Local college awarded $1 million by RK Mellon Foundation to support economic revitalization

WASHINGTON, Pa. — Washington & Jefferson College has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to support economic revitalization in Washington, Pennsylvania. This includes the renovation and expansion of the five-year-old Ignite Business Incubator, deemed a crucial element to foster entrepreneurship and meet growing demand for programming.

W&J said the funding will be used to advance a collaborative effort between the college and the City of Washington to improve quality of life for residents and support small business development. The college and city have worked jointly to identify priority initiatives for implementation through a multi-year planning process.

Since Ignite’s debut in 2021, it has graduated more than 150 small businesses through its Ideas 2 Enterprise program, a five-week business accelerator program available free to Washington County residents and which serves as a bridge between W&J and the local community.