Search Through Community Services Grants in New Orleans, Louisiana in the U.S.

Charitable Contributions

Costco Wholesale’s primary charitable efforts specifically focus on programs supporting children, education, and health and human services in the communities where we do business. Throughout the year we receive a large number of requests from nonprofit organizations striving to make a positive impact, and we are thankful to be able to provide support to a variety of organizations and causes. While we would like to respond favorably to all requests, understandably, the needs are far greater than our allocated resources and we are unable to accommodate them all.

Warehouse Donations:

Warehouse donations are handled at the warehouse level - please consult your local warehouse for up-to-date information regarding their donations contacts and review process.

Grant Applications

If the request is under consideration, you may be contacted by staff for any additional information needed. Applications are reviewed within 4-6 weeks, and decisions are made based on several factors, including: type of program; identified community need not otherwise available; indication that evidenced based data will establish measurable results of intended outcomes; community collaboration; broad base of financial support; project budget and operating expenses.

Mission

The DanPaul Foundation will use its resources to help train teachers and parents in early childhood development, protect children from abuse and neglect, stimulate children's personal social responsibilities, and offer them opportunities for enrichment and growth.

The Foundation will also encourage children to be concerned and informed about the environment and the underprivileged, particularly with regard to clean air and water, and adequate housing and nutrition for all.

Beliefs

The DanPaul Foundation believes that children should have ample opportunities for enrichment in their lives, and thus strives to provide many different ways to enrich and expand children's minds through direct programs and monetary support to organizations doing similar work.

We have provided or currently provide grants related to the following program areas:

• Workshops, Conferences, + Seminars: We strive to offer educational workshops, conferences, and seminars for parents and teachers on topics related to early childhood development.
• Student Scholarships: We aim to help students attending post-secondary education institutions by providing need-based and academic scholarships.
• Scientific Endeavors: We desire to advance scientific endeavors which seek to improve the quality of life for everyone in the world.
• Clean Air + Water: We hope to pass on knowledge and practical life skills to youth regarding their personal responsibility to the environment, teaching them about issues surrounding clean air and water.
• Child Advocacy: We believe in protecting children from abuse and neglect and particularly love to support programs that provide education and assistance to children as well as organizations advocating or caring for vulnerable children.
• Homelessness: We want to encourage young people to take a personal interest in seeing that adequate housing and proper nutrition, especially for the underprivileged and homeless, are available.
• Poverty + Neglect: We seek to help those in poverty as well as educate youth about their responsibility to consider the underprivileged and take care of those most in need of life's basic essentials like adequate housing and proper nutrition.
• Refugee Enrichment: We wish to help refugee youth by supporting programs that provide them enrichment and help them transition to life in a new country.

The DanPaul Foundation provides grants to 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organizations as defined by the IRS. The Foundation is interested in providing funding to programs that directly serve the health, education, development, and welfare of the world's youth.

Grants range from a few hundred dollars up to $15,000 per calendar year.

Background

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

First Horizon Foundation

Through the First Horizon Foundation we are constantly investing in organizations across our footprint that do important work every day to make the places we serve better and stronger.

Contributions from the Foundation include the following areas:

• Arts and Culture
• Education & Leadership
• Environment
• Financial Literacy
• Health & Human Services

Our contributions are targeted to strengthen these pillars of the communities we serve:

• Improving the well-being of our communities
• Investing in the financial future
• Educating and developing the next generation of leaders
• Promoting excellence and enrichment in the arts
• A more sustainable tomorrow and future

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Mission

Driven by a philanthropic calling to support marginalized communities throughout the world, the Semnani Family Foundation partners with on-the-ground organizations and leverages its resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit.

History

Guided by his grandmother Maliheh’s example and teachings, Khosrow Semnani and his wife Ghazaleh established the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993. The foundation’s first grant was issued through CARE International to an orphanage in Romania that cared for newborns affected by HIV. Over the last few decades, the foundation has continued to build upon its mission to empower the disaffected, partnering with a variety of organizations in different countries who can make the greatest impact.

