Thank you for applying to the 2016 Changemaker Institute (CI)! The pages below outline the
application process and provide expectations for participation in the Spring CI cohort.
We understand that many students applying may be in the very first stages of venture
development. While some of the questions may be challenging, do not be intimidated! Rather
than expect any “perfect” or “fool-proof” answer, the review committee is interested in seeing
the depth to which you thought about the questions.
We look forward to getting to know you and your venture.
Program Overview
Changemaker Institute (CI), now in its sixth year of operation, is a competitive, student-led
social venture incubator program operating out of the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social
Innovation and Design Thinking.
The students and staff facilitating the Changemaker Institute, The CI Team, is committed to
helping Tulane students launch social ventures and build entrepreneurial skills through
experiential learning, radical pedagogy, and creating a space in which we can challenge social
norms, push ourselves to be deeper thinkers, learn more about the social challenges we are
tackling, and heighten our awareness about and engagement with the New Orleans community.
Through the course of the program, students will develop ideas and hone plans for their ventures
via intensive interaction and mentorship with local innovators, experts, community leaders, CI
alumni, and peers working at the nexus of social change and innovation in the wider community.
By the end of CI, students will have created a roadmap for a social venture that can be sustained
beyond the Changemaker Institute.
CI is a strong platform for access to funding for venture development and testing through
Tulane- based opportunities and advanced opportunities in social entrepreneurship beyond
campus.
Many CI alumni have been accepted to local and national incubators including Idea Village,
Propeller, and Echoing Green.
Eligibility
CI is open to all Tulane University undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree students.
Students must be able to participate in interviews November 16-20, 2016 and in the workshops
on the dates listed in the below “Commitment” section.
Commitment
●
WORKSHOPS: All participants must attend all seven 4-hour workshops on Saturdays
from 10 AM to 2 PM. Free, delicious, lunch from locally sourced businesses is
provided.
● PACKAGES: All participants must complete a weekly Package (expected to take
approximately one hour) before each session.
● MENTORS: All participants must check-in weekly with a paired mentor
(approximately 15-20 minutes via phone).
More information on each commitment is below:
Workshops: Workshops provide a space in which to learn from local innovators, as well as to
review progress with the cohort and the Change Team. Workshops will take place on January
16, 23, and 30, February 13 and 20, and March 5 and 12, from 10 AM to 2 PM, and the
culminating event will take place on the evening of Wednesday, April 20th, 2016 from 6:008:00 pm. Participants are expected to attend ALL sessions in full.
Packages: Student participants will have a weekly Package to complete by Sunday at 11:59 PM
the week before the workshop. These Packages are strategically designed to build entrepreneurial
skills and should take on average one hour to complete. The weekly Packages are directly linked
to the subjects covered in the workshops. Weekly Package completion is absolutely essential in
moving forward each week; at the end of the CI experience, designers will have constructed the
scaffolding needed to continue building and refining their venture.
Mentors: Each venture will be paired by the CI Team with a personalized mentor in your field.
It is expected that you communicate with your mentor on a weekly basis (15-20 minutes via
phone) and send your mentor, as well as the CI Team, your weekly Packages. Your mentor
should be very helpful in reviewing your Package, encouraging you to think deeper about your
venture while also helping you with any challenges. The CI Team will have frequent contact
with mentors and will make sure that both students and mentors remain accountable to one
another.
Application Process
The CI Application is a three‐part process.
1. Primary Application
Applicants must submit their Primary Application by November 9, 2015 at 11:59 PM
CST.
2. Interview
Semi-finalists will be invited to interview with the CI Team and Taylor staff and faculty
during the week of November 16-20, 2015.
3. CI Package Preparation
Accepted CI participants are expected to complete their Winter Package (received by
12/5/15) by January 4, 2015 at 11:59 PM CST. The Winter Package is designed to kickstart designers’ growth by beginning preparation for CI over winter break. The Winter
Package will involve describing in more detail a particular portion of the application,
determined on an individual basis by the CI Team.
Written Application Submissions
A venture may be led by an individual student or by a team of students.
● Single‐student led ventures must submit the full application written by themselves
alone.
● Students in team‐led ventures must each submit an individual response to Part I of the
Primary Application, but Part II, which includes Venture Information and Short
Responses, should be submitted once, on behalf of the venture as a whole.
o Each team member’s Part I responses on the Primary Application should be
compiled, one after another, in the venture’s single application document.
All applications must be typed and submitted electronically as Microsoft Word documents to
the CI Application box folder by November 9 at 11:59 PM CST.
● Directions for upload:
o Save the word document of your application in the following format: Full Name
of Venture, Initials of Students on Team, CI Application 2016.
o Send an email, subject message “CI Application," with your application
attached as a word document to [email protected]
o You will receive an automatic confirmation that your application was received.
If you do not receive this confirmation, please email [email protected].
