"We want homes that last longer than eight to 10 years," says Avra van der Zee, COO of Hawaii-based nonprofit Elemental Excelerator, which has teamed up with New Orleans' Finance New Orleans to create a $2 million fund to create affordable, sustainable, and climate-responsive housing in the city.
The challenge, called the NOLA Affordable and Resilient Homes Challenge, is unique because it includes a community and stakeholder engagement phase that began in March to ensure there is meaningful local input in solution selection and deployment, reports the Times-Picayune.
After the community input has been gathered, technology applications would be explored.
The homes will feature innovative clean-energy and water-efficient technologies, including 3D printing, containers, and other nontraditional elements.
"We have a lot of good energy, a lot of faith," says FNO CEO Damon Burns.
"I feel good about where we're going."
The fund will be augmented by an investment of up to $200,000 from Elemental, including technology, and an opportunity for a larger investment of up to $1 million.
Together, the duo created a $2 million fund and launched the NOLA Affordable and Resilient Homes Challenge to obtain community-centered financing to deploy climate technologies in new and retrofitted single-family homes
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William D. Eggers and Paul Macmillan of Dowser write about the social entrepreneurs slowly and steadily dirsupting the world of philanthropy. According to Forbes, philanthropy disruptors are those that believe “no one company is so vital that it can’t be replaced and no single business model too perfect to upend.”