Taylor’s Changemaker Institute (CI) cultivates changemakers within the Tulane community by building student capacities to identify and create lifelong pathways to tackle pressing social issues.
Changemakers (n) – People who use their skills, expertise, gifts, and power in a way that creates positive social change and affirms the humanity of all people.
The Changemaker Institute (CI) accelerator program incubates social ventures in the Tulane community by fostering learning and growth, community partnerships, mentorship, & the development of social entrepreneurial skills among upper-level students in the early idea phase of social venture development.
CI provides a small cohort of students with toolsets and networks to propel their social venture idea to the next level, including applying for local and national accelerator programs throughout the nation.
CI focuses not only on launching successful ventures, but also on equipping students with tools to more deeply understand the details of the challenges they are addressing. Throughout CI+, students develop ideas and build long term plans for their ventures by interacting with local innovators, mentors, peers, alumni, and community leaders working at the nexus of social change and innovation in the wider community. We support sustainable ideas with strong social missions and offer students:
- Growth in social entrepreneurial skills
- Business model development
- Pilot testing/testing assumptions using Lean LaunchPad methodology
- Mentorship from the Tulane and New Orleans social entrepreneurial communities
- Navigating the New Orleans social business landscape
- Support from an active international Changemaker Institute alumni network
- Preparation for applying to funding opportunities at Tulane and beyond
Participants in CI will meet weekly (1.5 hrs) and on four different Saturdays in the spring from 10 AM-2 PM.
Applications for Spring 2020 will open in Fall, 2019.
Interested in applying? Contact Julia Lang @ jlang@tulane.edu for information about the application process.
Click here to read about the 2018 Cohort of graduating ventures.
Want to learn more about the Institute’s impact?
Get Funded
The Changemaker Institute programming offers access to funding for impact-related activities through Tulane-based grants as well as other advanced opportunities in social impact beyond campus.
All participants of CI and CI+ are eligible and coached to apply for the following funding opportunities:
- Victor Alvarez Spark Innovation Award: Up to $2,500 to pursue a social venture idea by prototyping or testing a component of an idea.
- Changemaker Catalylst Award: Up to $1500 to participate in an engaged learning experience
Changemaker Alumni
CI alumni have been accepted to local and national incubators including Idea Village, Propeller, and Echoing Green.
Examples of Past Ventures
Trash to Treasure seeks to create a revolving sustainable fund for outreach project in New Orleans. T2T deliver this by collecting and selling dorm room necessities thrown away by Tulane students during move out. Their profits fund subsequent sales as well as further sustainable ventures.
SHRI (formerly Humanure Power) works to eradicate outdoor defecation as a normal practice for hundreds of millions of villagers in rural India by building community toilet blocks. These toilets leverage proven and existing technology that convert human waste in to energy that can be sold, generating a revenue stream that helps further their mission of building more toilets. See SHRI in action below:
Radical Grandma Collective is a nonprofit online store that creates a platform for women to support other women in environmental justice work.
STEM Library Lab is a science equipment lending library that fosters academic success by providing teachers and students with access to equipment and support for high-quality active learning.
Fund 17 is a Louisiana registered non-profit that works to empower micro-entrepreneurs in the New Orleans community. Fund 17 does this by providing financial education and micro-loans.
Network Voluntours (formerly Crescent City Connections or “CCC”) promotes and facilitates customized volunteer and cultural activities for visitors and residents in New Orleans to better connect people with community organizations in the city.
Top Box Foods Makes high-quality nutritious food (lean meats, fish and fresh produce) available at extremely affordable prices. The non-profit uses volunteers to deliver food, focusing on areas identified as food deserts.
Failup (formerly ComeFail) seeks to build an online network that connects Tulane students, administrators, and faculty who want to get their socially-conscious ideas off the ground with others who are excited and able to help.
Connect with us:
For more information, contact Julia Lang
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