
The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (www.nfte.com) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, whose mission is to teach entrepreneurship to young people from low-income communities to enhance their economic productivity by improving their business, academic, and life skills. Since 1987, NFTE has reached over 186,000 young people.
Currently, NFTE has more than 1,000 active Certified Entrepreneurship Teachers in 21 states and 13 countries outside the U.S.
Founded by Steve Mariotti, former New York City public school teacher, NFTE originally began as a dropout prevention and academic performance improvement program for students who were at risk of failing or quitting school.
NFTE's entrepreneurship education program helps turn students' "street smarts into business smarts" by teaching the business skills they need to start their own small business, while reinforcing basic academic skills. NFTE's goal is to give young people the skills and confidence to unlock their true potential, so they can improve their lives and their communities. Through NFTE, students learn how to create a business plan, keep books, and master other business fundamentals.
Research shows that NFTE's program has a strong and positive impact on many of its graduates. A study conducted by Harvard University Graduate School of Education indicates that youth entrepreneurship programs such as NFTE are particularly effective at keeping students from low-income urban backgrounds on the academic track and can be a significant force in driving them toward high achievement and leadership.