Greater New Orleans Foundation

Greater New Orleans Foundation is a community foundation based in New Orleans, Louisiana that supports philanthropic initiatives across the metropolitan region. The foundation operates grantmaking, donor-advised funds, and community programs focused on recovery, resilience, and equity in the aftermath of disasters like Hurricane Katrina and in partnership with entities such as The Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and local stakeholders. It works with municipalities including New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, and institutions such as Tulane University, Louisiana State University, University of New Orleans, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Southern University.

History

Founded in 1984 during a period of regional philanthropic growth, the foundation emerged alongside national trends represented by organizations like the Council on Foundations, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Philanthropy Roundtable, and regional actors such as the Greater Houston Community Foundation and Chicago Community Trust. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 the foundation partnered with relief efforts including Federal Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross, United Way of Southeastern Louisiana, and private donors such as Paul Tudor Jones and Oprah Winfrey to channel recovery funding. Through collaborations with civic agencies like the New Orleans City Council and state offices including the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the foundation helped coordinate rebuilding activities alongside arts organizations such as the New Orleans Museum of Art and cultural institutions like the Jazz & Heritage Foundation and Preservation Hall. Over time it expanded programming in response to events such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and public health crises involving partnerships with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-related initiatives and local health systems including Ochsner Health System and LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans.

Mission and Programs

The foundation’s mission emphasizes philanthropic stewardship, equity, and resilience similar to goals promoted by entities like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and community development models used by the Kresge Foundation. Its program areas have included neighborhood revitalization, workforce development, disaster preparedness, arts funding, and education support working with partners such as Teach For America, New Schools for New Orleans, New Orleans Public Library, and local charter networks like KIPP New Orleans. Initiatives have referenced climate adaptation models from organizations like the Union of Concerned Scientists and infrastructure planning exemplars such as The Urban Land Institute and the American Planning Association. The foundation has administered donor-advised funds in coordination with national platforms including Fidelity Charitable and Schwab Charitable while supporting policy research from institutions such as Brookings Institution, New Orleans Business Alliance, and Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

Grants and Impact

Grantmaking priorities have directed resources to nonprofit organizations including Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Crescent City Schools, Rebuilding Together New Orleans, and advocacy groups such as ACORN-affiliated initiatives and community legal services like Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center. The foundation’s emergency funds played roles alongside federal programs like the Community Development Block Grant and philanthropic campaigns associated with GiveNOLA Day and national funders like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Evaluations have drawn on methodologies from Urban Institute, NBER, and RAND Corporation while impact narratives connected to neighborhood outcomes in places such as the Bywater, New Orleans, Central City, New Orleans, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, and New Orleans East. The foundation has supported cultural resilience through grants to institutions like Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, New Orleans African American Museum, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and performing arts venues such as Saenger Theatre.

Governance and Funding

Governance involves a volunteer board of civic leaders drawn from sectors represented by institutions like Entergy New Orleans, Chevron Corporation, Shell Oil Company, Regions Financial Corporation, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and academic leaders from Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans. Its financial model blends endowment management with operating support from corporate philanthropy, individual donors, and family foundations such as the Helis Foundation and Ittleson Foundation, and has engaged investment advisers resembling strategies of Commonfund and BlackRock. Compliance and oversight reference standards promoted by Internal Revenue Service regulations for charitable organizations and reporting norms of the National Council of Nonprofits and Charity Navigator.

Partnerships and Community Initiatives

The foundation convenes cross-sector coalitions modeled after collaborations between organizations like Urban League of Greater New Orleans, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Habitat for Humanity International, and municipal agencies such as New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Notable community initiatives include workforce and small business support programs aligned with Small Business Administration resources, neighborhood stabilization projects coordinated with Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation guidance, and arts and cultural grants that partner with festivals like New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and institutions such as WWOZ (FM). It has participated in regional coalitions addressing housing, health, and economic recovery with stakeholders including Greater New Orleans, Inc., Regional Transit Authority (New Orleans), Louisiana Office of Community Development, and philanthropic networks like the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New Orleans