Propellers.social is an organization that grows and supports entrepreneurs to tackle social and environmental disparities.

Our vision is an inclusive and thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem that happens inside coworking spaces that we call “social incubators”. A incubator is a program that gives early stage companies access to mentorship, investors and other support to help them get established.

The current location of our social incubator is Propeller #1 @NewOrleans. The second social incubator is Propeller #2 @Amsterdam that will launch in Summer 2023. Propellers are models for diverse responses to community needs and create the conditions for an equitable future in these places.

Social entrepreneurship uses business to offer new ideas for local and wide-scale social and environmental impact.

Social entrepreneurship unites the passion of a social mission with business-like discipline, innovation, and determination. Social entrepreneurs create sustainable organizations, which can be set up as nonprofit or traditional companies, with the overall goal to achieve sustainable and systematic change through new ventures.

Social Entrepreneurs and Impact

At the heart of our work is our Impact Accelerator, a free program designed to help startup and growth stage entrepreneurs start, grow, and transform their businesses. Since our first accelerator program in 2011 in New Orleans, Propeller has graduated 263+ social entrepreneurs who collectively have generated over $162+ million in revenue and financing and created more than 485+ full- and part-time jobs for New Orleanians.

Our 10,000 square foot Coworking building offers a collaborative work and meeting space for small business owners, nonprofit leaders, and community members. More than 50 organizations and over 100 individuals are members.

Dream

The first step to be a social entrepreneur is to come up with a big idea to a local problem.

Incubate

In our social incubator you will have the possibility to collaborate, invest and turn your idea into an actionable business plan.

Open for business

You are bringing your plan to the world and addressing inequity through the force of social innovation.

Chief Executive Officers

–Community Interest Groups

–Members

Benjamin Franklin Cohort (2003-2004)

Donna Nire leads the Benjamin Franklin Cohort, a community of social entrepreneurs aiming to build a collaborative ecosystem to achieve maximum social impact. We went to school together in one of the first and finest public high schools in Louisiana. This Benajmin Franklin Cohort includes the gifted and talented students at this school in the graduating year of 2003 and 2004. Ideas are spontaneous, businesses are built, plans are executed. We need a focus of talent and the people of this high school are the free thinkers, the managers, and the chiefs of operations. Who they bring into the operation is the decision of each member of this community. As a way of organizing talent and skill we work together as a team, and together we organize the force for social innovation in New Orleans.

Grote Collective (2004-2005)

John Thompson

Propeller #2 @Amsterdam (Coming Soon)

The target community of interest for social entrepreneurship in Amsterdam is led by the Grote Collective leader, John Thompson. In 2002-2003 a building in the outskirts of Amsterdam brought together one hundred international students from around the world. We formed a community that was rich in languages, culture, and society. In few other places was a social experiment of diversity so successful, the solidarity between us serves as a model for international relations of all kinds. We bring it back together to work for achieving social impact in Amsterdam and the world. We know how to interact with each other, and now we will work together as social entrepreneurs collaborating to bring a force of social innovation to our communities and to yours. The most effective social incubator is one that grows from diversity and is nourished by people with very different ideas, talents, and skills. The Grote Collective is just the beginning, the origin of new and effective businesses and organizations that achieve equity in Amsterdam. A radiating circle surrounds the Grote Collective, bringing in ideas, business plans, and operations that come from you! Tell us about yourself and pitch your business concept for making a social impact. We are listening and learning from your talent, we are just getting started and we are open to new perspectives.

Benjamin Franklin Cohort and Grote Collective: Mission and Culture

The mission of Propellers.social is to grow and support entrepreneurs to tackle social and environmental disparities. We envision an inclusive and thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem that responds to community needs and creates the conditions for an equitable future. As a member of the Propeller community, our entrepreneurs are encouraged to work collaboratively with persistence, resourcefulness, and a commitment to equity.

The Propeller social entrepreneur…

…Commits to the operationalization and integration of racial equity within their business processes.
…Communicates barriers and is vulnerable in facing the challenges and realities of entrepreneurship.
…Embodies resilience throughout processes and a realistic sense of self and surrounding environment(s).
…Possesses a willingness to grow, reflect, and learn.
…Approaches programming with effort and curiosity.
…Takes initiative and follows through on one’s practices and goals.
…Focuses on the social, environmental, and financial impact within our local community.
…Works in collaboration with fellow entrepreneurs towards a common goal and fostering a stronger, more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem in New Orleans and Amsterdam.

Social Impact

TIMELINE: Propeller #1 @NewOrleans

2006: In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Propeller Executive Director and co-Founder Andrea Chen and a group of friends revive the volunteer-run Social Entrepreneurs of New Orleans.

2009: Propeller is founded and begins mobilizing people, telling their stories, and offering support to nonprofits and for-profit social entrepreneurs.

