Step Up Louisiana

What Step Up Louisiana does

Step Up Louisiana is a 501(c)(3) grassroots membership-driven nonprofit organization founded around 2017 and headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. The organization builds political power in Southeast Louisiana through community organizing with parents, workers, students, and community members to win education and economic justice campaigns. It is co-founded and co-directed by Maria Harmon and Ben Zucker, with a staff of approximately 12-30 people operating across three offices in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Harvey (Jefferson Parish).

The organization runs a portfolio of distinct advocacy campaigns and organizing programs rather than a unified product suite. Key programs include the Workers' Bill of Rights campaign (a New Orleans city charter amendment for living wage, paid leave, healthcare, and union rights that passed with 80% of the vote in November 2024), the Dollar Store Workers Rising campaign (organizing Dollar General and Dollar Tree workers nationally for safer conditions and better pay), the Fall for Liberation voter mobilization initiative (a Freedom Summer-style investment that trained 43 organizers and reached 100,000+ voter contacts in 2024), the 12-week Organizer In Training (OIT) program (65 graduates across 5 cohorts), the Parent Union (education justice organizing), and the Healthy Workplace Program (a New Orleans Health Department designation). The organization has no proprietary technology platform, no software product, and no API — its infrastructure is built on human canvassers, phone banking, text outreach, and earned media.

The organization's business model is non-commercial: it is funded through monthly membership dues ($15/month from individual members) and tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Distribution and outreach are executed via year-round door-to-door canvassing, phone and text banking, rallies and public events, and earned media coverage in outlets including Louisiana Illuminator, WWNO, In These Times, Jacobin, and Bloomberg. Notable policy victories include the $12 million Dollar General OSHA settlement (July 2024), the Dollar General shareholder safety audit resolution (2023), the Louisiana Fair Chance Hiring Act, and the Baton Rouge Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance.

Name

Step Up Louisiana

Legal name

Step Up Louisiana

Website

https://stepuplouisiana.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Step Up Louisiana is a 501(c)(3) grassroots membership-driven nonprofit that organizes parents, workers, and students in Southeast Louisiana to win education and economic justice through campaigns including the Workers' Bill of Rights, Dollar Store Workers Rising, and the Fall for Liberation voter mobilization initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grassroots Community Organizing

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAI

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAN

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAB

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAF

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

Keywords

• Grassroots community organizing
• Voter mobilization services
• Advocacy campaign organizing
• Education justice advocacy
• Economic justice advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Monthly membership dues from individual members who share progressive values and are active in Step Up campaigns for education and economic justice.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations supporting their education and economic justice work. Step Up Louisiana is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Step Up Louisiana is a grassroots membership-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes parents, workers, students, and community members in Southeast Louisiana to win education and economic justice. The organization runs voter education, canvassing, advocacy campaigns, and direct action initiatives — including the Workers' Bill of Rights, Dollar Store Workers Rising, Fall for Liberation, Parent Union, and the Organizer In Training (OIT) program.

