Entrepreneurship Education Innovation Grant
The Entrepreneurship Education Innovation Grant Program supports Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in developing entrepreneurship opportunities through their institutions. Funding from this grant is used for the creation and growth of entrepreneurship courses, centers, programs, workshops, and other relevant initiatives which benefit students, faculty, staff, alumni, and/or the greater community. Grant funding for each award recipient ranges up to $25,000.
2024-25 Call for Proposals
The Howard University & PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship is excited to announce the 2024-25 Entrepreneurship Education Innovation Grant Program to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in developing entrepreneurship opportunities through their institutions. The Center requests proposals from faculty, staff, and administrative leadership at Historically Black Colleges & Universities to develop and implement programs that provide opportunity to Black entrepreneurs. The impact of the proposed project should specifically benefit the education and training of students, faculty, staff, and/or local entrepreneurs.
Projects that could be funded include, but are not limited to:
- The creation or growth of centers or offices for entrepreneurship
- Curriculum, courses and seminars designed to accelerate the development of student-run enterprises
- Programs and workshops which help launch and grow Black-owned businesses in the local community
- Programs, courses, and workshops which provide undergraduate and graduate students hands-on experience in working with African-American businesses and entrepreneurs
- Seminars designed to accelerate the development of faculty run enterprises or the training of faculty in entrepreneurial education and learning
- Partnerships which provide access to technologies that can increase the success of Black-owned businesses
- Research initiatives which advance knowledge related to Black entrepreneurship
Proposal Application Guidelines
The project proposal application will require the following details:
- A summary of the proposed project implementation, goals, objectives, and outcomes
- A record of current entrepreneurial programming at the college/university
- A statement of the problem being addressed and need for funding
- The competencies, experience, and skill sets of the project lead, team, and/or strategic partners
- The metrics on which project impact will be evaluated and proposed measurement plan
- The proposed spending of the requested funding
- A timeline for implementation and spending
NOTE: Grant award decisions will solely be made by the National Center for Entrepreneurship team, not by PNC Foundation, PNC Bank or its affiliates.
For any questions, comments or concerns, please email Associate and Regional Director, Dr. Johnny Graham, johnny.graham@howard.edu.
Application Submission (Extended) Deadline: January 28, 2024
2023-24 Grant Recipients
This grant will help enhance the programs and initiatives of the B.E.S.T. Innovation Lab (“BESTIL”) which works to establish and cultivate an entrepreneurial culture on Benedict College’s campus and in South Carolina’s minority economy. Funding will specifically be used to address providing equipment that enables student experimentation with innovative processes and educational resources (e.g. materials, workshops).
This grant will help to establish the Entrepreneurship Resource Center (ERC) at Virginia Union University. Currently the university does not have a central location for entrepreneurship for students, faculty, and the community, and this center will specifically serve as the coordinating office to facilitate entrepreneurship activities across campus.
This grant will support strengthening and sustaining existing programs which address the emerging business technical assistance needs in the post-pandemic environment and produce “earn-while-you-learn” opportunities for participants to go from unregistered to registered entrepreneurial ventures that win and grow capital.
This grant will be used in resurrecting the Norfolk State University Innovation Center (NSUIC), a place for students, alumni, and members of the Hampton Roads community to incubate early-stage ideas, develop customer discovery strategies, test, and prototype while being mentored by some of the brightest minds in their respective fields. Overall, the NSUIC will have a mission to establish the Hampton Roads area as one of the greatest entrepreneurial ecosystems for untapped and underrepresented entrepreneurs and investors in the region.
The Southern University College of Business will offer the Ignite Entrepreneurship Program to introduce high school students to the principles of entrepreneurship while preparing them to create the jobs of tomorrow. And the curriculum prepares students for the Louisiana Micro-Enterprise Industry-Based Certification.
This grant will be used to help launch the SEED project (Students Engaged in Entrepreneurial Development), which will empower and challenge students to become innovative and entrepreneurial thinkers through entrepreneurship activities such as a venturethon conference, student incubator, student business expo, and entrepreneurship roundtables.
This grant will help in expanding access to entrepreneurial learning in the university’s ecosystem, by creating and four online non-credit certificate programs available to student and non-student entrepreneurs.
This grant will help support 14 new, online entrepreneurship-related courses available and open to all including students and the greater community. These courses will last 8-weeks each (1/2 semester) and earn one-credit each that are open to students across all disciplines and to entrepreneurs through continuing education.
This grant will be used to help establish the Bowie State University High School Entrepreneurship Mindset & Pitch Day Symposium, which will provide an opportunity for high school (9th-12th) students from the Washington/Baltimore metro area who are enrolled in entrepreneurial, STEAM, and innovative courses to engage with Bowie State University (BSU) students, faculty and staff housed in the Entrepreneurship Innovation Center (EIC).
This grant will help the university grow and enhance its entrepreneurship ecosystem by providing funds to directly support students in launching and expanding their businesses. There will also be a focus in establishing more robust and consistent entrepreneurial programming as well as closing distance between current alumni who are entrepreneurs, but do not have a direct channel to tune into campus activities but are willing to contribute with a program like such.
