Self-Determination through Entrepreneurship
Foundation Priorities
The Quarles Foundation plans to focus on the following activities/investment areas:
College
We want to support academically underperforming, but entrepreneurially-minded, high-school students with a story. We will be funding scholarships for those who are headed to four-year colleges and universities.
Vocational Schooling
We also believe that college isn’t for everyone and that vocational schools can be a real door-opener to entrepreneurship. We will be funding scholarships for those who want to pursue their vocational passions.
Small Business
We recognize that funding tops the list of challenges for most small businesses, but definitely for minority-owned ones. We will be making micro-grants to double and triple-bottom-line SMBs that demonstrate hardship and/or want to accelerate growth in a particular area.
Entrepreneurship Fund
The foundation will work toward seeding an endowment meant to support entrepreneurs at HBCUs through summer stipends. These stipends will make it affordable for students to dedicate (at least) a summer to taking an idea to market or to launching a company.
Partnerships
We seek partners who share/align with our values. We intend to work with numerous partners because our goals and dreams of impact are too big to be accomplished by a single organization.