Urban Enterprise Center Receives Multi-Year Funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

SEATTLE -- The Urban Enterprise Center (UEC) a nonprofit program of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce's Center for Community Service announced today a three-year grant totaling $75,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. The grant will support current and future activities in the areas of job creation, race relations and economic development.

The UEC and the Center for Community Service create new partnerships and collaborations that bring resources to Greater Seattle urban communities. The program's mission is to enhance the quality of life for all by accelerating the positive dynamics of urban communities through job creation, promoting open communication, and building economic opportunities.

"Addressing economic development and establishing better race relations are some of the most critical issues for Seattle in the 21st century," said Herman McKinney, vice president of Urban Affairs, Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the Urban Enterprise Center. "This gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation will allow the UEC to continue to focus on the depth needed to bring opportunities to the Central Area, as well as raise the level of racial understanding throughout the entire community."

The UEC's Forums on Race Program sets in motion conversations in the community to break down the barriers of race by increasing contact, expanding understanding, and building friendships and working relationships among people of diverse backgrounds. The UEC uses a three part strategy to create opportunities for significant dialogue and conversation: (1) It's Time to Talk – a luncheon series that features nationally and internationally acclaimed speakers; (2) In-home Dinner Groups – a series of on-going facilitated dinner discussion groups, held in private homes, centered on personal experiences with race; and (3) Community Dinner & Dialogues – held in various Seattle community centers provide in-depth discussion in a neighborhood setting.

The Urban Enterprise Center's Corporate Jobs Challenge program works to increase the number of employment opportunities for Seattle's residents of color. Through the Corporate Jobs Challenge, the UEC recruits companies that share the values of ensuring racial equity and improving Seattle's inter-urban areas. Since 1995, more than 900 companies participating in this effort have helped to place more than 6,070 residents into working wage positions.