NEIDEAS SMALL BUSINESS CHALLENGE RETURNS MAY 1

A kickoff information session will be held Tuesday, May 1, at the Bel Air Cinema at 10100 East 8

Mile Road in Detroit.

DETROIT (24 April 2018) – The New Economy Initiative (NEI) announced today that it will begin
accepting applications on May 1 for its NEIdeas: Rewarding Ideas for Business Growth
challenge. In its fifth year, NEIdeas will award 26 existing small businesses in Detroit,
Hamtramck, and Highland Park $10,000 each for their ideas for growth.
Applications for this year’s NEIdeas can be submitted online at NEIdeasDetroit.org between
May 1 and June 1 at 11:59 p.m.
The premise of NEIdeas is simple – business owners have ideas to grow their businesses, they
just need capital to realize them. NEIdeas offers grants to for‐profit businesses that are at least
three years old and located in Detroit, Hamtramck, or Highland Park – regardless of their type
or industry. Those businesses are asked to share their idea to grow in a straightforward, 400‐
word application that can be submitted online at NEIdeasDetroit.org. For the full program
guidelines and information on eligibility, visit https://neideasdetroit.org/guidelines/rules‐
eligibility/.
Since its launch in 2014, NEIdeas has awarded 118 local businesses a total of $1.9 million to
help them realize their ideas for growth, as well as connected hundreds of others to technical
assistance opportunities. More than 70 percent of past NEIdeas winners are minority‐owned
businesses, and 60 percent are woman‐owned businesses. For a full list of past winners, visit
NEIdeasDetroit.org. Thanks to an extensive outreach campaign, NEIdeas has received
applications from businesses in every ZIP code in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park. In
2017, NEIdeas received a record number of applications from almost 700 local businesses.
“We are incredibly proud of the diversity of neighborhood businesses and owners that this
challenge celebrates,” said Pamela Lewis, NEI’s director. “These small business owners create
vibrancy in our neighborhoods, city, and region.”
Small business owners can learn more about NEIdeas and receive tips on filling out an
application at a kickoff information session on Tuesday, May 1, from 5‐8 p.m. at the Bel Air
Cinema, a winner of last year’s NEIdeas challenge located at 10100 East 8 Mile Road in Detroit.
RSVP to the kickoff info session here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/neideas‐info‐session‐
workshop‐bel‐air‐cinema‐tickets‐44919876560.

Additional information sessions will be held throughout the month of May:
• 5/8, 6‐8 p.m. – Taqueria El Nacimiento, 7400 Vernor Hwy., Detroit (¡En español!)
• 5/10, 6‐8 p.m. – Detroit Sip, 7420 W McNichols Rd., Detroit
• 5/15, 2‐4 p.m. ‐‐ Detroit Public Library‐Parkman Branch, 1766 Oakman Blvd., Detroit
• 5/17, 6‐8 p.m. ‐‐ Grand River Work Place, 19120 Grand River Ave., Detroit
• 5/21, 6‐8 p.m. ‐‐ Oloman Café, 10215 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck
• 5/24 6‐8 p.m. – Eastside Community Network, 4401 Conner St., Detroit
• 5/31, 10:30 a.m.‐1:30 p.m. – TechTown, 440 Burroughs St, Detroit
A full list of NEIdeas info sessions can be found at https://neideasdetroit.org/events/.
Business owners interested in receiving additional assistance with their applications can visit
one of 28 NEIdeas Ambassador locations across Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park.
Business owners whose primary language is not English can receive assistance through the
nonprofit Global Detroit. For more information about where to receive application assistance,
visit https://neideasdetroit.org/people/ambassadors/.
WATCH: Detroit poet Jessica Care Moore celebrates past NEIdeas winners’ contributions to
their communities – https://vimeo.com/243182385.
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About the New Economy Initiative
The New Economy Initiative (NEI) is a philanthropic collaboration working to grow an inclusive
culture of entrepreneurship in southeast Michigan that benefits all residents and strengthens
the regional economy. A special project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan,
NEI acts as a strategic grant maker, convener, and storyteller in its efforts to build and sustain a
network of support for diverse entrepreneurs who are creating a better future for their
communities. Learn more at https://neweconomyinitiative.org.

The New Economy Initiative is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Ford Foundation, the Hudson‐Webber
Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Max M.
and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, the McGregor Fund, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, the
Skillman Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the William
Davidson Foundation.