News
Power of Place: Winrock Fosters Revitalization and Innovation in Rural Arkansas
June 7, 2021
In the rear of an empty city lot in downtown Stuttgart, Arkansas, population 9,195, five school-aged kids sit down and quietly erect a giant Jenga tower. It’s just there, waiting to be built on a Saturday morning, so they do. Over on the side, a young couple plops into a pair of chairs facing an […]
Winrock International Announces New Online Hub for Opportunity Zone Investment
May 10, 2021
Little Rock, Ark. – May 10, 2021 – Winrock International and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission are proud to announce Opportunity Arkansas, Arkansas’s Opportunity Zone Investment Hub. Funded by the Delta Regional Authority and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Opportunity Arkansas builds the capacity of local leaders to develop investable projects that bolster small businesses and […]
Southern Small Businesses and Nonprofits Impacted by Covid Can Now Apply for Support from Multi-Million Dollar Fund
April 28, 2021
April 27, 2021 – Small business owners and nonprofits across the South can begin applying today for very low interest loans of up to $100,000 and free business support through the Southern Opportunity and Resilience (SOAR) Fund—a new program created by a diverse group of community lenders aimed at helping small businesses and nonprofits navigate and […]
Winrock International Announces New Small Business E-commerce Support Program
March 9, 2021
Little Rock, Ark. – March 10, 2021 – As fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge small businesses, Winrock International is pleased to announce the Small Business E-commerce Local Learning (SELL) project to support small businesses in Northwest Arkansas. Funded by the Walton Family Foundation, SELL leverages Winrock’s proven entrepreneurial programming support, coaching and […]
Winrock Introduces Early-Stage Fund to Close Financing Access Gap in Arkansas
December 10, 2020
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS – DECEMBER 10, 2020 – Winrock International is pleased to announce the Validation Fund, Arkansas’ first evergreen, not-for-profit fund dedicated to deploying early-stage awards to validation-stage Arkansas startup companies. Powered by an initial $1.1 million contribution from the Walton Family Foundation (WFF), the Validation Fund aids in the creation of jobs and […]
‘Making’ a Safer World
November 12, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic brought regular life to a halt, the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, which is implemented by Winrock International, launched a task force of independent makers and manufacturers to produce personal protective equipment (PPE). Using tools such as laser-cutters and 3D printers, the Hub’s task force produced face shields, acrylic barriers and other […]
Showing Resilience in Unprecedented Times
November 3, 2020
In January of 2020, Noah Asher was feeling good. Vascugenix, the Little Rock medical device startup where he serves as CEO, had completed its fundraising. It was on track to bring its first product — a medical device called the Speed Torque invented by Vascugenix co-founder Dr. Dwight Chrisman — to market by April. “We […]
USDA Rural Development and Winrock Launch Placemaking Project in Four Arkansas Communities
October 19, 2020
LITTLE ROCK, AR — October 19, 2020 — United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand today announced that USDA has signed cooperative agreements with five organizations to support placemaking technical assistance throughout the United States, including in four Arkansas communities. Winrock International will use a $215,000 grant to […]
Winrock Experts Share Knowledge and Insights at Concordia 2020
September 25, 2020
Once again, experts from Winrock International were a significant presence at the Concordia Summit, an annual gathering held during U.N. General Assembly week that brings together decision-makers and opinion-leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Although the event was virtual this year, it continued to draw ambassadors, CEOs and other headliners, including USAID Acting […]
Combating COVID-19 Challenges with Telemedicine Tech
August 27, 2020
By the time malaria swept through northeast Arkansas in 1899, the sisters of the Holy Angels Convent knew disease well. A cholera outbreak the year before had chased them from the community of Pocahontas to Jonesboro, 40 miles to the south. They had come to America from a convent in the Swiss Alps to teach […]