Brown Student Agencies has decided to reinvest the proceeds generated from student business ventures to fund an additional C.V. Starr Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship, a summer grant awarded through the Swearer Center for Public Service to support socially responsible entrepreneurship. According to the center's website, the fellowship gives 10 to 15 students up to $4,000 for individual fellows and $6,000 for groups to support innovative, student-run social initiatives.
"This will be about entrepreneurs supporting entrepreneurs," said Alan Harlam, director of social entrepreneurship at the Swearer Center. "It will be a really great partnership of students involved in business helping other students start a social initiative."
"C.V. Starr has a great structure already," said Laura Ucik '13, director of customer relations for BSA. "Funding a C.V. Starr grant was a group team decision, and it really aligns a lot with what BSA stands for."
BSA began looking for ways to support social entrepreneurs several weeks ago. Three leaders of the organization met with Harlam and were "immediately excited" about the opportunity to invest in a Starr fellowship, Harlam said.
"BSA wanted to see that the fruits of its labor could be reinvested to help other students start businesses," he said.
The fellowship, a 10-week summer opportunity, offers student participants financial support, guidance, mentoring and skill development workshops to advance their projects. The Starr fellows also have mandatory meetings from March until November to exchange feedback on their projects, Harlam said. After the summer, students may also apply for up to $7,000 in matching funds to continue their projects.
Students apply for the fellowship with project proposals and are evaluated by a selection committee composed of five mentors. One student from BSA will serve on this selection committee, and the BSA board will view the applications, Ucik said.
Though BSA will start by funding only one fellowship this year, it hopes to expand to supporting two next year, she added.
"I think the intention is to continue this partnership," Harlam said. "BSA is looking to see how it works this time."
