Visa USA will distribute a $300,000 grant to the National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Foundation, which offers educational programs designed to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in students.

NFIB president and CEO, Todd Stottlemyer, says the NFIB/Visa USA partnership is a solid step towards promoting careers in entrepreneurship to more high school and college aged students. "The U.S. economy and our rapidly changing world of new ideas, products and technologies depend upon the entrepreneurial spirit flourishing in America."

"Having the support of Visa USA for NFIB's Young Entrepreneur Foundation initiatives is a rewarding acknowledgement that our programs truly do encourage students to imagine themselves as entrepreneurs." The three primary resources the Visa grant will sponsor are:

1. The Entrepreneur-in-the-Classroom program (EITC): a three module curriculum designed to bring real life stories of entrepreneurship into the classroom. The program enables students to learn firsthand about the rewards, risks and opportunities of operating a small business.
2. Take Time to Teach (T3) Mentoring: a program designed to familiarize teachers with the subjects of small business and entrepreneurship. NFIB members serve as mentors to educators and offer real world advice and expertise on starting and running a business. This program supports the EITC curriculum.
3. Johnny Money: The Online Game: This integral component of the EITC programs enhances students' exploration of the risks and rewards of small business ownership. The game will be used to reinforce lessons learned through the EITC curriculum by simulating the daily responsibilities of a small business.

"Encouraging America's youth to see the importance of entrepreneurship is incredibly important to Visa," says Rhonda Bentz, vice president, Visa USA. "One of the best ways to inspire our youth to consider careers as entrepreneurs is to introduce the skills needed to succeed at an early age."

In addition, Visa USA has agreed to again cobrand the top five scholarship awards to young entrepreneurs distributed though NFIB YEF's Young Entrepreneur Scholarship Awards Program. This is the fourth straight year Visa USA has been the primary corporate sponsor of the scholarship program.

To learn more about NFIB's Young Entrepreneur Foundation, visit www.nfib.com/yef.