2011: Propeller launches its first accelerator program, supporting nine nonprofits and small businesses making social and environmental impact.

2014: More than 50 organizations and 100 people work out of Propeller on a daily basis. Propeller’s fourth accelerator class begins, bringing the total number of accelerated ventures to 60.

2015: Propeller expands its accelerator programming to offer accelerator programs that zero in on the issue areas of food, water, health, and education. This more than doubles the number of nonprofits and small businesses it serves per year, totaling 90 ventures launched.

2016: Propeller tailors its accelerator programs further to include a Startup and Growth track for nonprofits and small businesses at different stages of their lifecycle. Propeller’s graduates totals over 100.

2017: Propeller revises its mission and vision to focus explicitly on inequity. Propeller’s team gears its programs and work towards understanding and dismantling disparities in entrepreneurship and its issue areas of food, water, health, and education.

2018: Propeller launches its Social Venture Fund and the South Broad Business Initiative.

2019: Propeller purchases its building. Propeller Accelerator graduates total over 200.

2020-2022: Collective Impact

263+ nonprofits and businesses supported through Propeller’s accelerator programs, including a local food hub, a five-star rated childcare center, an education design studio, and a wetland mitigation company.

$116+ million in external financing and revenue collectively generated by Propeller graduate entrepreneurs.

485+ full- and part-time jobs created, contributing to an expanding workforce in New Orleans.

$200,000+ in seed funding awarded to entrepreneurs through PitchNOLA competitions

State policy passed for universal school lunch participation and Benefit Corporation legislation providing an alternate corporate entity for social ventures.

Areas of Focus: NEW Strategy/Action/Succcess

Food: Propeller and its entrepreneurs are working at all levels of the food supply chain to increase access and affordability of fresh, healthy food for low-income New Orleanians and communities of color traditionally disconnected from healthy food sources. Propeller small businesses and nonprofits are growing fruits and vegetables (both on the city’s formerly vacant lots and on farms across the region) and helping local farmers connect to city retailers and restaurants. They are bringing fresh food and food education to low-income populations, from establishing healthier standards for school lunches in high-poverty schools to increasing the produce available at city corner stores, and training community members as food literacy educators.

40% of New Orleans public school children receiving fresh, locally-sourced healthy school lunches; 30 vacant lots developed into productive gardens and orchards to provide produce at no cost to Lower 9th Ward residents; 35 local food entrepreneurs receiving business support and an affordable, fully stocked professional kitchen space to prepare their foods for mass market sales.

Water: Propeller works with small businesses and nonprofits to tackle critical regional water challenges and establish Louisiana as an emerging leader in the water management industry. Propeller entrepreneurs are building underground rain harvesting systems to keep stormwater from flooding to neighborhoods most vulnerable to environmental disaster. They are preserving coastal wetlands and building new technologies to prevent coastal land loss to protect native communities who are unable to uproot and move inland. Propeller also works to support minority and local business enterprises establishing Louisiana as a premium market for seafood, constructing vessels, and training the next generation of green infrastructure professionals.

2,000+ acres of wetlands secured for restoration and permanent protection; 1.5 million+ gallons of stormwater runoff retained annually to improve urban flooding; 1,200+ fishermen receiving technical assistance, social services, and disaster recovery services.

Health: Propeller addresses health disparities in New Orleans by working to increase affordable access to healthcare and wellbeing both in and beyond formal medical settings. Two Propeller entrepreneurs opened new medical clinics in previously underserved neighborhoods. Other small businesses and nonprofits are pioneering healthcare technology, including a platform to simplify healthcare plan choice and a powerful bioinformatics platform. Propeller entrepreneurs work in spaces where New Orleanians work live, and play to address social determinants of health, from violent crime to access to green space. In a city where children screen positive for post-traumatic stress disorder at three times the national average, Propeller entrepreneurs are also developing programs to address the sources of that trauma, including exposure to violent crime and family stress due to high poverty.

26,000+ New Orleans children receiving medical health screenings in school through Medicare/ Medicaid; $1.2 million in financing raised to build the Broadmoor Arts & Wellness Center, serving 750+ residents since August 2015.

Education: Propeller works to narrow New Orleans’ achievement gap by addressing the factors that emerge to impact success throughout a young person’s educational career. Starting in early childcare, Propeller small businesses and nonprofits are supporting parents and caretakers and helping education providers streamline their administration and maximize funding. From K-12, entrepreneurs are working at the systems level to ensure student success, from improving student health with medical checkups in school and increasing the quality of healthy school lunches to partnering with RTA to ensure students have easy affordable transportation between school, home, and after-school enrichment programs. Propeller ventures also work with young adults who have left or completed high school to create pathways to postsecondary education and fulfilling careers.