In addition to its global influence, the Semnani Family Foundation established roots within the state of Utah with the founding of Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free healthcare to thousands of uninsured people in the Salt Lake City area.

Where We Work

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting health, education, and disaster relief for marginalized communities all around the world. Driven by a clear mission to adapt and serve at the global level, we have leveraged our resources to make a meaningful impact in the following countries so far:

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia
• Colombia
• England
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Romania
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Uganda
• United States
• Yemen

At the heart of the Foundation lies a fervent commitment to human welfare, always prioritizing health and the needs of society’s most vulnerable.

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

Helping Build Better Futures

Our mission is to deliver great value to our customers every day. For over four decades, our deep commitment to the principles of providing value and caring for others has helped define our culture. It extends beyond the walls of our stores, distribution centers, and offices, and into our local communities around the world. The intersection of these principles defines our global community mission:

Deliver great value to our communities by helping vulnerable families and children access the resources and opportunities they need to build a better future.

Our Social Impact Areas

We bring our community relations mission to life around the world by focusing our giving on four social impact areas where we believe we can have the most impact and are critical to helping families and children succeed and thrive.

Basic Needs

We are passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations that help fill critical basic needs such as a warm meal, clean clothing, and a safe place to sleep for vulnerable families.

Education & Training

Our efforts have focused on quality enrichment and extracurricular programs that provide skills, resources, and opportunities to support school and career success for children, teens, and young adults.

Patient Care & Research

We support organizations that deliver services to families and children facing health challenges and life-threatening illnesses.

Empowering Women

We support programs that provide services ranging from help for those fleeing domestic violence, to others that offer education, training, and job placement resources.

Our Mission

The Tony Robbins Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of people often forgotten.

We’re dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of youth, seniors, the hungry, homeless and the imprisoned population, all who need a boost envisioning a happier and deeply satisfying way of life. Our passionate staff, generous donors and caring group of international volunteers provide the vision, inspiration, and resources needed to empower these important members of our society.

Grants

Dedicated to meeting challenges within the global community, creating solutions and taking action, The Tony Robbins Foundation provides monetary donations to various organizations around the world. Funding requests are evaluated on an ongoing basis. We look for organizations that align with our mission to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of those often forgotten.

Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation collaborate with a wide range of nonprofit organizations that align with our strategic funding priorities. We prioritize our funding to activities and programs that have a broad reach and support the needs of underserved communities. We aspire to have a positive impact on the communities we serve by using our financial and volunteer resources and business expertise in collaboration with community organizations to help solve complex societal problems.

• Financial health
• Housing affordability
• Small business growth
• Sustainability

We may also support other local needs in eligible communities such as disaster relief, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, human and social services, and workforce development. However, opportunities are limited as our intent is to direct the majority of our giving within our major focus areas.

Wendell & Anne Gauthier Family Foundation Grant

A family foundation is one whose funds are derived from members of a single family. At least one family member, but usually more, serves as an officer or board member of the foundation. The family members play a significant role in governing and/or managing the foundation throughout its life. Family foundations tend to reflect the personal concerns of the individual families that govern them. Grantmaking areas and how funding is granted vary widely from one family foundation to the next.

Areas of Focus

Cultural Economy

Coastal Louisiana has an outsized presence in the public consciousness. Leveraging this soft power is more than just fun and games; it’s a key path to building a better tomorrow for the region. The foundation supports the highest levels of performance excellence through grants to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), Jefferson Performing Arts Society (JPAS), and others while also supporting culture-makers more directly through Culture Aid NOLA and the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.

Education

Education transforms lives. The Gauthier family’s largest contributions have been to provide chairs at Loyola and Tulane as well as spaces for learning, including a 16,000 sqft four-story wing of the Loyola University School of Law, an Auditorium at Tulane’s Law School, a section of the new Louisiana Children’s Museum in City Park, and a combination stairwell/art gallery at the Metairie Park Country Day School.

