$400K Kauffman grant aids Heartland Forward efforts

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Missouri made a $400,000 grant to Bentonville think tank Heartland Forward that will help the nonprofit build on its work investing in entrepreneurship in cities across the nation’s heartland.

Heartland Forward announced the grant on July 13.

“Entrepreneurship is critical to building our economies, and local leaders across the heartland are eager to identify ways to help support those with innovative ideas in their communities,” said Katie Milligan, Heartland Forward’s program director of innovation and entrepreneurship. “Heartland Forward is honored to be a recipient of the Rebuilding Better Grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and we appreciate them recognizing the importance of our mission.

“We look forward to expanding our efforts to spur entrepreneurship and build thriving communities across the heartland.”

Heartland Forward’s Community Growth Program and Toolkit (CGPT) accelerator program helps take entrepreneurs’ ideas from concept to action. The program is a partnership with Builders + Backers and was piloted last year in Tulsa, Okla., and Oxford, Miss. This year’s summer cohort has more than 50 builders across 10 cities and seven states. The builders are part of Heartland Forward’s effort to support 1,000 builders across the heartland by 2023.