From a pool of 40 applications, three nonprofits were chosen to compete in Pitch It! The Innovation Challenge, a project created by the Greater New Orleans Foundation in partnership with the Kresge Foundation, on September 30th.
In Photo: (left to right) The winners of the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Pitch It! The Innovation Challenge are: Rich Arnold, Covenant House; Emily Danielson, UNITY of Greater New Orleans; Ogi Alexander, Project Home Again/Gentilly 6; and, Jim Kelly, Covenant House. Photo credit: Charles Leche.
UNITY of Greater New Orleans pitched their “SuperTool” that helps better assess homeless clients and more effectively target resources at the event and took home the $25,000 grand prize.
“SuperTool allows us to coordinate services among our 60 member agencies while making it easier for homeless people to find help,” said Martha Kegel, executive director of UNITY of Greater New Orleans. “With this tool, we can assess precisely what level of service an individual or family needs in order to end their homelessness and immediately refer them to an appropriate agency for help.”
Second place ($5,000) went to Gentilly 6, a project designed to fight the blight in New Orleans by creating a pool of investors to purchase tax liens on properties. It’s a partnership between Project Home Again, BuildNow, Liberty Bank CDC, Pontchartrain Park CDC, Project Homecoming and St. Bernard Project.
Covenant House took home the third place prize of $2,500 for their innovative new app for at-risk youth. According to GNOF, the app will connect service organizations and youth facing severe hardships including homelessness, violence, and addictions.