Community Programs

Community Projects became a part of the Hannah Grimes model when we saw that no matter how hard we worked with an individual entrepreneur, it was not always enough. The “soil” for entrepreneurship in the community often needed tilling. The philosophy behind these Community Projects lay in the notion that if you just put enough smart, motivated people in the same room and gave them a few key tools, they could likely come up with a solution. These projects are intended to fill gaps that are not being met in the community.

We close these projects down or let them go when we feel the need has been filled by other groups in the community. Examples of letting go of projects include our first community project, the Hannah Grimes Localvore Project. At the time we started it in 2006, there was not a lot of resources available to directly connect farmers and consumers. We have seen a burgeoning interest in this area in recent years and this year the Localvore Project took on a life of its own in the community with its own Steering Committee.
Likewise, the Pinnacle Mountain Broadband Committee formed around a group of motivated rural residents lacking broadband. The Committee successfully piloted a wireless, last-mile broadband project. Hannah Grimes brought in grant funding to bring it to commercial stage, a second round of funding to bring the effort to a point where the company was able to attract Angel financing. With all the interest and dollars for rural broadband these days, we also closed down the Pinnacle Mountain Broadband Committee in 2010.