200+ high school students receiving college entry preparation and support; program piloted to train teachers in racial equity; 300+ schools streamlining professional support for teachers through a K-12 classroom observation and coaching platform; 10,000+ volunteers engaged to help 350+ homeowners and rebuild 13 homes to be resold to teachers at a reduced cost.

Merce Astrid

Hello! I am a social entrepreneur and communication manager living near New Orleans, Louisiana. When I am not modeling business concepts, you can find me nestled in communities in need addressing social and environmental problems unique to our city.

Through the process of collaboration on our business ventures in the social incubator of Propeller #1 @NewOrleans, we have developed creative solutions to the problems that affect our communities. Highlighting key projects, businesses, and organizations, here you will see some examples of how Propellers.social has made a real impact by achieving greater social and environmental equity. A force for social innovation has already brought social entrepreneurs to the diverse needs of the people of New Orleans. I hope you enjoy! (Propeller #2 @Amsterdam coming soon)…

CORE Louisiana Counseling & Recovery Center (CORE) is a substance abuse and mental health practice headquartered in St. Bernard Parish with licensed clinicians providing “accessible, reliable, and effective services, while promoting a shift towards the normalization of mental health and recovery service.” As a private group practice, CORE’s providers offer holistic mental healthcare through a variety of approaches, therapies, and services to help patients achieve their goals and overcome challenges, such as: depression, anxiety, addiction, grief, and trauma. Services offered focus on prevention, diagnosis, rehabilitation, and recovery, and include counseling, expressive therapies, assessments, anger management groups, domestic violence intervention programs, and psycho-educational classes.

Glass Half Full is “reimagining recycling as an inclusive movement to build community and benefit our planet” by recycling New Orleans’ glass into sand and gravel to be used in disaster relief, new glass products, eco-construction, art, gardening, research for coastal restoration, and more.

The Collaborative Community Initiative (CCI) is a New Orleans-based non-profit that has grown out of the work of The Collaborative, “a group of minority businesses and allies who together advance public policies that promote economic parity and inclusion in the City of New Orleans.” The goal of CCI is to “promote economic equity and the building of generational wealth in disenfranchised communities through community-focused data analysis, education, and engagement.”

Kost is an LLC construction company with a primary focus on coastal restoration in the Gulf Coast region.

Billiot Development, LLC purchases, renovates, leases and manages rental properties for low-income renters who have traditionally been deemed “hard to house”–including but not limited to persons with criminal histories, drug addiction, chronic homelessness, mental health diagnoses and/or the medically needy. The company also accepts donated properties for perpetual affordability, pays for all closing costs for the title transfer, and provides donors with proof of their donation for tax purposes. Billiot Development, LLC endeavors to ensure that the number of quality, affordable housing units in the city corresponds to the needs of the citizenry.

Electric Girls builds girls’ confidence and capabilities by engaging them through STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Their programs help girls build fundamental STEM skills and then give girls the space, resources, and guidance to implement these skills into their own self-directed projects and inventions that they design, build, present, and take home.

We Lift coordinates wheelchair transportation across Louisiana, on an APP and “utilizes the advances in technology, allowing clients and drivers to be connected in real-time.”

The Broadmoor Wellness Initiative enhances the social and emotional well-being of the community by increasing access to affordable counseling, social services, and mental health professional training in New Orleans. The initiative wishes to achieve holistic health for all residents in Broadmoor, with a focus on families living below the poverty line, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants, and hospitality workers, who may face additional barriers in accessing essential resources.

As the founder and owner of Uptown Benefits, Casey Urschel specializes in helping small business owners with the employee benefits and health insurance needs. He works diligently with each client to uncover any opportunities to provide health insurance, wellness, and employee benefits in the most efficient, low cost manner possible. Casey has a passion for serving others, and also spends time with the underserved population in the New Orleans area to connect them to free and low cost tools and resources in the health and well being space.

Urbanscapes Design+Build is a multi-disciplinary collaborative of educators, artists, activists, designers, and builders. “Our mission is to balance the connection between the urban landscape of New Orleans and its natural environment, while teaching the next generation of green leaders to continue this work. We design, build, and maintain innovative water management systems in urban landscapes for homeowners and public spaces.”

Community Book Center was founded in 1983 and is a cultural and literary hub that specializes in books, educational materials, art and gifts by and about people of African descent. The mission is to “highlight the contributions African people throughout the diaspora have made to world civilization; debunking the myth that our history began with slavery.” More than a bookstore, CBC is a gathering and meeting place for individuals and grassroots organizers dedicated to addressing educational and social justice issues impacting the community.

These are just a few of many social ventures that are making an impact right now in the city of New Orleans. It starts local, but it has all the potential in the world to scale up for greater contributions to the environment and society in other places.