Social enterprises operate at the intersection of two mandates: delivering social impact and earning a profit. Yet conventional wisdom often tells aspiring founders to pick a lane—either do good through a nonprofit or make money by running a business.
Lauren Edwards, Executive Director of SEA Change, believes people can do both. For more than 10 years, SEA Change has helped socially conscious entrepreneurs turn their ideas into meaningful impact and sustainable revenue.
“SEA Change was born out of this belief that entrepreneurs can make money and do good from day one,” Edwards said.
Social enterprises take many forms. They might be a floral studio that provides jobs for people facing barriers to employment or a coffee shop that directs a portion of its revenue to charitable causes. Some operate within nonprofits, generating revenue that supports the organization’s programs. Regardless of their structure, Edwards says that all social enterprises are built around a non-negotiable social mission from the start.
“SEA Change was born out of this belief that entrepeneurs can make money and do good from day one.”
– Lauren Edwards, Executive Director of SEA Change
Headquartered in Columbus but serving individuals nationwide, SEA Change offers a comprehensive curriculum that helps social entrepreneurs develop financial sustainability, determine their measurable social impact, and connect with their local entrepreneurship ecosystem. While the curriculum is available online and through affiliate partners, SEA Change primarily serves entrepreneurs through its signature accelerator program.
Currently offered in four markets—central Ohio, northeast Ohio, Colorado, and North Carolina—the accelerator program annually brings together a cohort of 20 to 30 entrepreneurs in each location for education, mentorship, and meetups. Over four months, participants explore topics from building business and financial models to forming a brand personality and strategic partnerships. The program culminates in a public showcase where entrepreneurs pitch their ventures, network with others, and receive awards and prizes.
PICTURED: Formerly called the SEA Change Festival, the Festival For Good is an annual community event dedicated to uplifting social enterprises in central Ohio. The Columbus Foundation is a sponsor of the Festival For Good, which is hosted in partnership with The Grandview Hop.
Aaron Westbrook, a 2020 alum of the program, said the experience gave him valuable insights and relationships that continue to shape his work. Westbrook is the Founder and CEO of Form5, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals with limb differences by 3D printing adaptive products. In 2023, Form5 was recognized by The Columbus Foundation as one of the 5 Nonprofits to Watch.
“There are lots of elements of the program that I use to this day,” said Westbrook. “It didn’t just help us pilot a social enterprise. It gave us the tools to get creative and think innovatively about our business model.”
Using what he learned through SEA Change, Westbrook launched Difference Makers 3D, a contract manufacturing company that provides in-house design and manufacturing services. Revenue generated through the social enterprise supports Form5’s charitable mission.
Over the past decade, SEA Change has served more than 640 entrepreneurs through the accelerator program—resulting in hundreds of social enterprises that have impacted millions of lives and generated more than $35.9 million in revenue, according to Edwards.
In 2025, The Columbus Foundation awarded SEA Change a three-year, $360,000 grant to support the central Ohio accelerator program. Through this sustained investment—made possible by the James W. Overstreet Fund, an Unrestricted Fund at the Foundation— SEA Change is helping even more local changemakers turn their visions into ventures that strengthen the community.
“Whenever anybody asks me what I’m most proud of, it’s the work that these entrepreneurs are accomplishing,” said Edwards. “They are changing lives.”