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About AdvancingCities New Orleans
$5 MILLION

grant funding received to increase opportunities for New Orleans residents & small businesses

150

number of U.S. cities that applied for the AdvancingCities grant at the time of announcement

7

number of winning cities selected for AdvancingCities program at the time New Orleans announcement was made

11

local partners who make up collaborative working toward a more resilient and inclusive future

Through a major philanthropic investment from JPMorgan Chase, Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA) are proud to announce $5 million in grant funding to ensure the resiliency and success of New Orleans neighborhoods and all those who call them home. 

As one of seven winning cities selected by JPMorgan Chase for its AdvancingCities Challenge, New Orleans is making a historic investment into blue-green infrastructure, providing pathways to new career opportunities for residents and contract opportunities for local small businesses. 

The support from JPMorgan Chase will not only change the ways in which we live with water; it will serve as a launching point for further investments in resiliency and sustainability in the face of climate change and economic downturn due to COVID-19. The announcement also builds on JPMorgan Chase’s new $30 billion commitment to advance racial equity, addressing key drivers of the racial wealth divide and providing economic opportunity to underserved communities, especially the Black and Latinx communities.  

Through the launch of AdvancingCities in New Orleans, NOLABA is working with the multi-agency collaborative of agencies and community stakeholders to develop and oversee programs and strategies to invest in the burgeoning blue-green infrastructure industry.


“This is an opportunity to build a new and more equitable economy in Louisiana — a blue-green industry that employs and benefits all New Orleanians. This effort will tackle very complex challenges — urban water management and income inequality. To deal with these difficult issues, New Orleans is proposing smart, innovative solutions. And that’s why this collaborative is a winner of the AdvancingCities Challenge, a competitive process that fielded 150 proposals from 35 states.”

Katie LeGardeur, Managing Director/Market Leader for JPMorgan Chase in New Orleans

The 7 Traits of AdvancingCities

Lead and Collaborate

Plan for Inclusive Growth

Tackle a Big Problem, by Starting Small

Invest in Data

Activate Community Support

Engage Anchor Institutions

Take Risks, Adjust, and Iterate

Our Equitable Approach:

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Create a seamless pipeline to identify and train under-and unemployed individuals in high-growth jobs
Connect businesses to potential employees with the technical and soft skills necessary to succeed in the industry
Build the local blue/green infrastructure expertise in New Orleans that ensures our positioning for innovation and response.

SMALL BUSINESS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Actively build public, private, and community partnerships that increase access for individuals and small businesses to fully benefit from economic opportunities available in our blue/green economy
Expand the capacity and resources of small businesses, particularly disadvantaged business enterprises, and businesses owned by people of color.

EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT

Connecting medium / large employees to workforce and small businesses.
Engaging employers as thought leaders to support workforce preparedness
Partnering with small and large employers as placement sites for entry-level opportunities through professional career positions
Connecting employers with post-secondary opportunities for professional development

POLICY & SYSTEMS CHANGE

Maximize existing public policies and practices that are designed to increase access to contracting and procurement opportunities for disadvantaged business enterprises.
Identify and enhance public policies and practices to increase access to contracting and procurement opportunities for small businesses, particularly those led by people of color.
Actively build public, private and community relationships that increase access for individuals and small businesses to fully benefit from economic opportunities available in our blue/green economy.
Build the local blue/green infrastructure expertise in New Orleans that ensures our positioning for innovation and response.

Our Goals:

GRANT METRICS FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
400
individuals enrolled
300
individuals completing the training program
300
individuals earning credentials, certifications, or licensure
150
youth placed into apprenticeships
200
youth & adults placed into full-time employment earning local living wage or more
85
employers engaged

GRANT METRICS FOR SMALL BUSINESS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
50
small businesses assisted (50% led by person of color)
25
businesses receive licenses and/or certifications in blue/green infrastructure
10
businesses access a combined $2M in growth capital
Our Partners:

The AdvancingCities New Orleans grant program includes robust workforce training that prepares high school youth, opportunity youth, and adults who are people of color and people with low incomes for high-wage jobs in the city’s growing water management sector. It will also include support for small businesses, with a goal of enabling local firms, particularly those owned by people of color, to benefit from procurement opportunities in the water management sector and beyond.

SUBGRANTEES & PROJECT PARTNERS INCLUDE:

Green Projects

Green infrastructure uses native plant species – in form & function to create community-scaled resilient urban landscapes with rich, healthy soils, and permeable gray surfaces. These components enhance and encourage natural processes to reduce flood risks and slow subsidence (sinking) and improve air, earth & water quality. In addition to environmental benefits, this project approach creates recreational & social spaces that connect the community – which encourages community gathering and stewardship to spur neighborhood revitalization.

Green infrastructure when partnered with gray infrastructure improvements lessens the burden on the city’s drainage system by create a gray / green network of mitigation. This comprehensive approach to water management.

LEARN MORE

AdvancingCities In The News:
How To Get Involved

Louisiana Green Corps Construction & Green Infrastructure Training Program

RECRUITING YOUNG ADULTS (18-24)

  • FREE & PAID 14-week Construction & Green Infrastructure training and certifications (FOR THOSE WHO QUALIFY)
  • Professional development (employment attainment & retention, soft skills, financial literacy)
  • Supportive Services (including funds for transportation & childcare)
  • Earn $$$ in stipends, paid work experience & incentives

STARTS OCTOBER 23rd, 2023 - TO APPLY:
ATTEND A MANDATORY INFORMATION SESSION:
Tuesdays & Thursdays at noon at 2645 Toulouse St.

FOR MORE INFO OR TO RSVP FOR AN INFO SESSION CALL OR TEXT: (504) 613-4661 OR CLICK HERE

Learn more at: www.lagreencorps.org

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is now accepting applications for the Summer 2023 class (see schedule here) at Delgado Community College.

Small business owners that participate in this 16-week business growth accelerator and leadership program, will learn how to grow their revenue and scale their businesses. This program is totally free to participants.

APPLY NOW

Techstars New Orleans Powered by J.P. Morgan

As part of the AdvancingCities Initiative, Techstars is launching its inaugural accelerator cohort in mid-August with the help of Louisiana Economic Development.

The program is designed to provide equitable access to funding and support for Black, Hispanic and Latino, Indigenous American, and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs who are building the future of commerce technology, consumer brands and platforms, the creator economy, and climate tech. The cohort is open to founders of all backgrounds, and participants will receive venture capital funding and business development resources.

The program will invest in 12 companies in 2023, with the possibility of additional cohorts in 2024 and 2025. Applications are open until May 10, and the founders selected will be notified in late June.

APPLY NOW

Contact

Angela Shiloh-Cryer

Senior Director of Advancing Cities

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