Search Through Grants for Education Nonprofits in Louisiana in the U.S.

Valero Energy Foundation 

Valero, its employees and the Valero Energy Foundation are committed to improving the quality of life in communities where we work and live, fulfilling a mission that was set from the beginning. We set the standard for corporate citizenship and promotes prosperity in our communities. 

The Valero Energy Foundation -- a public charity and Valero's philanthropic arm -- funds nonprofit agencies that serve predominantly disadvantaged children and families. In 2019, the Foundation contributed appoximately $40 million in assistance in the communities where Valero has major operations.

Four Pillars of Support

Our funding focuses on our four pillars of giving in communities where we have major operations.

• Basic Needs:  Valero gives assistance to agencies that provide basic needs of life, including shelter, food and clothing necessary for the development of a strong and safe community. 
• Health Care: We invest in the development of strategic community health resources and facilities that will support the needs of all members of our nearby communities, with major gifts going to children’s hospitals, university medical centers and service providers that offer specialized health care services and programs.
• Education: Valero is a strong advocate of education as it creates a necessary foundation for all children to thrive and for adults to lead productive lives. 
• Civic: We support civic and environmental initiatives directly related to the success of the communities where we live and work.

The NRA Foundation provides financial support to eligible projects, programs and organizations through its Grant Program. Each year, volunteer committees from across the country tirelessly raise charitable dollars and generous donors make gifts that are in turn awarded as grants in support of educational and public service programs relating to the shooting sports in our communities.

The general focus of Foundation grants is to:

• Promote, advance and encourage firearms, shooting sports and hunting safety.
• Educate individuals with respect to firearms, firearms history, participation in the shooting sports, hunting safety, and marksmanship.
• Conduct research in furtherance of improved firearms safety and marksmanship facilities and techniques.

In 1973, Lane Grigsby started a small contracting and engineering company called Cajun Contractors and Engineers, Inc., which has grown into Cajun Industries, LLC, a nationally recognized construction leader providing a broad range of services to various markets.

In 2007, Lane decided to create a family foundation to help oversee his philanthropic interests. To date, the Boo Grigsby Foundation has made over $2,500,000 in donations to organizations and non-profits in Louisiana and nationally. 

The Boo Grigsby Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that operates for the express purpose of giving financial support to charitable organizations that serve the communities of Baton Rouge and the state of Louisiana, as well as national organizations. The foundation supports many different types of organizations and is always looking for new ways to support our communities.

Areas of Support

Education

We support a variety of education programs and initiatives in the Baton Rouge area. We believe every student should have access to a quality education and support organizations that strive to impact education. We support all areas of education: public, private and charter.

Medical/Health Services

The Foundation supports a wide array of medical and health related organizations and programs. We donate to research initiatives as well as preventative and support services affecting people of all ages.

Arts and Humanities

Our broad goals in Arts are to support a vibrant community of local performing and visual arts organizations and to ensure that children have access to arts education programs and activities. The Foundation provides funding for performing and visual arts organizations and for community-based arts education.

Human Services

Human services grantmaking supports local nonprofit organizations involved in providing direct services to people and families in the community, including family education classes as well as food or other direct needs.

Community Initiatives

The Foundation supports organizations involved in community development and planning. We believe that by supporting organizations that strive to make our communities a better place, we are investing in the future of Baton Rouge, the state of Louisiana and all of its residents. The main focus of our funding of community initiatives is locally in and around Baton Rouge and the state of Louisiana.

Conservation and Science

Our local conservation and science grantmaking supports nonprofit organizations that are engaged in conservation work and/or providing environmental education for children.

E.J. and Marjory B. Ourso Family Foundation Fund

The purpose of the E.J. and Marjory B. Ourso Family Foundation is to provide philanthropic support for South Louisiana, which has been good to the family over generations. Grant applicants should keep in mind that the Foundation gives priority to projects which build on human initiative and service to mankind. 

The Foundation will provide grants to support nonprofit organizations which have new, creative or beneficial projects which respond to challenges in the following program areas:

• education,
• healthcare,
• human services and
• religion.

The Board of Directors reviews proposals on a quarterly basis. 

If a grant is awarded, the Foundation requires that the funded organization submit both fiscal accounting and narrative reports on the use of its grant and the impact that the grant may have had on the community it serves. Reporting guidelines will be established in the letter of award.

Battlefield Preservation Fund

Grants from the Battlefield Preservation Fund will serve as a catalyst to stimulate efforts to preserve battlefields, viewsheds, and related historic structures and to leverage fund-raising activities.

