Source River West Entrepreneurship Center has been awarded a two-year, $125,000 grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust to expand services at the near-westside education and business support center, located at 2230 W. Michigan St. The grant will allow Source River West to provide additional services, programs, coaching and co-working space to support entrepreneurial ventures, startup businesses and existing businesses.
With the grant, Source River West will create a seed fund for ready clients and businesses, expand Source River West training and coaching schedules to include bilingual Latino business services, hire additional staff, and ensure that equipment and technology meet client needs.
“The Trust grant enables Source River West to begin our second year with more services for all clients, as well as new programs to encourage and support business growth and diversity on the near-west side,” said Mark A. Roger, the center’s director. “We are attracting tremendous interest from within Near West and from surrounding neighborhoods. Over the last year, about 80 people received business coaching assistance, and more than 100 people attended Source River West workshops and networking events.
“We look forward to expanding services that embrace the diversity of Indianapolis’ Near West neighborhood. Bilingual Latino business services will enable us to serve the Hispanic/Latino community better, making Source River West a hub for Latino entrepreneurship — not only on the near-west side, but throughout Central Indiana.”
Kent Agness, trustee of the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, said, “During her career, Nina Mason Pulliam shared her financial success and business leadership skills with many charities. She had a keen awareness of challenges that face our community and would take great pride in the outstanding work being done by organizations Source River West. Through her trust, we continue to build on her legacy, which clearly reflects her heart for philanthropy.”
In partnership with IUPUI, Source River West was created in 2016 to support entrepreneurial ventures and startup businesses that create jobs, improve quality of life and strengthen the community on Indianapolis’ near-west side. The long-range goal for Source River West is to contribute to the economic well-being of the Indianapolis community by decreasing business vacancy rates, increasing job opportunities through home-grown businesses, and increasing income levels of residents in the area by creating an environment that fosters entrepreneurship and supports business development.