Equity

Equity is at the root of all the priorities of the foundation. However, it is given a special emphasis to honor the ways the Gauthier Family has greatly benefited from equal access to opportunity. In an effort to bridge equity gaps in our community, the Gauthier Family Foundation funds initiatives that ensure community members have access to needed services. In previous years, the foundation funded: Bridge House & Grace House, Culture Aid NOLA, Second Harvest Food Bank, Angel’s Place, New Orleans Women & Children Shelter, and Lighthouse for the Blind.

Urban Resilience

Coastal Louisiana consistently perseveres in the face of adversity, much in part to our communities’ resilience. The Gauthier Family Foundation is dedicated to investing in initiatives that strengthen the capacity for the Gulf South to flourish and thrive despite future challenges. The foundation recognizes that green space is an integral part of Urban Resiliency and supports NOLA Trees Project, Friends of City Park, Audubon Nature Institute, and the New Orleans Botanical Gardens Foundation.

Funding

We prefer smaller grants ($500-$5,000) that more directly support individuals or specific projects.

Corporate Contributions

Community involvement and corporate citizenship are an example of Insperity’s mission in action. We are committed to helping the communities where we live and work because together, we know we can make great things happen.

Grants

Philanthropic grants are a strong part of our community outreach and aid institutions needing financial support to meet important service goals.

Event Sponsorship

Fundraising events are an important part of nonprofit support. Insperity provides event sponsorships to approved charities to assist them in meeting their financial and community goals.

About the Greater New Orleans Foundation

With roots extending 100 years, the Greater New Orleans Foundation connects generous people to the causes that spark their passion. As one of the most trusted philanthropic organizations in the region, we work every day to drive positive impact through philanthropy, leadership and action in our thirteen-parish region. In addition to grantmaking, we convene people, resources, and ideas to create intelligent strategies and solutions to meet our region’s greatest challenges. We are proud to serve as a vocal civic leader with our partners to ensure a vibrant, sustainable, and just region for all.

About Hancock Whitney

Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, and Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; and mortgage services. The company also operates combined loan and deposit production offices in the greater metropolitan areas of Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia.

Hancock Whitney Opportunity Grant

Hancock Whitney, in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation, is accepting competitive grant applications starting October 7, 2025, from eligible nonprofit organizations that promote capacity building and sustainability among community nonprofits whose missions address food insecurity, workforce development, youth programs (non-sports), or whose core teams are supported by AmeriCorps volunteers.

Southern Eye Bank Foundation Grant

To improve and restore the vision primarily for residents of South Louisiana with a focus on underserved patients. To support and encourage projects related to the use of medical equipment, education, research, training, and eye care delivery regionally and with a global perspective.

The Southern Eye Bank Foundation envisions a South Louisiana where all residents have access to quality eye care and vision services. The SEB Foundation aims to continue the work started last century by the Southern Eye Bank (SEB). We strive to build on SEB’s legacy to create a broader system of holistic services for the ophthalmic community for generations to come.

Grant Purpose

Grants will support organizations working in the Greater New Orleans Region. Occasionally, we also support programs that simultaneously benefit local and international communities.

Grants are available to organizations serving blind and vision impaired individuals and their families for programs related to the use of medical equipment, education, research, training, and eye care services.

Actual grant amounts will vary according to the need expressed in the application and will range from $5,000 to $100,000.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Mission

The Trustees of the Keller Family Foundation have, from its inception, been most concerned with using its resources to help sustain and improve the Greater New Orleans community. With each change in membership of the Board of Trustees, the Foundation's direction and priorities change to reflect the input and priorities of the new members. The current Board has keen interests in education, youth development, human services, and public affairs. The Foundation's primary region of interest is New Orleans, Louisiana and its surrounding communities.

While we have no formal Mission Statement, the close relationships among the members of the Board give the Foundation a synergy that allows us to work by consensus.

