfly gardens
Summit Workforce Solutions - $5,000 for the purchase of a one-year professional CASPIO subscription and related support services
Trustees also approved the following grants to benefit the Hudson community and to support philanthropy in Northeast Ohio: Case-Barlow Farm for exterior improvements to the main barn ($5,000); Hudson Bandstand to support the summer concert series ($2,500); Hudson City Schools to support the Earth Balloon program ($1,500); Hudson Community Service Association to support the Helping Hands program, including a $2,000 challenge grant ($10,000); Hudson Heritage Association for the purchase of a fireproof cabinet and for a preservationist membership ($1,550); Hudson Rotary Foundation for scholarship fund support ($1,000); Philanthropy Ohio for membership dues and operating and program support ($20,000); and The Foundation Center for operating support ($7,500).