Heartland Forward receives grant to develop entrepreneurial resources for mid-sized communities
Heartland Forward, the non-partisan think and do tank dedicated to improving economic performance in the middle of the country, has received a “Rebuilding Better” grant from the Kauffman Foundation.
According to the announcement, the grant will support Bentonville, AR-based Heartland Forward’s efforts to spur entrepreneurship in the heartland by developing resources for mid-sized city mayors and community leaders to understand how they can reduce barriers and support start-up entrepreneurs in their hometowns.
In partnership with Builders + Backers, Heartland Forward is sponsoring a national idea accelerator program aimed at taking entrepreneurs’ ideas from concept to action. The “Community Growth Program and Toolkit” is a first-of-its-kind idea accelerator and Pebble Fund and BuildershipTM program. The program was first piloted in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Oxford, Mississippi in the Summer of 2021, and the current summer cohort has more than 50 builders across 10 cities and seven states.
