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Funding Request for Enterprise 2000

The Virtual Community Group is requesting $50,000 per year over two years from the Xavier Foundation to support their Enterprise 2000 initiative to train 1200 low-income entrepreneurs in rural New Hampshire computer skills. The proposal would help reverse economic decline in rural areas by enabling entrepreneurs to participate in the digital economy. After developing their program model, the Virtual Community Group believes the funding could help disadvantaged entrepreneurs and transform local economies.

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16 views4 pages

Funding Request for Enterprise 2000

The Virtual Community Group is requesting $50,000 per year over two years from the Xavier Foundation to support their Enterprise 2000 initiative to train 1200 low-income entrepreneurs in rural New Hampshire computer skills. The proposal would help reverse economic decline in rural areas by enabling entrepreneurs to participate in the digital economy. After developing their program model, the Virtual Community Group believes the funding could help disadvantaged entrepreneurs and transform local economies.

Uploaded by

Zain Ahmed
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Sample Cover Letter

The Virtual Community Group, Inc.


17 Park Road
Rural Town, NH

July 1, 1995

Jane Smith, Executive Director


Xavier Foundation
555 S. Smith St.
Washington, D.C. 22222

Dear Ms. Smith,

I am pleased to submit this proposal from the Virtual Community Group, Inc., requesting an
investment of $50,000 per year over two years from the Xavier Foundation to support our Enterprise
2000 initiative. This grant would provide part of the funds needed for us to train at least 1200 low-
income entrepreneurs in rural New Hampshire, helping them acquire the computer skills they need to
create sustainable local businesses as we enter the twenty-first century.

As elsewhere in the U.S., the economic health of New Hampshire's rural communities has suffered
steady decline since the early 1900's. Family farms, which once formed an economic base supporting
large numbers of rural inhabitants, have been all but eradicated by large-scale agribusiness.
Moreover, since 1960, New Hampshire has lost xx% of its manufacturing jobs, as corporations or local
factories have shut down or moved operations out of state. As a result, many thousands of individuals
from New Hampshire -- particularly our young people -- are moving to cities to seek jobs, not only
depopulating and further impoverishing rural communities, but contributing to the growing pool of
urban unemployed.

By tapping the energy of the small local entrepreneur, and linking it to the explosion in
communications technologies, we believe it is possible to reverse this trend, enabling rural inhabitants
to retain viable, high-quality jobs far from industrial and urban centers. Small towns would again offer
a wide spectrum of employment opportunities -- from small manufacturing to services to retail -- and
develop sound, diversified economies for the first time in generations.

Unfortunately, many small entrepreneurs cannot afford either the training or equipment needed to
participate in the rewards of the Information Revolution. Enterprise 2000 was designed explicitly to
address this lack of parity, and help level the communications playing field. Working in collaboration
with microenterprise organizations, community colleges, and agencies which recycle computer
hardware, Enterprise 2000 will offer disadvantaged entrepreneurs the following services at low or no
charge:

 Day-time or evening classes in basic, intermediate, and advanced computer skills


 Training to use the Internet and other information networks
 Assessment of MIS needs

Access to reconditioned computer hardware After two years of experimentation and program
development, the Virtual Community Group has fashioned a superb, easily replicable model in
Enterprise 2000, and established a high degree of credibility among community groups, policy makers,
and funders. Our collaboration with other agencies leverages every dollar invested. Given that the
Xavier Foundation has already made a number of strategic investments to improve the lives of the
rural poor, we are calling on you to help us advance our joint objective one step further.

I appreciate your consideration of this proposal. Please feel free to call me if you have questions or
would like us to arrange a site visit. I look forward to meeting with you soon.

Sincerely,

Executive Director
(This sample cover letter was created for AGM by Molly Clark Associates.)
Sample Letter of Inquiry

The Virtual Community Group, Inc.


17 Park Road
Rural Town, NH

January 2, 2011

Jane Smith, Executive Director


Xavier Foundation
555 S. Smith St.
Washington, D.C. 22222

Dear Ms. Smith,

I am writing to inquire whether the Xavier Foundation would invite a proposal from the Virtual
Community Group, Inc., requesting an investment of $50,000 per year over two years to support our
Enterprise 2000 initiative. This grant would provide part of the funds needed for us to train at least
1200 low-income entrepreneurs in rural New Hampshire in the computer skills they need to create
sustainable businesses as we enter the twenty-first century. Your literature indicates that the Xavier
Foundation is searching for innovative ideas to improve the lives of the rural poor; we believe
Enterprise 2000 falls well within your area of interest.

