Social Entrepreneurship to Be Highlighted at the National Urban League Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida

    NEW YORK, July 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Thursday, July 31,
 2008, the Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI) will host the finals of the
 Social Venture Plan Competition at the 2008 National Urban League Annual
 Conference in Orlando, Florida. The competition, sponsored by The
 Prudential Foundation and FedEx Corporation, identifies and showcases
 successful and replicable social ventures operated by Urban League
 affiliates, and serves as a model for innovative and sustainable
 public/private collaboration.
 
     Teams from Cincinnati, Hartford, Jacksonville, Lorain County, New York,
 Philadelphia and Tucson will compete in the finals for over $100,000 in
 start up cash and consulting services to launch their social
 entrepreneurial and non-profit initiatives. The winners will be announced
 at the Whitney M. Young Gala on August 2, 2008.
 
     The competition is sponsored by Prudential Foundation and FedEx and all
 of the finalists will receive feedback on their social venture plans from
 accomplished judges, Alfred Edmond (Editor-in-Chief, Black Enterprise.com),
 Julius Walls Jr. (CEO, Greyston Bakery), and Linda Roach (Partner, Oakcrest
 Capital Partners).
 
     In the face of declining support for endowments and the highly
 competitive nature of grant funding, nonprofits are increasingly
 integrating entrepreneurial strategies as a way to tackle social problems.
 They seek to earn capital in order to sustain their missions and, for many,
 build their capacity to consistently deliver services to the underserved.
 President and C.E.O. of the National Urban League, Marc H. Morial explains,
 
     "I envision an entrepreneurial Urban League movement that enjoys
 economic sustainability while empowering communities and changing lives.
 Social entrepreneurship is the new community service grant. FedEx and the
 Prudential Foundation are supporting the creativity and drive of our
 affiliates to provide the services that our communities demand."
 
     The EOI Social Venture Plan Competition is simultaneously a practicum
 in competing for investment funds and also a vehicle to provide funding and
 in-kind services to those that demonstrate the greatest potential for
 success. This last round of the competition is open to the public and is a
 great opportunity for residents of the Orlando area to learn about
 opportunities in social entrepreneurship, and network with social
 entrepreneurs/Nonprofit leaders.
 
     Established in 2003, the National Urban League's Economic Opportunity
 Institute (EOI) empowers communities and changes lives by promoting social
 entrepreneurship as a strategy to achieve sustainable social change.
 
 
 

SOURCE National Urban League