Seattle-Based Nonprofit Community Carrot Seeks First Paid, Full-Time Executive Director to Empower Young Entrepreneurs from Historically Marginalized Communities

Grants from M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and BECU Help Expand Capacity

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Community Carrot is hiring its first paid, full-time executive director to lead its efforts to support young entrepreneurs through programming, funding, and mentorship. With recent grants from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust of Vancouver, Washington, and BECU, Washington’s largest credit union, Community Carrot is looking to expand its capacity.

“The Murdock Trust is pleased to support the expansion of Community Carrot’s leadership team,” says Jennifer Groth, senior program officer of Civic Engagement & Community Services at the Murdock Trust. “We look forward to seeing the organization’s continued impact as more Seattle community members are given the chance to dive into entrepreneurship and education through Community Carrot’s innovative offerings.”

“We’re grateful for the incredible support of M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and BECU for their contributions to our community of young entrepreneurs,” said Kesha Rogers, Board Chair, Community Carrot. “For us to continue to deliver comprehensive business instruction, and provide startup funding and mentors, we need to expand our leadership team as well as funding to support our program.

Community Carrot provides qualified candidates with free, 16-week microbusiness training instruction for young entrepreneurs from historically marginalized communities. Each class focuses on foundational building blocks of running a successful business, including marketing, branding, competitive analysis, understanding customer demographics and psychographics, financial literacy, budgeting, forecasting, and developing and presenting a basic business plan.

“About 20% of African Americans say owning a business is essential to financial success,” said Ms. Rogers. “When entrepreneurs come from privileged backgrounds, they can afford to take the risks all startups face, but for those from low-income backgrounds, many are unable to imagine taking the risks necessary to launch a business – and that’s exactly where Community Carrot helps.”

Funding from M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and BECU will help underwrite expenses for the next three years for its first paid executive director. BECU’s support is part of the credit union’s Black Community Development Project—a five-year, $5 million commitment to improve the overall financial health and well-being of the Black community. Those interested in the Executive Director position can review the job description and apply.

About Community Carrot

Community Carrot advances racial equity and social justice by equipping Seattle's entrepreneurial young adults from low-income backgrounds with tools and support to launch successful businesses. Born from a community response to violence, we lead with the “carrot” of entrepreneurship training rather than the “stick” of incarceration. To date, 66 graduates of Community Carrot have become founders of their own businesses or nonprofit organizations. Visit www.CommunityCarrot.org for more information.

About M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, provides grants to organizations in five states of the Pacific Northwest—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington—that seek to strengthen the region’s educational and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways. Visit www.murdocktrust.org for more information.