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Because of the SPARK Women's Business Accelerator's commitment to serving under- <br />resourced women, a significant number of our African -American graduates live in divested <br />neighborhoods and can be engaged specifically to utilize their business acumen for targeted <br />neighborhood revitalization. <br />The 2019 pilot activity would include: <br />1) Surveying targeted areas in the Near Northwest Neighborhood to identify current and <br />aspiring business owners who would benefit from technical assistance and mentorship. <br />2) Research and Development in preparation for the 11-week accelerator in the Near <br />Northwest Neighborhood. <br />3) Study of best practices on neighborhood -based women's entrepreneurship <br />development applicable to small cities in the Midwest. <br />4) Establishment of an off -campus community presence at a site in the NNN, including <br />the engagement of Entrepreneurs -in -Residence. <br />Key activities be ping n n in 2020 include: <br />1. Providing an appropriate version of the SPARK program in the NNN, based on identified <br />best practices, and our learnings about local needs. <br />2. Hosting "office hours" to assist local entrepreneurs, in partnership with the Entrepreneurs <br />in Residence and other ecosystem partners detailed above. <br />The steady success of WEI programming over the last nine years has brought increased <br />community and corporate partnerships. These partner organizations provide referrals, shared <br />outreach, complimentary community development programs, specialized training and shared <br />content, business mentorship, access to capital, and more. Key partners include: <br />• Graduates of the SPARK women's business accelerator living in or near the NNN <br />• City of South Bend Mayor's Office and Department of Community Investment <br />• Thrive Michiana, a small-scale, sustainable development company working in the <br />NNN <br />• Near Northwest Neighborhood, Inc. <br />• Kingdom Life Cathedral, a neighborhood church developing 16 vacant lots in the NNN <br />• Incremental Development Alliance <br />• Inspectus, a startup that helps small businesses in the food industry to remain compliant <br />with relevant codes. <br />• Kokoro, a startup that supports the wellbeing of small business owners <br />• FoundRE Inc., a startup that makes it easy for small businesses to find and rent <br />industrial space. <br />• INVANTI, a startup generator <br />• Indiana Small Business Development Corporation <br />• SCORE Michiana Chapter <br />11 <br />