Questions
Questions can be directed to Hannah Horowiz, CI Fellow at Taylor via email at
[email protected]. If you have any questions or would like to review your application, please
stop by during CI office hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12-3 PM at Taylor,
200 Flower Hall.
Stay Connected
●
●
●
●
●
Follow the Facebook Page for Tulane Fans of Changemaker Institute
Follow the Facebook Page for Taylor
Read the Taylor Blog- the ChangeHub
Subscribe to and read the most recent Taylor Newsletter
To learn more about previous Changemaker Institute ventures, check out the examples of
on our website.
Primary Application
PART 1
- Team Member’s Basic Information
For student teams, this section should be completed separately by each student in the venture.
When submitting the final application file, make sure to include everybody’s responses to Part 1,
one after the other.
First Name:
Last Name:
Major(s):
Minor(s):
Class:
School (undergraduate, graduate, etc.):
GPA:
Phone Number:
Email:
Please list a faculty or staff member who can serve as a reference. If you are a freshman student,
this can be a teacher or coach from high school. This person does not have to be familiar with
your venture, but must be able to speak about your character.
Reference Name:
Relationship with Reference:
Reference’s Contact Information:
PART 2
- Venture’s Profile and Interview Availability
A. Please provide an X below under ALL the dates and times you (or your entire team, for team
ventures) would be available for an interview on Tulane’s Uptown Campus at Taylor.
Nov 16
Nov 17
Nov 18
Nov 19
Nov 20
8:00 am
8:30 am
9:00 am
9:30 am
10:00 am
10:30 am
11:00 am
11:30 am
12:00 pm
12:30 pm
1:00 pm
1:30 pm
2:00 pm
2:30 pm
3:00 pm
3:30 pm
4:00 pm
4:30 pm
5:00 pm
5:30 pm
6:00 pm
6:30 pm
B. Please list who in your venture does what and their titles (these can be preliminary). For
example, “Julian – Marketing Chair, River – Treasurer,” etc. If you are working alone, list
anyone who you might work with on this venture in the future, or what support you can foresee
needing.
Students in the positions most aligned with the subjects of the questions in Part 3 should
complete the corresponding questions. Indicate who completed each section in the space
provided.
PART 3
- Venture Short Responses
This portion of the application should only be completed once, NOT once by each student in the
same venture. Each response to the prompts below should be 100 – 200 words.
Section 1 – Purpose
Student focused on these topics:
A. Describe what “social entrepreneurship” and “social innovation” mean to you. What
appeals to you about working in these fields?
B. What need does your proposed venture address? How will your venture be different from
other ventures that address similar issues? How do you see the principles of social
entrepreneurship and social innovation informing your work?
C. Why do you care about the issue you are seeking to address? Why should other people
care? Take this as an opportunity to communicate your passion and interest.
Section 2 – Vision
Student focused on these topics:
A. What are some systems and strategies that either you or you and your team have used to
achieve goals for your venture? If filling out this app is the first step in working on your
venture, how did you determine your process for completion?
B. What future goals do you have for your venture? What might your venture be doing in 6
months? In 3 years?
Section 3 – Outreach
Student focused on these topics:
A. How will you reach the people who you want to serve? Consider both traditional and new
marketing techniques.
B. How will you learn about people that might interact with or benefit from your venture?
Consider donors, community partners, student volunteers etc. How will you decide on the
appropriate platforms for reaching them? Section 4 – Communications
Student focused on these topics:
A. How do you intend to brand your venture? What makes your brand unique? What
opportunities do you have to communicate this message with your customers and/or
beneficiaries? B. Identify any known competitors to your proposed venture. What are any similarities and
differences in your brands?
Section 5 - Strategy
Student focused on these topics:
A. What are the potential strengths of your venture? Strengths are internal things that you
and your team have direct control over.
B. What are the potential weaknesses of your venture? Weaknesses are internal things that
you and your team have direct control over.
C. What are the opportunities facing your venture? Opportunities are external things that
your team does not have direct control over. D. What are the threats facing your venture? Threats are external things that your team does
not have direct control over. Section 6 - Organizational Model
Student Who Completed this Section:
A. Do you envision your venture as a for-profit, non-profit, or a combination/hybrid? Why?
B. Are there any organizations you know of working in your field that you find particularly
inspiring (perhaps even that you wish to work with in the future)?
Section 7 - Funding
Student Who Completed this Section:
A. What objectives would you want to accomplish if given a $2,500 grant to support your
venture? How would the money be spent in a way that helps you achieve your goals as a
venture? B. Include within this document a budget for how your team would spend a $2,500 award
(please include a table below)
Section 8 - Other Information
A. This is an optional section. Use this space to share with us any further information you
would like us to know about you or your involvement with social innovation. What are
you involved with on campus or beyond? What do you love best about New Orleans?
How do you dream of spending your evenings when you no longer have homework?
Who inspires you? What would your ideal community at Tulane look like? What is your
favorite holiday or Mardi Gras festival? Anything goes.
Thank you for taking the time to complete this application. We will be in touch regarding
semifinalist interviews by Thursday, November 12, 2015.
Questions can be directed to Hannah Horowiz, CI Fellow, at Taylor via email at
[email protected]. If you have any questions or would like to review your application,
please stop by during CI office hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12-3 PM at
Taylor, 200 Flower Hall.