Walmart gives $1 million to entrepreneurship program for veterans
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Walmart Foundation has announced a $1 million grant to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) Program.
The grant will send 300 veterans with disabilities to entrepreneurship bootcamp at Purdue University's Krannert School of Management and six other universities participating in EBV. The grant also will support expansion of the program to two additional schools.
EBV is designed to provide cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans disabled as a result of their military service.
Since 2007, more than 300 wounded veterans have graduated from the EBV program, and the training continues to be offered without any cost to participants.
The EBV program was founded at Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management. Other institutions offering EBV are UCLA's Anderson School of Management, Florida State University's College of Business, the Mays School of Business at Texas A&M University, the College of Business at the University of Connecticut, and the E.J. Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University.
Walmart becomes the second major corporate partner providing financial support to the program, joining PepsiCo, a partner since 2010.
Walmart's grant also will support EBV-Families (EBV-F), which provides small-business training for military family members. Walmart joins founding corporate sponsor Ernst & Young in supporting EBV-F, which is offered at Syracuse.
Writer: Judith Barra Austin, 765-494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu
Source: Tim Newton, Krannert director of external relations and communication, 765-496-7271, tnewton@purdue.edu