Entrepreneurship provides a powerful pathway out of poverty and is a powerful tool for building communities. As neighborhoods redevelop and revitalize, the neighborhood’s residents have the potential to create booming enterprises—just footsteps from their homes.
As part of the Sisters of Charity Foundation’s Innovation Mission, Legal Aid and its partners - including thirdspace - are bringing MORTAR to Cleveland for this listening session to help support the continued development and inclusive growth of Cleveland’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
MORTAR launched in Cincinnati in 2014 and is locally and nationally recognized for helping maintain equity alongside the dramatic reinvestment efforts in some of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods. MORTAR provides a framework that nurtures an existing pipeline of underserved, underrepresented, and low-income entrepreneurs by providing practical tools to help them develop, fund, and implement promising business ventures. MORTAR’s goal is to create a local ecosystem and economy where entrepreneurs of all backgrounds and colors can not only participate, but also transfer economic wealth and ownership to future generations.
During this event, MORTAR will share its theory of change, meet with stakeholders from Cleveland’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, and provide strategic feedback as Cleveland continues to build an inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem and explores a community-based program focused on underserved, underrepresented, and low-income entrepreneurs. (Lunch is included in the program and free parking is available on-site.)
Are you a low-income person who is aspiring to start a new business or are you an established business owner who would like to share your experience? Join our entrepreneurship conversation the morning of June 5: Sign-up below!
Do you represent a service provider, philanthropic, community-based, governmental, or industry organization? Join our stakeholders conversation the afternoon of June 5: Sign-up below!
Special thanks to the host committee:
Ibanca Anand, Program Manager
Commission on Economic Inclusion, Greater Cleveland Partnership
Erika Anthony, Vice President of Government Relations
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
Evelyn Burnett, Co-Founder and Partner
Third Space Action Lab
Mordecai Cargill, Co-Founder and Partner
Third Space Action Lab
Jenice Contreras, Executive Director
Hispanic Business Center
Julie Cortes, Senior Attorney
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Devonta Dickey, Advocacy & Engagement Coordinator
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
Katy Fuerst, Director of Programming & Community Engagement
HFLA of Northeast Ohio
Kaela Geschke, Community Network Builder
Neighborhood Connections
Keisha Gonzalez, Program Officer, Community Revitalization and Engagement
Cleveland Foundation
Treye Johnson, Regional Outreach Manager
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Brett Jones, Executive Vice President
Evergreen Business Services
Michal Marcus, Executive Director
HFLA of Northeast Ohio
Nicole Sims, Partner, Inclusion Initiatives
Jumpstart
Danielle Sydnor, Executive Director
Economic Community Development Institute (ECDI)
Teleange Thomas, Director
Candid Midwest
Gloria Ware, Director, KeyBank Center for Technology
Innovation and Inclusive Growth, Jumpstart