UConn Foundation Receives $40,000 Grant from Newman’s Own Foundation

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Tiffany Ventura Thiele

2 min read

The UConn Foundation has been awarded a $40,000 grant from Newman’s Own Foundation, the independent foundation created by the late actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman.

The funds will support the UConn School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, a program offering cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management for post-9/11 veterans with disabilities resulting from their service to the country.

“This grant is an incredible help for our program,” said Lt. Col. Michael Zacchea (USMC retired), director, Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV). “It’s about 11 percent of our annual budget. In real terms, it covers the cost of having the veterans here for the 10-day boot camp.”

UConn’s School of Business is one of 10 business schools and universities nationwide that offer the EBV program. Since 2010, UConn’s program has helped many veteran graduates launch their own businesses and attain economic self-sufficiency.

“We are now in our seventh class,” said Zacchea. “We’ve graduated 157 veterans, who have started 107 for-profit businesses and 11 non-profits, which have produced more than $35 million in gross revenues and employ more than 300 people. We’ve also helped 13 veterans get into a career-track higher education, and another 24 find career-track employment.”

“We are proud to fund the team at UConn’s EBV program as they work to make a difference for the men and women who have served,” said Bob Forrester, president and CEO, Newman’s Own Foundation. “It is one of the many organizations empowering veterans to learn and to build successful careers.”

Newman’s Own Foundation has been supporting military nonprofit organizations for more than 20 years, with a total of $13.5 million donated since 2010. The Foundation continues Paul Newman’s commitment to give all profits and royalties from the sale of Newman’s Own food and beverage products to charity. Since 1982, more than $475 million has been donated to thousands of charities around the world.

For more information about UConn’s EBV program, and to see a video about how veterans transform from “warriors to entrepreneurs,” visit http://ebv.business.uconn.edu.

Join the Newman’s Own Foundation in supporting the EBV program

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