ABOUT US
Our Misson:
- To provide economic and re-entry opportunity by training and funding low-cost business start-ups for potential entrepreneurs from traditionally marginalized or at-risk communities.Â
-  To build a consortium of businesses who mentor, support, and grow with each other. Â
- To provide entrepreneurship and life skills training to potential employees of consortium businesses.
Our Vision:
- Close the Loop:Â
- Grow the businesses in the consortium to the size necessary to support the owner and at least one employee. Â
- Develop and get the curriculum into the prison system to teach the entrepreneurship, financial management, and life skills necessary to be a viable candidate for employment. Â
- Sustain the Organization: Grow $1,000 Start-Ups Consortium’s revenue from sales of the curriculum and books to be able to hire full-time staff and reduce the need for soft funding.
$1,000 Start-Ups is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation ​(Federal Tax ID: 85-2661417)
Our Board
Our dedicated Board sets the course for The $1,000 Start-Ups Consortium. Through their effort and with the support of our donors and sponsors we are working to build an organization with sustainable funding that provides economic and reentry opportunity to traditionally underserved communities.
- Leah Ward-Lee, Co-Founder & Executive Director
- Tony X. Lee, Co-Founder, Director, and Board Member
- Rev. Anthony C. Daniel, Director & Board Member
- Samuel O. Lane, Director & Board Member
- Chef Xylina Green, Board Member and Owner, Island Personal Chefs
- Connor Fasel, Board Member and Owner, Millennial Touch, LLC
- T.R. Richardson, Board Member and Owner, Richwood International, LLC
Our Partners
The $1,000 Start-Ups Consortium is supported by our generous grantors, donors, collaborators and supporters. Together we are working to grow our small business community.
Our Constortium Members
The $1,000 StartUps Consortium is a network of local business owners and representatives of local organizations who mentor, encourage, refer, supply, purchase, sell, and market together within the scope of the $1,000 Start-Ups values.