Supporting re-entry through entrepreneurship.
Providing support for new businesses. Investing in safer communities.
At MVG, we believe in the power of the individual to change his or her circumstances. But we know people also need support to get started. We’re here to help. Our aim is to identify formerly incarcerated individuals who have strong potential to be successful entrepreneurs, connect them with a pool of talented mentors, and provide backing (grants or low-interest loans) to get their ideas off the ground.
Beating the odds: Formerly incarcerated people deserve a fair shot at success.
There are 5 million formerly incarcerated people living in the U.S., and nearly 1.4 million at any given time are unemployed, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Most employers will not hire applicants with a criminal record, and banks will usually not provide loans to people with felony convictions. Given the myriad obstacles to succes, almost half of people leaving prison reoffend and wind up back behind bars. We want to break that cycle. We intend to help people reintegrate succesfully into society, as well as strengthen the economies of local communities, helping to reduce crime.
What we do at MVG: The details and how you can apply.
Business success is both financially and psychologically empowering. Although we can’t help everyone leaving prison (we wish we could), we aim to identify individuals who have the drive and ambition to leave a positive mark on the world. We are selective about who we choose to accept into our program. If you have a great idea, spark, and determination, and simply lack financial resources and connections, we strongly encourage you to apply. Unfortunately, we cannot provide assistance for housing, living expenses or other reentry support, but we do provide some links to these types of programs and services on our resources page.
Want to be a part of our effort? There are lots of ways you can contribute.
If you like what we do, and you want to get involved, there are many ways you can support our mission. We accept general donations as well as donations to support specific projects/entrepreneurs. We are also always delighted to add to our network of volunteer mentors. If you are a successful business person who wishes to impart some of your wisdom to our program recipients, feel free to drop us a line!
Our organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit and donations are tax-exempt. Currently, we do not have paid staff members, and more than 90% of donations go directly to program recipients.