It’s possible that the next billion-dollar innovation might come from someone who has no idea how to bring it to market.

That’s where the St. Louis-based BALSA Foundation will step in. The foundation aims to educate entrepreneurs by providing a guide to explain business formation and development. The foundation will also connect entrepreneurs with experienced business advisors and offer a $5,000 grant.

“We are the only organization that is truly inclusive of first-time entrepreneurs and are solely focused on empowering the entrepreneur by providing education manuals, peer-to-peer mentoring, and funding,” said Maxim Schillebeeckx, executive director, in a press release.

The foundation will provide assessment, hands-on support, direct execution strategies, and the resources needed to get businesses on the right foot and poised for pursuing independent funding and additional investors.

“Entrepreneurship is the ultimate form of empowerment,” Schillebeeckx said. “Besides the plethora of evidence showing that entrepreneurs and innovation drive economic growth, entrepreneurship unites individuals in an effort to effect change—change in their own lives and change in their communities.”

Visit thebalsafoundation.org for more information.