Eligible Activities

National Trust Preservation Fund grants are awarded for planning activities and education efforts focused on preservation. Grant funds can be used to launch new initiatives or to provide additional support to on-going efforts.

Planning

Supporting existing staff (nonprofit applicants only) or obtaining professional expertise in areas such as architecture, archaeology, engineering, preservation planning, land-use planning, and law. Eligible planning activities include, but are not limited to:

• Hiring a preservation architect or landscape architect, or funding existing staff with expertise in these areas, to produce a historic structure report or historic landscape master plan.
• Hiring a preservation planner, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce design guidelines for a historic district.
• Hiring a real estate development consultant, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce an economic feasibility study for the reuse of a threatened structure.
• Sponsoring a community forum to develop a shared vision for the future of a historic neighborhood.
• Organizational capacity building activities such as hiring fundraising consultants, conducting board training, etc.

Education and Outreach

Support for preservation education activities aimed at the public. The National Trust is particularly interested in programs aimed at reaching new audiences. Funding will be provided to projects that employ innovative techniques and formats aimed at introducing new audiences to the preservation movement, whether that be through education programming or conference sessions.

Focus Areas

The goal of the Entergy Charitable Foundation is to support initiatives that help create and sustain thriving communities. The focus areas for foundation funding are education/workforce development, poverty solutions and environmental programs.

Education/Workforce Development

Entergy is committed to investing in the future of the communities we serve through our support for education. Education enables individuals to achieve their fullest potential and contribute positively to society. An educated, skilled, and diverse workforce is critical to Entergy’s long term success and the health and viability of the communities we serve. With our education partners, the Entergy Charitable Foundation strives to ensure that every child has access to a quality education and the skills to be successful in life.

Poverty Solutions

Entergy’s focus on poverty solutions is rooted in the economic reality of the region we serve. Our service territory encompasses areas some of the highest poverty states in the nation. The Entergy Charitable Foundation seeks to support programs that provide innovative and measurable poverty solutions and tools that help break the bonds of intergenerational poverty.

Such programs may include, but are not limited to:

• Sustaining families and self-sufficiency; 
• Technical assistance and training for non-profits;
• Housing;
• Home-ownership preparation;
• Energy management and awareness;
• Innovative use and promotion of alternative sources of energy.

Environmental Programs

Entergy is nationally recognized as an environmentally responsible utility. Entergy was the first U.S. utility to commit to voluntarily stabilizing CO2 emissions in 2000. In addition to our commitment to excellence in our environmental performance, we are committed to working with nonprofit organizations and community partners to protect, conserve and restore the natural beauty and biodiversity of regions that we serve. A large portion of Entergy's customer base and the majority of its utility infrastructure are in the Gulf Coast region, which is experiencing one of the fastest rates of wetland loss in the world, especially along Coastal Louisiana. The first line of defense to prevent further loss involves working with our communities to restore and maintain barrier islands and coastal wetlands that serve as natural protection in severe weather situations.

To that end, the Entergy Charitable Foundation seeks to invest in programs such as:

• Coastal and wetlands restoration; 
• Reforestation ;
• Stormwater management;
• Energy efficiency and renewable energy ;
• Environmental education ;
• Community resilience and mitigation.

GPOA Foundation Grant

The GPOA Foundation is a grant-making, independent foundation which supports programs that serve children in Orleans Parish, Louisiana.

The GPOA Board has adopted the following priorities for the coming three years, in our effort to level the playing field for the most vulnerable children and youth. In brief, the outcomes we want to see are:

• Children who are ready for kindergarten
• Children who can read on-level by third grade
• At-risk Youth who are equipped for work and independence

Funding Priorities

The GPOA Foundation DOES consider funding

• Nonprofit organizations that serve children and youth in Orleans Parish
• Operational costs of programs (including staff and materials)
• Multi-year requests for three years of declining support will be considered for organizations which have clear impact objectives and an evaluation plan. However, grants will be approved a single year at a time.
• Collaborative grant request, involving up to three organizations working on a common outcome, are encouraged.