Information technologies are a promising solution to one of the primary obstacles facing the small
rural enterprise: the geographic distances which inhibit networking with other businesses, and which
segregate them from a larger marketplace. The Internet and other networks are now making it
possible for entrepreneurs even in the most remote locations to communicate and do business on a
region-wide, national, or even international basis. Working in conjunction with other organizations,
Enterprise 2000 gives program participants technical skills training adapted to individual need; and, in
collaboration with organizations which recondition and redistribute used computers, we also assure
that they obtain the necessary computer hardware, at low or no cost.

We believe that broadly-implemented technical skills programs such as Enterprise 2000 have the
potential to transform the lives of many struggling entrepreneurs, and change the economic landscape
of impoverished rural communities. Unlike many poverty alleviation initiatives, all of the Virtual
Community Group programs are predicated on the assumption that these entrepreneurs already have
90% of what it takes to compete in the marketplace -- intelligence, ambition, initiative, and talent.
After two years of experimentation and program development, the Virtual Community Group has
fashioned a superb, easily replicable model in Enterprise 2000, and established a high degree of
credibility among community groups, policy makers, and funders. With your support, we can make
that 10% difference in the lives of these hard-working people and the future of our rural communities.

Please feel free to call me with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,

Executive Director

(This sample letter of inquiry was created for AGM by Molly Clark Associates.)

Common questions

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The Enterprise 2000 initiative aims to provide low-income entrepreneurs with computer skills training necessary to create sustainable businesses and overcome geographic isolation by leveraging information technologies such as the Internet. This approach enables remote communication and business operations on a larger scale, thus potentially transforming the economic landscape of rural communities .

The proposal demonstrates the credibility of the Virtual Community Group's model for Enterprise 2000 by highlighting two years of experimentation and program development, which have resulted in a superb and easily replicable model. The group has also established credibility among community groups, policymakers, and funders, amplifying the perceived reliability and potential impact of their initiative .

The Virtual Community Group believes that their Enterprise 2000 initiative aligns with the strategic interests of the Xavier Foundation because it offers innovative solutions to improve the lives of the rural poor, which is a focus of the foundation. By addressing geographic isolation and providing technological empowerment, the initiative supports economic development in impoverished rural communities .

According to the proposal, the Enterprise 2000 initiative has the potential to diversify rural economies by fostering small manufacturing, services, and retail opportunities. By tapping into local entrepreneurial energy and using communications technologies, the initiative aims to reverse negative economic trends and establish sound, diversified economies in small towns for the first time in generations .

Recycled computer hardware plays a crucial role in the Enterprise 2000 initiative by providing low-cost or free access to necessary computing equipment for disadvantaged entrepreneurs. This access is provided through collaboration with agencies that recondition and redistribute used computers, ensuring that participants can utilize modern information technologies .

The Virtual Community Group assumes that rural entrepreneurs already possess 90% of what is needed to compete in the marketplace, including intelligence, ambition, initiative, and talent. Their programs aim to provide the remaining 10% necessary to succeed, which includes technical skills and access to computing resources .

The Enterprise 2000 initiative proposes to create economic opportunities by fostering the development of small local enterprises in manufacturing, services, and retail. By equipping entrepreneurs with technological skills and resources, these businesses can overcome geographic isolation and engage in region-wide, national, or international markets, thus revitalizing the local economy .

The economic health of New Hampshire's rural communities has declined primarily due to the eradication of family farms by large-scale agribusiness and the loss of manufacturing jobs since 1960. These factors have led to many individuals, especially young people, moving to cities to seek employment, further depopulating and impoverishing rural areas .

The Enterprise 2000 initiative intends to level the communications playing field by offering classes in various computer skills, training for using the Internet and other networks, and providing access to reconditioned computer hardware. This approach ensures disadvantaged entrepreneurs can fully participate in the Information Revolution despite financial constraints .

The collaboration with microenterprise organizations offers strategic advantages such as leveraging resources to provide low-cost or free services like computer skills classes, technical training, and access to reconditioned hardware. These partnerships also help maximize the impact of every investment dollar and increase the initiative's credibility among community groups, policymakers, and funders .

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