NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Meharry Medical College has received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to expand innovation and entrepreneurship in underserved communities.
Meharry’s ResilienSEED is a business incubator housed in the historically Black college’s Center for the Study of Social Determinants of Health. The program allows vulnerable populations of diverse backgrounds the opportunity to hone business ideas, gain skills and get connected with investment capital, according to the Nashville school.
“A myriad of health disparities are rooted in longstanding economic disparities,” said Center Founding Director Bryan Heckman. “ResilienSEED aims to disrupt the detrimental cycle of economic disparity by providing new opportunities for minority entrepreneurship, business ownership, and wealth-building while increasing workforce diversity.”
ResilienSEED was one of 44 winners of the EDA’s national Scaling Pandemic Resilience through Innovation and Technology Challenge.