Entrepreneur fellowship program expands to northwest Minnesota

The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
·1 min read

Apr. 8—BEMIDJI — Northwest Minnesota entrepreneurs will now have access to a program that can help their business succeed.

According to a press release, the Initiative Foundation is partnering with the Northwest Minnesota Foundation to expand its Initiators Fellowship Program. The fellowship, launched in 2016, will now be accessible to social entrepreneurs in the 12 counties served by the NMF.

The program assists early-stage social entrepreneurs with several areas of support. Following a selection process, eight fellows are chosen for wrap-around training, mentoring and guidance, as well as $30,000 for two years.

With the expansion, the program is now open to applicants in 53 Greater Minnesota counties and six Native American nations for the 2022-2023 cohort. Applications for the next fellowship cohort will be accepted from May 24-June 15.

The expansion was made possible by several supporters including a $1.2 million stock donation from Granite Partners. Additional support came from the Bush Foundation and Sourcewell.

For more information visit greaterminnesota.net/fellows.