CROSSVILLE – The Cumberland Business Incubator (CBI) has been awarded grant funds by the Launch Tennessee Creative Communities Grants program – and the monies will help connect rural and underserved populations with entrepreneurial education, tools and resources.
The funds, which total $25,000, will be used for a number of programs, CBI officials said, until the end of the grant period, which is June 30, 2017:
- A special program to match veterans who want to start a business – now or in the future – with veterans who have successfully transferred the skills they learned in the military to business. A kick-off meeting is Wednesday, Aug. 17, with a 14-week program to follow in the fall
- Fall 2016 and spring 2017 business accelerators for those interested in starting a business or growing their existing business
- Entrepreneur programs for high school students
- Idea pitch events for high school students and Roane State Community College students in early 2017
- Tennessee Code Academy for 10-16 year old students during the Cumberland County School break in March 2017
- 100 Girls of Code for 12-18 year old girls in the spring of 2017
- 48 Hour Launch and Pitch event for start-up ideas, spring 2017
- And CBI Make Camp 2017 to be held June 19-23, 2017
A total of $250,000 was awarded to 13 organization, including two others in the Upper Cumberland. The BizFoundry in Cookeville received $13,750 and Fentress County Schools in Jamestown $25,000.
Creative Communities is a competitive application process and grantees were selected by a review committee made up of LaunchTN staff, board members and external partners. Proposals were scored on plan and feasibility, partner engagement, program demand, goals and reach (populations/counties touched).