Allstate Grant to Aid Aspiring Minority and Women Entrepreneurs

By Kevin Manne

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A $59,000 grant from the Allstate Foundation will help support initiatives for minority and women entrepreneurs at the University at Buffalo School of Management’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL).

The grant will subsidize the Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs program (MWEE), a joint venture by the CEL and the UB Center for Urban Studies.

The MWEE program is designed to help participants move their companies to the next stage of development by forging relationships with successful business owners, setting objectives and outcomes for business plans, connecting with existing resources and more.

“The program builds valuable skills for our participants and strengthens the Western New York economy by helping to create viable and sustainable businesses,” said Thomas Ulbrich, executive director of the CEL. “The continued support of the Allstate Foundation has enabled more than 170 graduates to become more focused and strategic in their businesses.”

The Allstate Foundation, a charitable organization funded by subsidiaries of Allstate Insurance Corp., provides philanthropic grants to nonprofit organizations. With a focus on teen safe driving and building financial independence for domestic violence survivors, The Allstate Foundation also promotes safe and vital communities; tolerance, inclusion, and diversity; and economic empowerment. It has helped fund the Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs program since 2005.

Established in 1987, the CEL provides participants with individualized and interactive education in entrepreneurship. More than 900 CEL alumni employ more than 22,000 Western New Yorkers, and their businesses are worth more than $2 billion to the local economy. For more information, visit mgt.buffalo.edu/cel.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.