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Loyola receives $65,000 gift for the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Left to right: Pitch Coach Quinn Conyers and Baltiprenuer Maria Tarmoun
Left to right: Pitch Coach Quinn Conyers and Baltiprenuer Maria Tarmoun

Loyola University Maryland was awarded a $65,000 gift from the Philip E. & Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation for the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CI&E). The gift will support the CI&E’s Baltipreneurs Accelerator and undergraduate Steering Committee Fellows.

“We are so grateful for the partnership of the Ratcliffe Foundation,” said Wendy Bolger, director of the CI&E. “Because of their background and experience, the Foundation board and team know better than anyone the challenges and opportunities of running a university entrepreneurship center. The Foundation’s support will enable some big leaps in our programming at the CI&E to build on and improve initiatives we’ve started and ensure our students and the Baltipreneurs succeed.”

The mission of the CI&E is to elevate innovation and entrepreneurship at Loyola and Baltimore. The CI&E’s Baltipreneurs Accelerator supports local entrepreneurs who run ventures that are operational in Baltimore City and who identify as under-resourced, with a preference for women and entrepreneurs of color who are traditionally undercapitalized and underrepresented as founders. Baltipreneurs have access to facilities, training, mentoring, and capital provided by Loyola and opened up to them through Loyola networks and the Baltimore entrepreneurial ecosystem, with the goal that they will grow and generate jobs in our community.

The CI&E’s Steering Committee Fellows provide guidance and a student perspective on the direction of the Center. Fellows take the lead on developing and executing key Center activities; partner with local organizations to develop volunteer opportunities; plan and promote panels featuring innovation hubs, model startups, and other ventures; complete outreach and engaging social media postings to promote the CI&E at Loyola; and partner with faculty members to create events related to innovation and entrepreneurship.

“We appreciate the work and core values of Loyola’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, which closely align with the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation’s mission to cultivate and reward entrepreneurship, create jobs, and expand economic opportunity,” said Carlene Cassidy, CEO of the Ratcliffe Foundation. “The CI&E’s support of entrepreneurial education and small business growth will have a lasting impact in our shared community.” 

For more information about Loyola’s CI&E visit the CI&E website. For more information about the Ratcliffe Foundation, please visit their website.