Mission

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc. promotes, preserves, perpetuates, and encourages the music, culture, and heritage of communities in Louisiana through festivals, programs, and other cultural, educational, civic, and economic activities.

Community Outreach Ticket Program

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation’s Community Outreach Ticket program provides tickets to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell (Jazz Fest), the Foundation’s main fundraising event.

The purpose of Community Outreach Tickets is to provide access to Jazz Fest for those Louisiana residents who otherwise could not afford to attend the festival.

Community Outreach tickets are distributed through nonprofit social service organizations that provide direct, ongoing services to low-income residents of Louisiana. These may include educational, religious, government, and community agencies – but only those that provide direct, ongoing services to low-income clients.

Tickets are to be distributed based on financial need and availability, and, in certain approved cases, as rewards or incentives for the clients’ good behavior. Any organization granted Community Outreach Tickets that is found to violate Community Outreach Ticket guidelines will be permanently barred from receiving tickets through this program in the future.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

Our Mission & Our Purpose

Now in its fourth decade, the Arts Council New Orleans is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting arts and culture in the city. Our mission is to improve quality of life in New Orleans by supporting, activating, and investing in our city’s greatest natural resource: our artists, cultural producers, and creative community.

Our Vision: Art in Everything.

Building on the abundant cultural wealth and creativity of our community, the Arts Council envisions a New Orleans in which arts and culture play a pivotal role in all areas of policy, planning, and placemaking.

In pursuit of a more equitable, joyful, and resilient city, art and artists should be central to all community and economic development efforts – from public health to public safety, education to infrastructure.

Community Arts Grants

Community Arts Grants (CAG) are funded by the City of New Orleans. These grants support 501(c)(3) arts non-profits domiciled in Orleans Parish through the New Orleans as Cultural Capital category. This program provides support for a broad range of arts activities that take place in and have an impact on the residents of Orleans Parish. Arts New Orleans believes that all citizens should be able to participate in a creative life and that the arts drive a vibrant and equitable community. All people, their culture, and their art contribute to the meaning and understanding of our humanity and should be honored and celebrated.

Community Ties Giving Program

As part of the Community Ties Giving Program, Local Grants help us achieve our mission by providing small and medium-sized grants within our priority cause areas to local organizations spread widely across Union Pacific's footprint.

Funding Priorities & Objectives

Throughout its existence, the success of Union Pacific's business has been inextricably linked to the economic and community wellbeing of cities and towns across the nation. We take pride in the role we have played in helping communities thrive and believe the impact we can have on local communities is greatest when it is authentic to our history and reflective of the diverse company we are today.

As such, we have carefully aligned our Local Grants cause areas to our company's unique heritage, strengths, and assets. Specifically, we prioritize funding for direct services and efforts that build the capacity of organizations focused on the following causes within our local operating communities. Within each focus area, we aim to support programs and organizations working to advance the diversity, equity and inclusion of underrepresented populations within the local context and issue areas addressed. Find more information about our commitment to DEI in our FAQs.

Safety

In order for communities to thrive, all residents must feel safe. Just as the safety of our employees and community members is paramount to how we operate, Union Pacific is committed to helping communities prevent and prepare for incidents and emergencies, and helping residents get home safely at the end of each day. As such, we prioritize funding for projects and programs that seek to: 

• Encourage safe behaviors and prevent incidents through education and awareness, particularly projects which focus on rail, driver, bike, and pedestrian safety, and ensure outreach efforts reach underserved populations.
• Eliminate risks and improve safe and equitable access to community spaces through infrastructure improvements, such as signage, proper lighting, and public trail improvements.
• Prepare and equip residents and emergency responders* to effectively respond to incidents and emergencies if or when they occur.
  • *Union Pacific supports publicly funded emergency responders through a variety of corporate programs; only independent nonprofit, 501(c)(3) emergency response organizations, such as volunteer departments, are eligible for funding through this grant program
• Prevent crime and violent incidents and support survivors of domestic violence through efforts that address the root causes of these issues and seek to mitigate their occurrence.
• Build the capacity of safety-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience. 

