Projects

The Deshpande Foundation plans to launch several initiatives as part of the Merrimack Valley Sandbox:

• A partnership with five colleges in the region – UMass Lowell, Middlesex Community College, Northern Essex Community College, Merrimack College and Cambridge College to promote entrepreneurship by college students.  The goal of this program is to provide students an opportunity to discover their passion, to develop project management skills, and to understand that entrepreneurship is a career option for them to undertake.
  
  
• Leadership development programs for various components of the community, including young professionals in the non-profit sector, entrepreneurship training for aspiring business and social entrepreneurs; and intensive executive education for non-profit leaders in the area. This will also be done in partnership with local colleges and non-profits.
  
  
• A leadership program to engage emerging leaders in the region to understand the challenges that the region is facing, and to engage them, their employers and their networks in the improvement of the region.
  
  
• A large-scale effort to provide technical and managerial support to a large group of commitment entrepreneurs through entrepreneurial mentoring and incubation services.
  
  
• Support innovative non-profit organizations, such as Teach for America, that are working in the region to make a difference.
  
  
• Partner with philanthropic organizations, like the Boston Foundation, that have a presence in that area and have common goals with the Deshpande Foundation.