Heartland Together: Reno County
About
Overview
- Promoting collaboration between organizations that support entrepreneurs
- Improving understanding of entrepreneurs' needs
- Helping organizations that support entrepreneurs to better understand and support underserved populations
- Increasing awareness and connectivity to available entrepreneur services
- Encouraging more community members to recognize their stake in entrepreneurship
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Micro-grants
All Heartland Together Action Teams have the opportunity to apply for a micro-grant, providing crucial support for initiatives aimed at driving progress in their local entrepreneurial ecosystems. Each action project is eligible to receive up to $1500 in funding. Whether it's launching a new program, organizing events, or implementing a community outreach initiative, these micro-grants offer financial assistance to turn your vision into reality.
Details
Sponsored by Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
- Campaign timeline
- Nov 16 – Feb 29, 2024
- Project deadline
- Feb 28, 2024
Action Projects
Dashboard
- Collaborators
- 17
- Projects Created
- 8
- Total Investment
- $3,000
- People impacted
- 21,061
| Name | Location | Collaborators | Investment | People impacted | Created |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlie’s Action Project | – | 1 | $0 | 0 | |
| Entrepreneurs Resource Guide | – | 3 | $0 | 20 | |
| ListenUp Reno County | – | 2 | $0 | 1,000 | |
| Mastermind Pilot | – | 3 | $1,500 | 6 | |
| Navigator Model Refinement and Advocacy (NMRA) | – | 3 | $0 | 25 | |
| Rural Eco Devo Navigators | – | 1 | $0 | 20,000 | |
| Sara’s Action Project | – | 2 | $0 | 0 | |
| Side hustle to main hustle | – | 2 | $1,500 | 10 |
AI summary of the biggest barriers to progress
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Resource mapping, governance, and transparent communication about resource holders and the resources themselves.
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Trust-building and inclusive engagement: meeting people where they are, acknowledging fear and stigma, and allowing meaningful support to develop over time.
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Funding scarcity and financial literacy: perceived limited funding options, plus the need to understand finance and diversified funding pathways.
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Onboarding friction and progress blockers: intimidating entry points, daunting steps, limited opportunities, and risk of progress stopping.
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Stakeholder identification and market understanding: clarifying who to support, what resources they need, and assessing market demand, competition, and key players.
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Stigma and language barriers: personal/societal/self-stigma and language barriers that separate groups, signaling a need for more inclusive communication approaches.
AI summary of learnings
- Leverage existing resources and avoid reinventing the wheel to move faster and stay up-to-date.
- Use intentional, personal outreach and include diverse sectors at similar stages to boost relevance, buy-in, and participation.
- Establish clear expectations, model the format, and lower barriers to entry; anticipate participation obstacles and plan follow-ups to gauge long-term value.
- Prioritize connection and peer learning to reduce isolation and broaden entrepreneurs’ perspectives on their challenges.
- Employ agile scope management: recognize when goals are too broad, pivot thoughtfully, and rely on feedback to sharpen objectives.
- Involve stakeholders and use advisory input to shape funding strategies and governance, with concrete milestones (e.g., presentations to decision-makers).
- Design materials with novices in mind by simplifying language and concepts to improve accessibility and comprehension.