Urban League of Louisiana

The Urban League of Louisiana is a historic civil rights and community empowerment organization dedicated to enabling African Americans and underserved populations to achieve economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights throughout Louisiana. Established in 1938 as the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, the organization has evolved into a prominent statewide entity. For more than eight decades, the agency has worked to eliminate racial disparities, expand economic mobility, and create sustainable pathways to generational prosperity for families across the region. Through three interconnected Centers of Excellence, the league delivers impactful programs in small business development, workforce career training, education and youth development, and public policy advocacy across multiple Louisiana parishes.

A cornerstone of the league's economic mission is the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, which encompasses both the Women's Business Resource Center and the Contractor's Resource Center. Established to expand wealth creation in underserved communities, these centers provide comprehensive small-business development services, including business plan formulation, interactive workshops, hands-on technical assistance, financial counseling, and access to capital networks. The Contractor's Resource Center delivers specialized, mastery-level training for small, minority, and women-owned contracting firms in electronic estimating, project scheduling, job costing, accounting software setup, and commercial licensing, enabling local enterprises to bid successfully on major state transportation and infrastructure projects. In addition, the center provides DBE supportive services in partnership with state agencies to help diverse enterprises scale sustainable operations.

In education and youth development, the league operates high-quality early childhood education through its dedicated Head Start Center on Desire Parkway in New Orleans. The organization also provides school-age students with after-school academic tutoring, robotics clubs, college readiness counseling, and career exploration academies. These initiatives focus on closing educational achievement gaps, strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy, and preparing young scholars for high-growth career pathways in science, technology, healthcare, and business administration.

Through its Center for Policy and Social Justice, the Urban League shapes the public policy landscape across Louisiana. The organization conducts rigorous policy research, publishes an annual state legislative agenda, and mobilizes grassroots coalitions around voting rights, criminal justice reform, affordable healthcare, environmental equity, and economic justice. Each year, the organization convenes the statewide Empowerment & Policy Conference and Annual Gala at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, gathering business executives, elected officials, community advocates, and national leaders to forge collaborative solutions to systemic challenges facing vulnerable populations.

Individuals, entrepreneurs, and job seekers can access workforce training, business counseling, and youth enrollment by visiting the main office on South Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans or completing an intake form on the agency website. Community supporters can get involved by attending annual conferences, serving as volunteer mentors, or providing tax-deductible financial contributions to expand economic equity and civil rights across Louisiana.