Washington, DC – The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) received a $3 million grant for four years (December 2, 2022 – December 2, 2026) from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to expand IEDC’s work in entrepreneurship-led economic development. Historically, the connection between economic developers and entrepreneurship ecosystem builders has not been as strong as required to ensure small businesses and entrepreneurship flourish. 

“This new four-year $3 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation will bolster our support of Entrepreneurship Led Economic Development (ELED). This grant helps to increase capacity in ELED, strengthen partnerships, provide technical assistance in underserved communities, and elevate ELED in the field of economic development as a key component of 21st-century economic development,” says Nathan Ohle, IEDC President and CEO. 

A proper entrepreneurship ecosystem can help communities grow businesses, employ local residents, and keep a diverse and attractive economy. This entrepreneurship education and research-technical assistance project is ideally situated to investigate and offer local solutions toward developing a complex entrepreneurial network that more effectively serves communities, including those traditionally underserved. 

IEDC is well positioned to build entrepreneurship-led economic development by providing the current roster of programs and projects as well as those in development; this award enables IEDC to target specific areas of contention to unleash progress by: 

• increasing IEDC’s efforts in entrepreneurship-led economic development, including the Entrepreneurship Development Professional 
• developing and expanding IEDC’s partnership network 
• technical assistance to advise communities on how to build vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystems, with a specific focus on underserved groups, including entrepreneurs of color and rural entrepreneurs 

“At the Kauffman Foundation, our goal is to prioritize finding and building opportunities to lift up communities that may lack resources, be geographically isolated, or be historically underserved. Through a continuation of the shared mission of the Foundation and IEDC, this grant seeks to increase access to entrepreneurship that develops equitable and resilient communities.” said, Philip Gaskin, Vice President of Entrepreneurship for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. 

For more information on the International Economic Development Council, visit www.iedconline.org.