Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, which provides workforce development training for area business and industry, has been chosen as one of only five new community colleges to launch the Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund (EEVF) Program this fall. EEVF is a signature pilot program that is designed to build a sustainable system of funding and resources that launches underfunded community college entrepreneurs into business with an eye towards innovation, diversity, inclusion and local economic growth.
Over the past few years, DSLCC has been partnering with The Advancement Foundation and other community organizations to focus on issues related to increasing entrepreneurship in the region it serves, according to DSLCC President Dr. John Rainone.
“Through its work, the College has found that there are numerous budding entrepreneurs who have not yet been identified, assisted, trained and served in ways that would greatly enhance the likelihood of their starting and growing small businesses,” he said. “The EEVF Program will assist the College in maximizing their efforts to grow a strong, local ecosystem.”
“Our partnership with NACCE and the Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund addresses one of the most urgent needs of our country – that of supporting local economies via entrepreneurship,” continued Dr. Rainone.
“We are delighted to build on the success of the first phase of the EEVF pilot by onboarding five leading community colleges that will work together to leverage existing academic resources, spur local matching dollars, and create new everyday businesses. This work has never been more important than it is today with the national and global crises at hand. We look forward to working DSLCC to welcome their students, the DSLCC service community, and local partners into the EEVF Program,” said Rebecca Corbin, president & CEO of NACCE.
DSLCC will receive an initial grant of $20,000, which will be matched locally, noted Dr. Rainone. “We anticipate that additional grant dollars may be awarded by NACCE in the future.”
For more information about the Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund at NACCE, visit www.nacce.com/eevf. For more information concerning DSLCC’s participation in the fund, contact Dr. James Cook, Executive Director of the DSLCC Educational Foundation, at (540) 863-2837 or jcook@dslcc.edu.