As long as tens of millions of Americans live in poverty, they cannot fully support one another in creating and maintaining the strong communities that have made America a beacon of hope around the world. Rising cost of living and skyrocketing inflation have only escalated this problem, adding to the number of those living in poverty and decreasing the community’s effectiveness to help.
Thankfully, thousands of entrepreneurs across the country are innovating every day to solve problems in their communities. LaunchPad is a project of State Policy Network that connects our 50-state Network to local entrepreneurs so that together, they can find solutions and ensure policy goes the last mile.
In November, SPN hosted a LaunchPad accelerator workshop in Grand Rapids, Michigan to assist entrepreneurs looking to tackle systemic poverty. Four project owners shared pitches of their work, including areas they have found success and areas they are struggling, to receive feedback from a large pool of advisors that range from SPN staff to CEOs and other business professionals. By bringing multiple perspectives together, these workshops improve the initial ideas and then encourage project owners to adapt and apply the lessons they’ve learned.
SPN partnered with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy to recruit advisors who pulled from their own experience to challenge and strengthen these projects. Several members of the Mackinac Center development team attended the event as well, providing project owners with insights on how best to fund their projects and how to communicate the return on donor investment.
“We’re here to collaborate and work towards solutions,” said Eric Heidenreich, Director of LaunchPad Acceleration, to advisors before each project owner gave their initial pitch. “Today isn’t about making sure good policy is passed but making sure that it’s implemented so that people in this country can make decisions about their own flourishing.”
Four project leaders attended the workshop, brainstorming solutions to the real-life challenges they’re facing.
- Center for Poverty Solutions, a project of the Illinois Policy Institute, aims to reduce poverty in Chicago by launching an incubator of community leaders and service providers to tear down barriers to employment. In the coming weeks, the project intends to go block by block through the city to learn more about the challenges that each unique neighborhood is facing. Once the data is compiled, they’ll begin to hone in on solutions that best fit their needs.
“To go from not believing I had a voice at the table, to having a voice makes me so grateful,” said Ehi Aimiuwu, Policy Fellow for The Center for Poverty Solutions.
- Doxa Development is a Michigan-based nonprofit, and a winner of our inaugural Pathways to Prosperity Prize. They work to empower entrepreneurs to handle the daily grind of entrepreneurship but often find that fledgling entrepreneurs are unprepared for the real-life struggles that come with being a business owner. In addition, the organization’s reach is beginning to grow at a rapid pace, leading to conversations about how to grow operations to keep up with need. The nonprofit left with the beginnings of an ambitious five-year strategic plan, in addition to next steps on how best to continue to grow in a sustainable way.
“This has been such a refreshing time to be on the other side of the table and poured into by so many great leaders,” said Adrian Montague, executive director of Doxa Development. “I think as leaders, we just pour out all the time, but it’s so amazing to hand someone the funnel and have them pour into you.”
- Empower Mississippi is looking to tear down barriers to growth in black-owned businesses. Many small business owners in Mississippi have become distrustful, both of perceived competitors and of government systems of aid. By creating a mentorship program for new business owners, Empower Mississippi is hoping to empower black businesses to weather storms and more easily navigate governmental red tape.
“I’ve thought through this project for so long, I didn’t think there were many new ideas out there— boy was I wrong,” said Forest Thigpen, Senior Advisor for Empower Mississippi. “Many of you are leaving with 30-, 60- or 90-day plans, but I’m leaving with 10-minute plans. Thanks to you, I’ve already made several connections that I can follow up on and get started on our next steps. Truly, thank you so much.”
- Engaged Detroit has noticed that while there are several quality options for homeschooling children and pre-teens, the same cannot be said for teenagers, who often seem unengaged from traditional learning models. The organization seeks to create a hands-on curriculum for high-school-aged students to learn hard skills, like woodworking or coding, while also giving parents the comfort of knowing they have a village to fall back on. They plan to more fully connect with local trades in Detroit while giving teens a better understanding of what options are available and what might fuel their passions.
“We’re just mothers who want what’s best for our children,” said Jaquetta Lee, one of Engaged Detroit’s project owners. “You really helped us articulate our program and set a clear vision for the future.”
LaunchPad is designed to identify, nurture and propel entrepreneurs who are committed to creating tangible solutions to the complex societal issues we all face on a daily basis. By partnering with those on the front lines, our Network works closely with entrepreneurs to develop responsive policy solutions and have a coalition of support around those solutions.
LaunchPad isn’t the only way SPN is working to fight systemic poverty. This year, thanks to generous supporters including the John Templeton Foundation, Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation, and the Rising Tide Foundation, we launched our inaugural Pathways to Prosperity Prize Grant Program to support projects that offer market-based solutions to the many challenges poverty presents to our communities.
Applications for the 2025 prize will open in January.
You can read more about SPN’s LaunchPad program here.