$75,000 grant to aid minority and women entrepreneurs

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A $75,000 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) while also funding a new pilot program.

Since 2005, the Allstate Foundation has helped fund the Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs program (MWEE), a joint venture by the CEL and the UB Center for Urban Studies. This year’s grant includes a $16,000 increase to pilot a new program, which is based on the MWEE principles, but physically transplanted into an economically challenged Buffalo community.

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. A record 32 business owners have been accepted into the 2013-14 program, up from 18 last year.

“The program helps participants build valuable skills 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.

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 also has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report 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.