What Leaders for a Better Louisiana does

Leaders for a Better Louisiana is a Louisiana-based nonprofit formed in 2025 via the merger of the Committee of 100 for Economic Development (C100, est. 1992) and the Council for A Better Louisiana (CABL, est. 1962). Operating as a 501(c)(6) trade association paired with the Foundation for a Better Louisiana (a 501(c)(3)), the organization develops and connects civic, business, and policy leaders to drive nonpartisan reform on the state's most pressing economic and social challenges. Its core constituencies are Louisiana's top CEOs and executives (through the peer-nominated Committee of 100, 160 members), university presidents, and emerging civic leaders selected into its flagship programs.

The organization's core products are leadership-development programs and data-driven policy assets. Leadership Louisiana, launched in 1989, has graduated over 1,600 alumni including a former governor, lieutenant governor, state Supreme Court justices, and legislators; a new sister program, Leadership Health Fellows, was launched in July 2026 with approximately 30 participants. Policy products include the Louisiana Fact Book (35 indicators across five issue areas, updated for 2025) and the RESET Louisiana Policy Agenda (55 recommendations across State Finance, Education, Transportation, and Public Safety, developed jointly with PAR Louisiana). Research publications are distributed via the website, a quarterly Economic Intelligence Report, and the Better View newsletter. Underlying technology is conventional web/content infrastructure; there is no proprietary AI or platform technology disclosed.

Revenue is generated primarily from corporate sponsorships (Transform Louisiana tier at $2,500 annually, Develop Louisiana at $1,000, Leaders at $500), membership dues (with up to 75% tax-deductibility as a business expense), individual contributions, foundation grants through the 501(c)(3) arm, and tuition from paid leadership programs ($3,500 per Leadership Health Fellow, $50 application fee). Go-to-market combines direct engagement with state legislators and agency leaders, annual events (Future LA Conference, Policy Summit, LegisGator 2026 combined with LABI and SWLA Economic Development Alliance), and content marketing. The organization is headquartered at 450 Laurel St., 19th Floor, Baton Rouge, and operates with a small (1–10 FTE) staff led by CEO Adam Knapp and Chief Policy Officer Barry Erwin.

Name

Leaders for a Better Louisiana

Legal name

Leaders for a Better Louisiana

Website

https://betterla.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leaders for a Better Louisiana is a Baton Rouge nonprofit that connects Louisiana's top executives, university presidents, and civic leaders to conduct nonpartisan policy research, advocacy, and leadership development across economic, education, health, and infrastructure issues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA), Team Leadership & High-Performance Teams (EDABAAAH)

Keywords

• Policy advocacy
• Leadership development
• Civic engagement
• Legislative research
• Economic development

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Contributions: Better Louisiana operates as a 501(c)(6) organization and accepts membership dues and contributions. Corporate and business supporters may deduct up to 75% of membership dues as a business expense. Individual supporters contribute at various levels.
2. Foundation Donations: The Foundation for a Better Louisiana operates as a 501(c)(3) organization accepting tax-deductible donations for specific projects and initiatives.
3. Leadership Program Tuition: Leadership Health Fellows program charges $50 non-refundable application fee and $3,500 tuition for selected participants.
4. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors support the organization at various levels, with named sponsors including Turner Industries, Adams & Reese, Entergy, Hancock Whitney, RoyOMartin, Community Coffee, CFS, CLECO, and many others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Leaders for a Better Louisiana is a 501(c)(6) business league that operates a statewide policy advocacy, leadership development, and research platform for Louisiana's top business, higher education, and civic leaders. It convenes CEOs and university presidents through the Committee of 100, runs the Leadership Louisiana and Leadership Health Fellows programs to develop civic and health-policy leaders, and produces original research including the Louisiana Fact Book and RESET Louisiana Policy Agenda to inform state policy.

Product overview

Leaders for a Better Louisiana operates as a unified organization combining policy advocacy, economic development leadership, and leadership development programs. The core product portfolio centers on Leadership Louisiana (a nearly 40-year-old leadership development program with 1,600+ alumni) and its newer variant Leadership Health Fellows (launched 2026). Supporting offerings include the Louisiana Fact Book (data resource tracking 35 state indicators) and RESET Louisiana Policy Agenda (55 policy recommendations developed with PAR Louisiana). Research publications, the Future Louisiana Conference, and the Committee of 100 business roundtable provide additional programmatic structure. The organization emerged from the 2025 merger of the Committee of 100 (est. 1992) and the Council for A Better Louisiana (est. 1962).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leadership Louisiana: Nearly 40-year-old leadership development program bringing together diverse leaders from across Louisiana to build relationships and inspire action.
• Leadership Health Fellows
• RESET Louisiana
• Louisiana Fact Book