Workforce Development

For more than 160 years, Union Pacific has helped stimulate economic growth in cities and towns throughout the nation by training and providing employment to millions of workers. More than ever, we are committed to helping underrepresented residents in our communities achieve family-supporting careers like those offered by Union Pacific. As such, we prioritize funding for programs that seek to:

• Put youth on the right track by creating awareness of and pathways toward employment opportunities; building foundational skills, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); establishing necessary technical skills and life skills; and providing mentorship and positive role models for the future.
• Raise awareness of, educate and prepare young adults for middle skills jobs like those Union Pacific offers, for instance through community colleges, vocational and career training programs, workforce readiness initiatives, and programs that assist with job placement and/or on-the-job experience.
  • Programs that develop proficiency in areas relevant to Union Pacific operations such as welding, electrical work, machine operations, and civil and electrical engineering are given priority.
• "Up-skill" the existing workforce by providing training and resources that enable them to reach the next level of their career.
  • Programs that develop proficiency in areas of relevance to Union Pacific operations are given priority.
• Resolve barriers to employment such as transportation, childcare, acquiring necessary equipment for work, and second chance employment programs.
• Build the capacity of workforce development-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience. 

Community Vitality

Union Pacific Railroad is committed to establishing vibrant, healthy and inclusive communities for employees, customers and residents to work, visit and call home. Just as the railroad opened avenues for economic development and opportunity more than 160 years ago, we maintain this tradition by cultivating unique cultural and recreational experiences and equipping community members with opportunities to live healthy, vital lives. As such, we prioritize funding for projects and programs that seek to:

• Create, sustain or expand artistic and cultural experiences offered to a broad and diverse audience (e.g., museums, theaters, zoos, cultural and local heritage, visual and performing arts, etc.)
• Provide recreational opportunities that foster wellbeing, enrichment and/or an appreciation for our natural environment (e.g., parks, libraries, senior centers, recreation centers, learning centers, etc.).
• Revive neighborhoods and main street areas, especially in historically underinvested neighborhoods, to improve livability, promote commerce and attract more residents, businesses and visitors to town.
• Ensure residents’ basic needs are met and barriers are overcome (e.g., safe shelter and homelessness prevention, hunger relief, mental health and community health needs, etc.).
• Offer youth development and educational opportunities to ensure young people can thrive into healthy and productive community members (e.g., mentoring, leadership development, tutoring, services for youth in foster care, etc.).
• Build the capacity of community vitality-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience. 

Environmental Sustainability

The future of our business, communities and planet depends on bold, collective action to reduce and slow the impacts of climate change while building a more sustainable economy for the next generation. Union Pacific is taking deliberate steps to reduce our environmental impact and helping our partners improve their own. Extending this commitment to our community investments, we seek to support leading environmental nonprofits and community-based organizations to advance the health of our environment. As such, we prioritize funding for projects and programs that seek to:

• Preserve and restore nature, including programs focused on natural habitats, ecosystems, and biodiversity.
• Protect and enhance water, soil and air quality through innovative and proactive solutions such as water conservation, carbon sequestration and emission reduction programs.
• Reduce waste through initiatives focused on promoting recycling and circularity throughout the community, including recycling and composting programs and other efforts that reduce waste.
• Develop environmental stewards through youth programs focused on fostering environmental appreciation, responsibility, and leadership.
• Advance a sustainable economy by helping communities accelerate their transition to environmental jobs and renewable energy, as well as helping nonprofits and small businesses build their own capacity to operate more sustainably.
• Promote environmental justice through initiatives that ensure access to clean air, water, and land and protect underserved populations from disproportionate and adverse environmental effects.
• Build the capacity of sustainability-focused organizations to integrate practices that improve upon the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the organization. This can take the form of internal capacity building or the creation/expansion of culturally relevant programming and services that seek to impact a broad and diverse audience.

