MARTINSVILLE, VA – Thursday, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that 52 organizations from across the United States will receive grants totaling $35 million.
Patrick Henry Community College is was one of the recipients and was awarded $300,474.
The US Economic Development Administration’s Build to Scale grants, which are presented annually to projects that support entrepreneurship and accelerate economic growth, garnered a competitive pool of more than 600 applications this year.
“These standout projects will now have the resources to expand their success and build on the advanced environment the Trump Administration is creating for American businesses,” Ross remarked.
The college says it will use the funding to add capacity to the Dalton IDEA Center, their hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, and to expand similar programming to Patrick County.
Established in 2016, the Dalton IDEA Center serves as a technology accelerator for innovation-based economic development and houses multiple resources and programs including the Fab Lab, Big IDEA Challenge, Startup and Grow Martinsville, and the Verizon Innovative Learning STEM camp.
With the funding, PHCC will increase the capability and the reach of the Dalton IDEA Center to multiply the ways the college can support local entrepreneurs.
“We are thrilled to receive this competitive grant,” said Rhonda Hodges, the college’s Vice President of Workforce Economic and Community Development. “The fact that we could secure a grant like this underscores the strength of our programs, the skill of our team, and the positive economic impact that our initiatives are having in our community.”