Products and services

• Leadership Louisiana Leadership Louisiana is a cohort-based civic leadership development program for high-potential civic, nonprofit, and business professionals across Louisiana, designed to build statewide networks and prepare participants for community, civic, and policy leadership.
• Leadership Health Fellows Leadership Health Fellows is a cohort program for healthcare executives, clinicians, and health policy professionals in Louisiana designed to develop cross-sector health-leadership capacity and inform state health policy.
• Committee of 100 (C100) Membership Committee of 100 membership is a dues-supported network of Louisiana's top CEOs and university presidents that provides the membership base for the organization's policy advocacy, research, and convening agenda.
• Louisiana Fact Book The Louisiana Fact Book is the organization's proprietary data and demographic research publication providing nonpartisan, research-driven analysis of Louisiana's civic, economic, and demographic conditions for use by members, policymakers, and the public.
• RESET Louisiana Policy Agenda RESET Louisiana is the organization's proprietary policy framework and agenda that sets out the policy priorities the organization pursues through direct legislative advocacy during Louisiana's legislative session.
• Future LA Conference The Future LA Conference is an annual convening event held in Baton Rouge that brings together members, policymakers, and the public to discuss Louisiana's economic, education, and civic agenda.
• Legislative Session Advocacy Legislative session advocacy is the organization's direct advocacy service on behalf of its RESET Louisiana agenda during Louisiana's annual legislative session, engaging with both legislative and executive branch decision-makers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% of 35 indicators in Louisiana Fact Book trending upward in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• PAR Louisiana (Public Affairs Research Council)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019RESET Louisiana is a joint initiative between Leaders for a Better Louisiana (through its predecessor organizations CABL and C100) and PAR Louisiana. The initiative developed 55 policy recommendations addressing Louisiana's critical challenges and significantly influenced the 2023 elections. RESET focuses on raising awareness of important issues during state elections, making policy recommendations to state leaders, and implementing ideas to move Louisiana forward.
• Turner IndustriescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate sponsor of Leadership Louisiana, supporting the organization's leadership development programs and events.
• Adams & ReesecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting Leadership Louisiana programs and events.
• EntergycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate sponsor supporting Leadership Louisiana and organizational initiatives.
• Hancock WhitneycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Leadership Louisiana programs.
• RoyOMartincoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting Leadership Louisiana.
• CLECOcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of Better Louisiana and Leadership programs.
• Louisiana Economic Development (LED)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with LED and Louisiana Economic Development Partnership to create a long-range economic development strategic plan based on regional and local input, driven by data. Led research project with Governor's Administration shaping 2024 legislation (Positioning Louisiana to Win bill) for LED restructuring.
• SWLA Economic Development AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the LegisGator 2026 3-day event combining SWLA Economic Alliance's LegisGator, LABI's Policy Forum, and Future LA Conference - making it the largest in-state legislative focused gathering outside of session.
• Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the combined 2026 LegisGator event including LABI's Policy Forum, SWLA Economic Alliance's LegisGator, and Future LA Conference.
• Wurtele FundminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Leadership Louisiana programs.
• Additional Corporate SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdditional sponsors include: Air Products, Associated Branch Pilots, AT&T, Atmos Energy, Ballard Brands, BlueCross BlueShield of Louisiana, The Celtic Group, Committee of 100, ExxonMobil, and others listed on corporate sponsors page.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Greater New Orleans Foundation: Regional community foundation serving southeast Louisiana with civic-leadership grantmaking and programming. Comparable on regional civic-influence role, though structured as a grantmaking foundation rather than a membership-based advocacy organization.
• Baton Rouge Area Chamber: Regional economic development organization previously led by CEO Adam Knapp. Direct comparator on regional economic development strategy, executive networking, and Louisiana-specific business advocacy; overlaps geographically and operationally.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Creative Leadership: Established global leadership development organization offering executive programs. Comparable on leadership-development product category; much larger scale, fee-based rather than sponsor-supported, and nationally rather than regionally scoped.
• Aspen Institute: National civic leadership organization operating the Henry Crown Fellowship and other leadership programs modeled similarly to Leadership Louisiana. Broadly comparable on civic-leadership-development mission though operating at national scale and very different funding base.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation: National business-leadership and civic-engagement arm of the U.S. Chamber. Comparable on business roundtable and civic-leadership development (Monique Thierry, an LBL board member, is VP at U.S. Chamber); operates at much larger scale and national scope.

Direct peers

• Pelican Institute for Public Policy: Louisiana-based free-market think tank producing state-level policy research and advocacy. Direct peer in geographic scope, policy research product, and engagement with state legislators, though ideologically distinct.
• Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI): Louisiana's state chamber of commerce and primary business advocacy association. Direct peer in business-policy advocacy, legislative engagement, and co-hosting the combined 2026 LegisGator/Policy Forum/Future LA Conference event.
• Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL): Predecessor organization that merged in 2025 with the Committee of 100 to form Leaders for a Better Louisiana. Identical mission and program offerings historically; serves as a self-benchmark for what the new combined organization inherited.
• Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR Louisiana): Louisiana-based nonpartisan policy research organization that co-developed RESET Louisiana with Leaders for a Better Louisiana. Direct peer in mission, geography, and product overlap (state-level policy research, advocacy, and publications).

Emerging players

• Southern States Energy Board: Interstate compact organization promoting energy and environmental policy collaboration across southern U.S. states. Comparable on state-level policy research and cross-sector convening; primarily focused on energy/infrastructure rather than broader civic-leadership development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ForABetterLA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ForABetterLA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Leaders for a Better Louisiana