By increasing awareness and involvement, these communities can significantly boost the food supply for the hungry. Young people represent an enormous and generally untapped source of energy, ingenuity, and empathy that can be channeled to address local hunger problems with great results. The objective is to facilitate the implementation of cutting edge, forward thinking entrepreneurship education initiatives by covering direct costs associated with new or significantly expanded programs which may include populations that might otherwise not be exposed to the concept and option of self employment. Proposals focusing on general business education, free enterprise or economics do not qualify. Grassroots leaders and organizations constantly confront barriers and opportunities thrust upon them by shifts in state policy.
B requires grassroots leaders to build their skills for engaging in state policy.
In the past two years, the Foundation funded 11 clusters of grassroots organizations in collaboration with statewide policy organizations to build the skills of grassroots leaders and to support the application of those new skills in state policy debates on a particular issue. In 2000 and 2001, the Foundation will make up to ten additional grants, some to new clusters and some to currently funded clusters to continue their work. Addressing the issue of economic illiteracy has been the mission since its inception. To disseminate economic thinking and knowledge by all available means, to the end that greater happiness and prosperity may come to all through better understanding. To produce materials, conduct lectures, promote discussions and, in every possible way, assist in the development of greater economic literacy.