Our Mission

Eradicate Poverty in Southeast Louisiana

With deep local roots, we see how our communities’ greatest challenges are connected — and how we can bring people and resources together to address them.

That’s why show up our communities, always listening and ready to respond. Working together with our neighbors, we’re strengthening resilience and advancing health, youth opportunity, and financial security for all. With more than 100 years experience, we share ideas and innovations to drive holistic impact.

RESOLVE NOLA Community Impact Grant

Understanding evident gaps in accessible mental health care and the need for the coordination of services for young individuals navigating the profound impact of community violence and collective trauma in New Orleans, United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA), in collaboration with the partners of the Resilient, Equitable Systems for Overcoming Loss and Violence Everywhere (RESOLVE) Grant, is pleased to announce the launch of the RESOLVE NOLA Community Impact Grant. This initiative is designed to address the critical shortage of comprehensive mental health resources and addiction services tailored to the unique needs of youth and their families in New Orleans. 

Under the guidance of UWSELA and the Resiliency in Communities after Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) Advisory Board Members, this grant program aims to allocate funds strategically, fostering expanded and fair access to trauma-informed community violence support for youth of color in New Orleans communities plagued by chronic poverty. The overarching goal is to establish a seamlessly coordinated system of trauma-informed, community-based services specifically tailored to mitigate the profound impacts of collective trauma and community violence on youth of color in communities facing chronic poverty. 

This grant initiative is a vital step toward building resilience and fostering positive change within the youth communities of New Orleans. 

Focus Areas

The project must focus on activities that address behavioral health disparities and social determinants of health in the areas below:

• Mental Health Conditions
• Substance Abuse and Addiction
• Excessive Alcohol Use
• Physical and Emotional Trauma

Funding

Applicants can request grants for up to $25,000.

Louisiana Project Grants

Mission

The Louisiana Division of the Arts (LDOA) in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council (LSAC) is the catalyst for participation, education, development and promotion of excellence in the arts.

Vision

It is the responsibility of LDOA to support established arts institutions, nurture both emerging arts organizations and our overall cultural economy, assist individual artists, encourage the expansion of audiences and stimulate public participation in the arts in Louisiana.

Core Values

The arts are an essential and unique aspect of life in Louisiana to which each citizen has a right. Access to the arts should not depend on your geographical location, physical abilities, or income. All residents should have an equitable stake in the arts in Louisiana, which provide a wonderful quality of life and add to our rich cultural heritage.

LDOA Equity Statement: LDOA aspires to intentionally advance diversity, equity and inclusion in every aspect of our work. LDOA celebrates our state’s diversity and promotes the role of the arts to connect people, bridge our differences, and inspire an appreciation of our shared humanity. LDOA is committed to integrating DEI into the fabric of our organization and our work, from our internal culture to how we partner with communities and other organizations to how we use our resources. We continually seek ways to expand our impact and improve our performance on these measures.

Louisiana Project Grant (LPG) Goals

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Stimulate healthy competition in grant proposal submissions
• Increase the level of creativity, innovation and awareness of new trends in project development
• Encourage professional artists to undertake projects that have meaningful community involvement and collaboration
• Leverage additional local and national support for the arts in Louisiana

LPG Priorities

• Must be an ART project involving dance, design arts, folklife, literature, media, music, theatre, or visual arts
• Must show how the project accounts for the population of the region and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility
• Emphasis on Innovation and Artistry
• Risk Taking/Trying something new
• Focus on learning as an outcome as well as quantitative outcomes
• Cross-parish partnerships between larger, urban organizations and their rural counterparts or vice versa
• Projects that have a trajectory to continue to enhance the region beyond the funding period

Artistic Disciplines

Louisiana Project Grants provide funding for arts projects. The artistic disciplines described below are considered eligible art forms:

• Dance - Dance projects can focus on ballet, modern, jazz or ethnic dance. Dance project grants assist artists and organizations to make innovative dance programs that meet a need in their community and are accessible to all.

