*James Oliver is the founder of the ParentPreneur Foundation. This organization focuses on providing help and resources to black parents who are also entrepreneurs that want to establish a secure livelihood and leave a legacy for their progeny.
Oliver conceived the organization based on his experience of being a new father of twins struggling to balance home life while building a viable startup business. Oliver was admitted to a startup accelerator program but could not fulfill his obligations due to his son’s health issues.
As a result, he decided to launch, in the middle of the pandemic, the ParentPreneur Foundation to empower other Black ParentPreneurs. The organization started with a $50,000 seed grant from renowned entrepreneur, author, blogger, and venture capitalist Brad Feld of Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado. Oliver quickly turned that into $200,000 of value for his community. The foundation launched with 50 members and has snowballed to over 1000 members.
The 2021 programs already underway include providing funding for mental therapy, virtual assistants, virtual tutors for members’ children, baby sisters, business legal services, and LinkedIn consulting to assist members in increasing their social capital.
Recently, the organization partnered with the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center and their Mentor Makers Movement program, which will help Parentpreneur members take their businesses to the next level.
Since starting the foundation in July of 2020, Oliver has given away $30,000 in grants via three rounds of $1,000 for ten people in his community. The foundation’s latest financial giveaway is in the form of grants for Black father business owners just in time for Father’s Day; ten Dadpreneurs will receive $1000 grants.
As stated on their website, “we look holistically at Black ParentPreneurs, our grants aren’t prescriptive, meaning, and we don’t tell people how to spend the money. If they need to take a vacation to improve their relationship with a spouse or pay for childcare, we encourage them to use the grants for whatever will ease their parenting or business lifestyles.”
ParentPreneur Foundation wants its members to see themselves as great parents, partners or spouses, and entrepreneurs — so their children will lead inspired, purposeful, and prosperous lives because of the choices their parents made.
The organization wants to tell the story of the transformation of Black ParentPreneurs from struggle and loneliness to triumph and community.
Recipients will be announced on June 18, 2021. To apply for one of the 10 $1,000 Black DadPreneur’s Day grants, click here Link
For more information about James Oliver Jr.’s foundation visit www.parentpreneurfoundation.org
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