$77,916,137 and Counting
Since its inception, the Ratcliffe Foundation has distributed close to $78 Million to 31 direct grant partners.
31 Direct Grant Partners
In addition, more than 30 community colleges across the nation won funding from the Ratcliffe Foundation at NACCE’s annual Pitch For the Trades Competitions and this program continues to grow each year.
Learn more about our grant recipients and the great work they are doing to prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs and workers for in demand jobs.
Awarded Grants
We are pleased to announce 2025 New Grant Awards. The following recent award recipients are long-term grant partners with proven track records of implementing outstanding programs and continually adapting to meet the needs of their communities.
Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) Foundation
$1,680,000 over three years to support the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute scholarships, business pitch competition and applied entrepreneurial activities. In addition, this grant includes scholarships for in demand workforce programs in Allied Health and Skilled Trades.
Anne Arundel Community College received the Ratcliffe Foundation’s first grant in 2003 to support scholarships for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners as part of the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute. For more than two decades the foundation has continued to providing funding for this program. More recently, the foundation has provided funding for AACC’s Clauson Center for Skilled Trades and the Allied Health programs.
Baldwin Wallace University (BW)
Baldwin Wallace University: $675,000 over three years to support the Ratcliffe Innovation Consultants (RIC) Program that is part of the University’s Center for Innovation and Growth.
BWU was the Ratcliffe Foundation’s second grant partner. Since 2009 they have received funding to provide students with applied learning opportunities with the business community. The BWU RIC provides consulting, with faculty supervision, for local businesses. Their consulting services include market research, customer discovery, product feedback, data collection & analysis and the creation of custom marketing resources including social media campaigns and website development.
National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE)
$675,000 over three years to support the annual Pitch for the Skilled Trades competition, program awards including grant funds for new skilled trades training programs, one year institutional subscription to SkillPoint, and participation in the winners’ professional development cohort.
Since the inaugural 2020 Pitch for the Trades Competition, 31 community colleges from across the United States have received funding to launch new workforce training programs on their campuses.
Project Opportunity
$294,399 over three years to provide entrepreneurship training courses, individual business counseling, professional development workshops and seminars, and business pitch competitions for military spouses and dependents.
Salisbury University (SU), Perdue School of Business
$900,000 over three years to support SU Shore Hatchery by providing funding for their Business Pitch Competitions; along with other resources, space and mentoring for business startups.
The Ratcliffe Foundation has been supporting SU’s Shore Hatchery competitions and entrepreneurial activities since 2013. Since the inception of the Shore Hatchery competition in 2013, SU has awarded more than $2,190,000 in grant funds to Mid-Atlantic area startups. They have successfully helped more than 57 businesses launch & grow their new ventures, generating $22,181,242 in annual revenue in 2024 and creating hundreds of jobs in the region.
University of Delaware (UD)
$450,000 over three years to support the Ratcliffe Eco Entrepreneurship Fellows REEF@UD. This program provides entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and funding support for innovators with ideas, inventions, or passion to make a positive impact through eco entrepreneurship.