Our Grantmaking Will Support

• Early Childhood Education
  • Helping Children 0-8 meet attainable developmental goals through Kindergarten readiness and access to early childhood education
• Children who read on grade level by third grade
  • SuSummer learning loss prevention programs for K-3rd grade students
• Out of School Programs for K-12
  • Enrichment programs (music, art, dance, STEM)
  • Behavioral health and social-emotional supports
• Children with Special Needs​
  • Special Education and Autism Spectrum programs
• At-risk youth who are equipped for work and independence
  • Youth experiencing homelessness, youth with special needs, and youth who are in foster care, group homes, or juvenile justice facilities
  • Educational remediation or growth opportunities
  • Vocational and work-readiness training and apprenticeships
  • Life-skills training and leadership opportunities

Guidelines

Grants from National Trust Preservation Funds (NTPF) are intended to encourage preservation at the local level by supporting on-going preservation work and by providing seed money for preservation projects. These grants help stimulate public discussion, enable local groups to gain the technical expertise needed for preservation projects, introduce the public to preservation concepts and techniques, and encourage financial participation by the private sector. A small grant at the right time can go a long way and is often the catalyst that inspires a community to take action on a preservation project. Grants generally start at $2,500 and range up to $5,000.

Eligible Activities

National Trust Preservation Fund grants are awarded for planning activities and education efforts focused on preservation. Grant funds can be used to launch new initiatives or to provide additional support to on-going efforts.

Planning: Supporting existing staff (nonprofit applicants only) or obtaining professional expertise in areas such as architecture, archaeology, engineering, preservation planning, land-use planning, and law. Eligible planning activities include, but are not limited to:

• Hiring a preservation architect or landscape architect, or funding existing staff with expertise in these areas, to produce a historic structure report or historic landscape master plan.
• Hiring a preservation planner, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce design guidelines for a historic district.
• Hiring a real estate development consultant, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce an economic feasibility study for the reuse of a threatened structure.
• Sponsoring a community forum to develop a shared vision for the future of a historic neighborhood.
• Organizational capacity building activities such as hiring fundraising consultants, conducting board training, etc.

Education and Outreach: Support for preservation education activities aimed at the public. The National Trust is particularly interested in programs aimed at reaching new audiences. Funding will be provided to projects that employ innovative techniques and formats aimed at introducing new audiences to the preservation movement, whether that be through education programming or conference sessions.

Who We Are

The Community Foundation of North Louisiana brings people and resources together to solve problems and enhance our community. Our mission is to promote philanthropy and improve the quality of life in the North Louisiana community by serving as a permanent and growing resource of expertise and funds.

Established in 1961, the Foundation oversees more than $190 million in assets for the benefit of North Louisiana. The funds managed by the Foundation are invested for the community’s benefit and then are returned to the community in the form of grants to a wide variety of charitable endeavors. Since inception, Community Foundation has granted over $140 million in grants to nonprofit organizations.

WPN Grants

The Women’s Philanthropy Network (WPN), a fund of the Community Foundation of North Louisiana, is seeking applications from programs with clearly defined outcomes that address school readiness and/or student achievement, including but not limited, to literacy services, behavioral health, or other wrap-around services. Applicants should utilize evidence-based best practices and have a track record of success. 

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

What is an eligible area?

Rural Business Development Grant money must be used for projects that benefit rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Check eligible areas. 

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. Opportunity grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.

How may funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Distance adult learning for job training and advancement.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

Opportunity grants can be used for:

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

Awareness. Education. Prevention.  These are three key tenets of Bayer Fund’s investments in health and wellness.  With a focus on cancer and cardiovascular disease, we provide resources to organizations dedicated to educating and/or providing services to patients, caregivers and at-risk populations.

Health & Wellness Grants

Programs that Bayer Fund will support include those that focus on patients and their families needing assistance with issues to managing cardiovascular disease and cancer. This includes education, disease awareness, and supportive services for these diseases. In areas related to cardiovascular disease, priority (though not exclusivity) will be given to charitable organizations that focus on programs and support for the African American community due to the high incidence rate of disease in this population.

Giving in this category will focus on support services such as education, disease awareness, and general access to care (e.g., housing for families traveling for cancer or heart care).

All funding requests and budgets must be for program activities and expenses that start after funding decisions are made. All programs must be completed within one year of the start date, except in limited situations where longer term programs have been agreed upon. Grant award amounts vary, depending on the size of the community, the type of programming, and the reach of the organization.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

About Collective Impact Grants

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of Louisianians. In many Louisiana communities, there are critical shortages in the healthcare workforce (general practitioners, dentists, specialists, nurses, mental health providers and other allied health professionals). 

Following the success of our first collective impact grant program – Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana – the Foundation recognized that collaboration among community partners is the key to making long-term changes in the trends of Louisiana’s overall health. That’s why we’re challenging communities across Louisiana to work together to tackle their most pressing issues.