Product overview

Step Up Louisiana is a grassroots membership-driven advocacy organization that does not offer a unified software product or platform. Its offerings consist of advocacy campaigns and organizing programs including: the Dollar Store Workers Rising campaign (organizing dollar store workers for safer conditions and better pay), the Workers' Bill of Rights campaign (a city charter amendment for worker protections that passed in 2024), the Economic Justice 3-Point Platform (advocating for $15 minimum wage and fair hiring practices), the Fall for Liberation organizing program (a mass-scale voter mobilization and organizer training initiative), the Organizer In Training (OIT) program (a 12-week training course for community organizers), the Parent Union (education justice organizing), and the Healthy Workplace Program (a city program recognizing fair employers). These campaigns and programs operate as distinct initiatives rather than a cohesive product suite, focused on advocacy, voter education, and direct action rather than commercial products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dollar Store Workers Rising Campaign An organizing effort uniting Dollar General and Dollar Tree workers across multiple states to win better pay and safer working conditions through safety demands, OSHA settlements, and shareholder resolutions.
• Workers' Bill of Rights Campaign A city charter amendment campaign to establish workers' rights to a living wage ($15/hour minimum), paid leave, healthcare coverage, and the ability to organize unions; passed with 80% voter approval in New Orleans in November 2024.
• Economic Justice 3-Point Platform A policy platform in Jefferson Parish advocating for a $15 minimum wage, equal pay for equal work for women, and fair chance in hiring for people with criminal-justice involvement records.
• Fall for Liberation A once-in-a-generation grassroots organizing investment modeled after Freedom Summer, training 50+ community organizers to knock on 100,000+ voter doors across Southeast Louisiana for education, economic, and climate justice campaigns.
• Organizer In Training (OIT) Program A 12-week intensive organizing and political education program that has trained over 65 Louisianans across 5 cohorts to become community organizers for education and economic justice.
• Parent Union An organizing initiative bringing parents together to hold charter management organizations and public school districts accountable, fighting for Sustainable Community Schools and equitable education access.
• Healthy Workplace Program A program under the New Orleans Health Department that recognizes employers providing living wages, healthcare access, paid leave, and union-organizing rights, establishing Louisiana's first Workers' Commission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Workers' Bill of Rights passed with 80% of the vote in New Orleans
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Center for Popular DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of the Fall for Liberation program and organizing initiatives. Provided support for the Dollar Store Workers Rising campaign and safety demands development.
• Power Coalition for Equity and JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of the Fall for Liberation program. Alliance partner in voter mobilization and grassroots organizing across Louisiana.
• Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated labor alliance for dollar store worker justice campaigns including joint protests at Dollar General shareholder meetings.
• Interfaith Center on Corporate ResponsibilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestor advocacy group supporting dollar store worker safety campaigns through shareholder engagement.
• New Orleans Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership to create Healthy Workplace designation program and Workers' Commission for implementing Workers' Bill of Rights.
• New Orleans City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body that unanimously passed Step Up Louisiana's Workers' Bill of Rights amendment and Healthy Workplace Program.
• Voice of the ExperiencedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in voter engagement and Second Line to the Polls events.
• The First 72+minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in voter engagement and Second Line to the Polls events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jobs with Justice: National worker rights coalition organizing around wages, paid leave, and union rights; comparable on policy campaigns like Workers' Bill of Rights and on coalition-driven corporate accountability work.
• Union of Southern Service Workers: Labor organization for service-sector workers in the South; direct partner on Dollar Store Workers Rising and shareholder campaigns, sharing Step Up's worker-organizing focus and Southern geographic base.
• Community Change: National racial and economic justice organization supporting grassroots groups on campaigns including worker rights and education equity; comparable funder and capacity-building role to grassroots state networks like Step Up.
• Texas Organizing Project: Texas-focused community organizing and voter engagement group; operates in a similar conservative Southern state context with door-to-door canvassing and policy campaigns on jobs and schools.
• Power Coalition for Equity and Justice: Louisiana-based grassroots organizing coalition co-developing Fall for Liberation and partnering on voter mobilization; directly comparable in mission, geography, and member-led organizing model.
• Center for Popular Democracy: National network of community-led organizations working on economic and racial justice; co-developer of Step Up's Fall for Liberation program and Dollar Store Workers Rising campaign, making it the closest peer in both model and active partnership.
• Faith In Action: National faith-rooted community organizing network where Co-Director Maria Harmon previously worked; uses similar base-building, canvassing, and policy advocacy playbooks to advance economic justice at scale.
• Make the Road: Member-led organizing group combining immigrant rights, worker justice, and education campaigns with door-knocking infrastructure; highly comparable operating model and member-driven advocacy approach.
• New Florida Majority: State-based grassroots organizing outfit focused on voter mobilization and policy change in Florida; comparable state-level, member-led, multi-campaign structure targeting Southern political terrain.

Emerging players

• New Virginia Majority: Virginia-based civic engagement and community organizing organization; similar state-level, multi-issue, voter-mobilization operating model though focused on a different Southern state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/step-up-louisiana

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Step Up Louisiana