• Design - Design Arts projects can involve the design fields of architecture; landscape architecture; urban design; historic preservation and planning; interior design; industrial design; graphic design; and fashion design. This project area provides an opportunity for visual arts and design professionals to collaborate on projects involving design practice, media, theory, research, and education about design. Projects may include publications, audiovisual presentations, or conferences. Design arts do not include purchase of plantings, seeds, gardening equipment, construction equipment, or building supplies.

• Folklife - Folklife refers to traditions currently practiced within a community that have been passed down informally over time and not learned through workshops, classes, or magazines. Folklife includes Performing Traditions (music, dance, storytelling) and Traditional Arts & Crafts (occupational, festive and food ways traditions). See definition of folk artist in the glossary. Folk traditions are created within specific cultural contexts that need to be understood to be appreciated. Most folklife projects are greatly enhanced with the services of a professional folklorist or other trained cultural specialists such as those with academic training in folklore, cultural anthropology, ethnomusicology or other related fields. Cultural specialists should be involved in planning and implementation phases of a project. Folklife does not include historical re-enacting or living history. Folklife projects are evaluated for the cultural significance of the art form and the involvement of trained cultural specialists (folklorists, anthropologists, ethnomusicologists).

• Literature - Literature project grants are intended to support innovative projects that utilize the literary arts such as works of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction to meet a community need and promote diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition, the category supports not-for-profit small presses and magazines that publish fiction, poetry, creative prose, or literary criticism for production and distribution projects. Such magazines must have been published at least once.

• Media - Media project grants provide financial assistance to organizations and artists involved in film, video, radio, or related media. Projects should focus on the development of film, video, and radio as art forms where experimentation, technique and, creative processes are included in the project design.

• Music - Music project grants assist artists or organizations sponsoring musical programming or the presentation and development of musicians, composers, and/or music ensembles and orchestras in all genres, including band, chamber, choral, ethnic, jazz, new, opera, orchestral, popular, solo/recital.

• Theater - Theater project grants are intended to use dramatic and musical theater to engage the public, promote diversity, equity and inclusion and help meet a community need or support the development of nonprofit professional and community theater, puppetry, mime, and storytelling.

• Visual Arts and Crafts -Visual Arts and Crafts project grants are intended to support projects or services of museums, art galleries, art centers, and other community organizations concerned with visual arts. This includes drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, glass, ceramics, fiber, wood, metal, mixed media, and art in public places.

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

Women's Development Grants Program

We are committed to investing in efforts that increase education and economic opportunities for citizens in our operating communities. In particular, we want to ensure that women have suitable, relevant, functional opportunities to be full participants in economic development and attain greater levels of prosperity. When women gain skills, they gain confidence, increase their productivity, mentor others, raise their income levels and reinvest in their children’s education, their family’s health, and economic activities at the community level.  

The Freeport-McMoRan Women’s Development Grants support organizations providing women and girls with opportunities to:

• Advance attainment, matriculation or graduation via college/career readiness and/or leadership/character development
• Create or expand businesses via small business development training and access to capital programs
• Increase financial capability and employment via education or workforce skills training

Collaborative Grants

In 2014, United Way of Southeast Louisiana embarked on a journey to renew our approach to creating lasting change. The journey began with a carefully orchestrated listening process, including community conversations across our seven-parish service area. Participants discussed their aspirations and the challenges they face. Some of the barriers that emerged included low wages, limited education, inadequate health care, and unaffordable housing.

Through research and engagement, it became clear that poverty is the fundamental issue in the region.

We introduced our Blueprint for Prosperity – our plan to eradicate poverty informed by community voices and validated by external research – to present a compelling path toward a stronger, prosperous, and more equitable Southeast Louisiana for us all. As a part of the Blueprint, we also introduced our programmatic grants – designed to support distinct programs or projects – in alignment with our new prosperity outcomes framework (see below).

