CI is a social venture accelerator for Tulane graduate students that deepens students’ understanding of social issues, connects them to local mentors and experts, and equips them with entrepreneurial tools to create a social enterprise.
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.
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.
Introducing GrowthWheel Personal Coaching for Each Venture
GrowthWheel is a visual toolbox and comprehensive “work on your business” software used by thousands of business advisors, incubators, and entrepreneurship educators in 64 countries to help startups and businesses make decisions and take action.
Our Spring 2022 Changemaker Institute cohort will benefit from regular 1:1 coaching with their advisor to comprehensively analyze their venture and create a 30-60-90 day action plan to drive their venture forward.
Changemaker Institute News
Changemaker Institute Application for Spring 2022 Now Open!
Applications are now open for the Changemaker Institute, a social venture accelerator for graduate students in the spring semester that deepens students’ understanding of social issues, connects them to local mentors and experts, and equips them with entrepreneurial tools to…
Graduate Students: How can we help you Design Your Life? Fill out a brief interest form!
Please fill out this brief interest form to help us build our next iteration of TYL4Grads. Background Based on the popular undergraduate course, Taylor Your Life, TYL4Grads was designed to provide graduate and professional students more clarity and direction of their career paths and…
Life Design Teaching and Training Opportunity for Tulane Staff & Faculty
New Life Design Teaching and Training Opportunity The Taylor Center and School of Architecture recently announced an exciting opportunity for staff and faculty at Tulane to learn about and potentially teach life design courses at Tulane over the next few years,…
Request for Proposals: Evaluation Consultant
Background The Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking cultivates a diverse network of changemakers who are working and learning together to create a more just and equitable society. Our programs are grounded in the teaching, research,…
What Happens During the Changemaker Institute?
Participants in the Changemaker Institute meet weekly throughout the spring semester.
During these meetings, participants gain:
- A framework and process to deepen one’s understanding of social issues and form partnerships with change agents tackling that issue.
- Growth in social entrepreneurial skills
- Business model development skills
- Mentorship from Tulane and New Orleans’ social entrepreneurial communities
- Support from an active international Changemaker Institute alumni network
- Preparation for applying to funding opportunities at Tulane and beyond
Access our Curriculum
Check out our 2020 Changemaker Institute Curriculum for a comprehensive view of a curriculum designed to supports graduate students interested in developing ethical, sustainable, and viable social enterprises. We wrote this for:
- A budding social entrepreneur interested in building out your idea but unsure about where to start.
- An educator interested in running a social venture accelerator and interested in comparing curriculums.
- A social entrepreneur interested in becoming a paid speaker or volunteer mentor with our program.
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 the Taylor Changemaker Institute are eligible and coached to apply for the following funding opportunities:
The Alvarez Spark Innovation Award offers up to $2,500 to pursue a social venture idea by prototyping or testing a component of an idea.
The Changemaker Catalylst Award offers up to $1500 to participate in an engaged learning experience.
Changemaker Institute Alumni
- CI alumni have been accepted to local and national incubators including Idea Village, Propeller, and Echoing Green.
- 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.
- 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 Volunteers (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.
Graduate Assistants
The Changemaker Institute (CI) graduate assistant works with staff to develop, organize, promote, and execute Taylor’s social venture accelerator program.
