SOURCE River West receives $200,000 from JPMorgan Chase Foundation, will expand services into five neighborhoods

By Kelsey Cook, associate director of research communications, Indiana University

Entrepreneurs and small-business owners in five Indianapolis neighborhoods will soon have additional resources to help them succeed.

SOURCE River West Entrepreneurship Center, which offers education, coaching and mentorship to entrepreneurs, startups and established small-business owners in Indianapolis’ River West neighborhood, recently received $200,000 from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, building on a $150,000 contribution in 2016.

“JPMorgan Chase has been a strong partner to IUPUI by supporting the important work we are doing through the SOURCE River West Entrepreneurship Center,” said Teresa Bennett, interim director and assistant vice chancellor in the IUPUI Office of Community Engagement.

This newest funding will allow the center to expand its services beyond the River West neighborhood. Over the next four years, entrepreneurs and small-business owners in the Maple Crossing, Twin Aire, King Commons and Englewood Village neighborhoods — each designated as part of the Great Places 2020 initiative — will begin to see additional resources become available.

“With this funding, SOURCE and our partner, the Business Ownership Initiative, will be able to increase neighbors’ business knowledge, encourage startups and support business growth as a path to self-sufficiency in Indianapolis neighborhoods,” Bennett said.

IUPUI’s Office of Community Engagement provides staffing planning and operations support, grant management, and fiscal and human resources assistance to SOURCE River West Entrepreneurship Center. It will continue to serve as a fiscal agent to ensure the success of both the center and the Great Places 2020 initiative.