Today, our grantmaking is rooted in addressing the complex interplay of symptoms and drivers of poverty in the region and supports the vision of equitable communities where all individuals are healthy, educated, and economically stable.

In 2022, we hosted another series of community conversations to listen to residents and refine the most pressing issues in our communities and pathways to maximize local impact. Once again, we were able to identify the emerging barriers to prosperity for households across each of our seven parishes.

As a result, we’re launching our second cycle of collaborative grant process – rooted in equity, community voice, and data – to foster systems-level change across the region. 

Criteria

UWSELA seeks grant requests across five priority areas aligned with our Blueprint’s prosperity outcomes that we believe will produce long-term change to sustain our mission of to end poverty. In particular, we will consider proposals that focus on one or more of our four outcomes and five priority areas and align with our guiding principles.

Prosperity Outcomes

Data, community conversations, and partner convenings conducted in 2014 and 2015 resulted in four interrelated outcomes that describe the region United Way and residents want to see.

• Stability Today: Families have the skills, resources, & opportunities to access basic needs.
• Prosperity Tomorrow: All families have the social, emotional, and financial assets to create a better future.
• Personal Wellness: People of all ages enjoy a high quality of life and well-being.
• Vibrant Communities: All communities are safe, equitable, and thriving.

Priority Areas

Additional community conversations held drilled down into the four prosperity outcomes, resulting in five priority areas for each parish. Once again, we will give priority to those programs that address these areas for each parish.

• Youth Development: Investing in organizations with a primary focus on serving youth, including both academic and recreational programming, to support the learning, well-being, and prosperity of our next generation.
• Mental Health: Investing in organizations that provide direct counseling and substance abuse treatment to expand the capacity of local providers supporting those facing mental health challenges and to create a more supportive and healthy community.
• Financial Empowerment: Supporting workforce development, community-level economic development, and emergency assistance programs to provide all residents pathways to attaining the skills, opportunities, & supports that undergird economic stability for communities and families.
• Access to Resources: Investing in personnel and community-facing platforms to ensure residents are aware of and able to access existing local supports & resources.
• Coordinating & Convening: Supporting efforts to drive coordination between community-serving organizations with the goal of enhancing accountability, information-sharing, and referrals across the ecosystem, resulting in holistic services and solutions for residents.

Guiding Principles

The following six guiding principles represent the core values of our work and, by extension, the work we want to see from and with our partners:

• Connectivity: We coordinate our efforts to create pathways of prosperity that are trusted, culturally appropriate, accessible, and without bias.
• Equity: We strive to lift up all people and to eliminate systemic barriers to prosperity.
• Lived Experience: We amplify the voices of those we are serving and allow their needs and aspirations to guide our work.
• Long-Term Commitment: We commit to continuing our work until the cycle of poverty is broken, communities are thriving, and people are living prosperously.
• Shared Responsibility: We believe success requires the unique contributions of the entire community, including individuals, families, schools, nonprofits, the faith-based community, funders, governments, and the private sector.
• Systems Change: We embrace our work as holistic and dynamic, impacting people, place, practice, and policy.

Funding

Eligible collaboratives must support a group of organizations and stakeholders taking a unified approach to systems change. The grants may be used for: 

• Planning: Up to $25,000 in funding to help collaboratives come together to create a steering committee, common agenda and working groups.
• Infrastructure-Backbone: Up to $50,000 in funding to support backbone organizations or functions.
• Infrastructure-Shared Measurement: Up to $50,000 in funding to support shared measurement systems.
• Implementation: Up to $100,000 in funding to support systems-change strategies developed by working groups.
• Continuous Improvement: Up to $50,000 in funding to conduct evaluations. 

UWSELA intends to be a long-term partner in supporting collaboratives. As such, at the end of a funding cycle, grantees will have the opportunity to reapply for a funding extension based on a successful evaluation of the work. Funding for the second and third year of the grant is contingent on available dollars and the funded collaborative's performance in the previous year.