The city of St. Petersburg leads the way to support and educate non-profits. The St. Petersburg Greenhouse’s Ice House Entrepreneurship program was recently launched based on the nationwide Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative. The program was presented by the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. The goal was to empower nonprofit organizations to use an entrepreneurial mindset to solve financial constraints by instilling business acumen that can drive innovation within organizations.
Participants are expected to learn entrepreneurial behaviors and skills as well as how to identify opportunities including support from the private sector. The Greenhouse identified a need for greater emphasis on nonprofit organizations that foster innovation within the community that help bring jobs to the region.
St. Pete has many nonprofits that address social, environmental and economic challenges facing not only the local economy but global communities. Such organizations have experienced declining support from local, state and federal governments since the Great Recession and have been forced to rely on volunteer labor and difficult to earn grants, according to the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative.
A public-private partnership between the city of St. Petersburg and the St Pete Chamber of Commerce has launched an eight-week course for leaders of nonprofit organizations aimed at helping them find creative and resourceful ways to bring in additional revenue.
The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay is funding the program. That sponsorship means attendees can participate at no charge. The classes usually cost users about $200, based on prices from Ice House programs in other areas. The Community Foundation connects donors to nonprofits whose work meets their concerns.
The Ice House program is meant to solve financial constraints facing nonprofit organizations by instilling business acumen that can drive innovation within organizations. Participating groups include the Boys and Girls Club, Goodwill and Mt. Zion Human Services.
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