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January 3, 2002 -- Chevy Chase, Maryland. Noting the 67% unemployment rate on the Zuni reservation in northwest New Mexico, The Social Venture Capital Foundation, Inc., a Washington, DC area seed money philanthropy fund, today announced the award of a $5,000 seed money grant to Zuni Entrepreneurial Enterprises, Inc. (ZEE, Inc.), Zuni, NM. The grant and accompanying entrepreneurial consulting support will assist ZEE, Inc., to plan for, and develop, a new Electronic Enterprise Empowerment (3E) Center.

The new 3E Center is intended to provide computer training and employment for members of the Zuni tribe (and other nearby residents) with disabilities. ZEE, Inc. is the vocational rehabilitation agency for the Zuni Reservation. It currently operates grocery, recycling, and transportation enterprises that provide employment for those with disabilities.

"This seed grant, and the active support of The Social Venture Capital Foundation, will help us develop a winning strategy to make the 3E Center a reality,” said Larry Alflen, Executive Director of ZEE, Inc. “We aren't looking for a handout. We seek a corporate partner that will retain ZEE to provide competitively attractive online customer support. With this training and support in the 3E Center, we can enable our clients to earn an independent living." The Zuni reservation currently has a 67% unemployment rate.

Acknowledging that the seed money grant represents only a fraction of the total needed to fund the 3E Center project, Jeffrey H. Schwartz, President of The Social Venture Capital Foundation expressed confidence that “ZEE can make this project work.” According to Schwartz, the Foundation was impressed with the Tribal Council’s support for this project, ZEE’s track record of providing employment as well as training for its clients, and ZEE’s entrepreneurial approach to the triple problems of unemployment, disabilities, and physical distance from large employment centers. “This grant will enable ZEE, Inc. to take a big first step toward bridging the digital divide that keeps citizens with disabilities from meeting market needs in the increasingly electronic economy,” Schwartz said.

According to Alflen, ZEE, Inc., “We were encouraged by the public support that our proposal received from the residents of eight states and the District of Columbia, and by the Foundation’s decision to add $3,000 to the money contributed from the public.”

For more information on the seed grant, the Electronic Enterprise Empowerment Center Project, ZEE, Inc. and The Social Venture Capital Foundation, see the web site: www.seedsofchange.org/ZEE_seed_grant.htm.

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