Ecosystem Builders give their time, energy, connections, and sanity for the sake of supporting the community, mentoring entrepreneurs, and running programs that strengthen local ecosystems.
But it's rare for them to make a living doing so - and that's a big problem. If we don't support Ecosystem Builders, dreams of Entrepreneur-Led Economic Development are as good as dead.
At EcoMap, ecosystem builders matter a lot to us - so we're putting our money where our mouth is.
When the question is "How do we fix the lack of funding for ____ ?",
the answer is simple: Fund Them.
You are not working for us. You do not have to write a report on your activities. You do not have to check off boxes on a grant application. We are funding you because you do meaningful work, and we don't want to distract from that. We'll pay you & give you access to whatever resources we have - you do the work that matters to your community.
The impact of an ecosystem builder is not measured in # of exits, amount of capital brought into an ecosystem, or other vanity metrics that are the favorites of grants. Their impact is measured in the entrepreneurs they support and the community initiatives that they execute - it's on these metrics that applicants will be judged
The problem is lack of funding, so we're providing funding. However, just because we're quick to an idea doesn't mean we won't take time to think through the best way to structure it. We're taking time to convene with ecosystem builders to design the best possible program & focus our outreach to ensure it gets in front of the ecosystem builders who need it most
We will announce more details, including the application structure & evaluation model - we'll be very transparent about how we will evaluate applicants
Apps will open in late September and will be open for a month, closing in late October. The recipient(s) will be notified sometime in November.
The salary will begin! There will be no lengthy reporting requirements or hoops to jump through - just a monthly salary to fund your work