At the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship we envision a world in which cultural entrepreneurship creates cultural value and wealth, self-determination, and cultural diversity in communities across the globe. We envision a world in which cultural entrepreneurs are catalysts for cultural innovation through their cultural enterprises. Toward this vision, we are creating the globe's first networked community of cultural entrepreneurs, cultural investors, and cultural entrepreneurship educators.

Cultural entrepreneurs are different from cultural managers; entrepreneurs pursue opportunities without regard to resources currently under control and take calculated risks in order to achieve outcomes that benefit people widely. Managers, on the other hand, apply standard practices to sustain functional organizational systems. The training and development of cultural entrepreneurs is different than that of cultural managers.

Cultural industries develop only when talented cultural entrepreneurs gain access to the resources needed to successfully meet growing market demand; the gap in support services for cultural entrepreneurs must be met to fully capture the opportunities cultural enterprises offer as tools to alleviate poverty, sustain cultural value, and promote diversity in the global marketplace.

The Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship will address this gap.

What is Cultural Entrepreneurship?

Cultural entrepreneurship is an emerging area of practice and theory. Underlying the growing interest in cultural entrepreneurship is the understanding that sustainable change can only be developed when innovations are crafted from endemic cultural knowledge and traditions.

The people developing these innovations and bringing them to markets are cultural entrepreneurs, individuals passionate about their cultural heritage and determined to bring this cultural wealth to broad audiences. Cultural entrepreneurs are resourceful visionaries, generating revenues from culturally embedded knowledge systems and activities; their innovative applications of traditions to markets result in economically sustainable cultural enterprises. Although they may work in the American Southwest, Africa, India, China or Great Britain, successful cultural entrepreneurs:

• Are visionary leaders who have passion for creating cultural enterprises.

• Leverage “cultural capital” through innovation, thus furthering cultural values, traditions, knowledge, and local livelihoods.

• Create a “whole cloth” of cultural diversity and sustainability, weaving together economic, social, environmental, and cultural values.

• Remain mission driven and market-focused, creating both financial wealth and cultural value.

• Drive the creation of new cultural markets and industries.

To learn more about the specific ways cultural entrepreneurs are galvanizing social change and creating economic and cultural wealth in their communities.