The Board of Directors today approved a $2,500 merit-based scholarship for its MBE Empowerment Fund Emerging Entrepreneurs Scholarship Program.  The Emerging Entrepreneurs Scholarship program offers non-renewable, merit-based scholarships for emerging entrepreneurs who have demonstrated entrepreneurial talents or accomplishments. The program was established to encourage and promote entrepreneurship among the youth of the Commonwealth of Virginia, while raising awareness of the critical role that private enterprise and entrepreneurship play in building and supporting our communities.

The MBE Empowerment Fund is service of Virginia Housing and Community Development Corporation (VHCDC).  VHCDC is working to promote and support entrepreneurship, to advance entrepreneurship education and training, to promote entrepreneurship-friendly policies, to connect disadvantaged small businesses to capital and credit, and to facilitate the commercialization of new technologies and services by small, women, and minority-owned businesses which have great promise for improving the economic welfare of our region.

Applications and instructions for applying for the Scholarship will be available on the MBE Empowerment Fund website beginning April 15, 2015.  Applications must be received by June 15, 2015 for consideration.