SOURCE River West Entrepreneurship Center (SOURCE RW) is proud to announce that they have received a two-year, $125,000 grant from Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust to expand services at the Near West education and business support center, located at 2230 West Michigan Street. The grant will allow SOURCE RW to provide additional services, programs, coaching, and co-working space to support entrepreneurial ventures, start-up businesses, and existing businesses.
With the grant, SOURCE RW will create a seed fund for ready clients and businesses, expand SOURCE RW training and coaching schedules to include bilingual Latino business services, hire additional staff, and ensure that equipment and technology meet client needs.
“The Trust grant enables SOURCE RW to begin our second year with more services for all clients, and new programs to encourage and support business growth and diversity on the Near West side,” says Mark A. Roger, Center Director. “We are attracting tremendous interest from within Near West and from surrounding neighborhoods. We look forward to expanding services that embrace the diversity of Indianapolis’ Near West. Bilingual Spanish business services will enable us to serve the Hispanic/Latino community better, making SOURCE RW a hub for Latino entrepreneurship – not only in Near West but throughout Central Indiana.”
Over the last year, about 80 people have received business coaching assistance and over 100 people have attended SOURCE RW workshops and networking events.
“During her career, Nina Mason Pulliam shared her financial success and business leadership skills with many charities. She had a keen awareness of challenges that face our community and would take great pride in the outstanding work being done by SOURCE RW,” said Trustee Kent Agness. “Through her Trust, we continue to build on her legacy, which clearly reflects her heart for philanthropy.”
SOURCE River West Entrepreneurship Center is an education and economic initiative that promotes and encourages business ownership serving Indianapolis’ Near West, the River West corridor and surrounding downtown neighborhoods. In partnership with IUPUI, SOURCE RW was created in 2016 to support entrepreneurial ventures and start-up businesses that create jobs, improve quality of life, and strengthen the community in Indianapolis’ Near West side. The long-range goal for SOURCE RW is to contribute to the economic well-being of the Indianapolis community by decreasing business vacancy rates, increasing job opportunities through home-grown businesses, and increasing income levels of residents in the area by creating an environment that fosters entrepreneurship and supports business development.