Collective Impact Grants support community-wide efforts addressing complex issues in Louisiana. Proposals may cover a wide range of issues in health, education or well-being to meet the unique needs of each community. Examples of focus areas could include, but are not limited to: heart disease, diabetes, mental health, obesity, or disparities in access, quality or cost. Through Collective Impact Grants, the Foundation will help Louisiana communities reshape their environments to support healthy lives for all.

About Healthcare Workforce/Collective Impact Grants

Across Louisiana, there are critical shortages in the healthcare workforce, including, but not limited to: general practitioners, dentists, specialists, nurses, mental health providers and other allied health professionals.

These gaps contribute to Louisiana’s health disparities and limit healthcare services in areas of the state where it’s needed most.

The Foundation challenges Louisiana communities to address this major public health concern. We are seeking community-level proposals that build sustainable and lasting solutions for Louisiana’s healthcare workforce shortage.

Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation 

Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation was established in the Last Will and Testament of Collin’s C. Diboll dated August 13, 1984. The foundation’s mission is to provide charitable and educational benefits for the New Orleans community. 

The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation (the "Foundation") is a private charitable foundation operating in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Foundation primarily makes grants to charitable organizations that have been recognized by the IRS as being described in Section 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Program Areas

The Foundation supports programs that work to strategically resolve societal problems and promote the arts, education and health.  

Grants range from $1,000 to $250,000 annually. Applicants may apply for one-year or multi-year grants for their project.  

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.

Background

LEH Rebirth Grants support programmatic initiatives focused on the humanities. Eligible projects include public humanities programs that involve audience participation and discussion; documentary photography, podcast, and radio projects; humanities-based festivals and exhibition development; digital humanities projects including websites and online documentation of Louisiana history and culture; speaker series; assistance with publication projects and humanities-based educational initiatives; and more.

LEH projects should include:

• Humanities Scholars Involvement - Humanities scholars must play a central role in all phases of an LEH-funded project as planners, speakers, resource persons, panelists, and/or evaluators. The LEH defines a humanities scholar as an individual professionally trained and primarily engaged in the study, research, writing, and/or teaching of humanities disciplines. The individual can be employed in their field, retired, not employed, or on temporary leave from a professional position in the humanities. Affiliation with a college or university is usual but not mandatory. Scholars usually have a PhD in a humanities discipline or at least alternative credentials.
• Humanities Focus- All LEH projects must focus on topics and themes drawn from the humanities or bring the analytical potential of the humanities to bear on current political, social, or economic concerns and issues. The 1965 legislation that established the National Endowment for the Humanities, defines the humanities as follows: “The term ‘humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study and interpretation of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of the social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.”

• Balanced Viewpoints - To avoid advocacy and bias, programs sponsored by the LEH must provide for a balance of viewpoints, especially those projects dealing with controversial contemporary issues. For example, a project addressing the First Amendment’s relation to religion in public schools should provide subject matter for both sides of the issue.

• Public Audiences - Programs must be designed to address the out-of-school public rather than exclusively the scholarly community. The LEH especially encourages applications from minority-serving institutions and organizations as well as from rural and underserved areas of the state, but applications are welcome regardless of an organization’s size, audience, and location. The LEH encourages research and publishing project proposals to include a public component as well.

• Community Involvement - Representatives of the community must be involved in all phases of a project to complement the presence of the humanities scholars. The LEH encourages advance planning with community groups.

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.

Background

The Frost Foundation was created on March 19, 1959 to be operated exclusively for educational, charitable and religious purposes.

The Frost Foundation was named in honor of Edwin Ambrose Frost and Virginia Chapelle Frost. Its first Board of Directors was composed of Mrs. Mary Frost Willis, Mrs. Elizabeth Frost Whited, Frank T. Whited, Mrs. Mary Virginia Loftus, Edwin Frost Whited and W. Scott Wilkinson.

The Foundation possesses all powers, rights, privileges, capacities, and immunities which nonprofit corporations are authorized to possess under the Constitution and Laws of Louisiana, and particularly under Title 12, Section 101 et seq., Louisiana Revised Statutes, and has been authorized to operate in New Mexico as a foreign corporation with the name of The Frost Foundation, Ltd.

Guidelines

In order to best utilize its available resources, the Foundation has established the following general guidelines for grant-making activity:

The Foundation wishes to encourage self-reliance, creativity and ingenuity on the part of prospective recipients. Its efforts are directed primarily to support exemplary organizations and programs which can generate positive change beyond traditional boundaries, to encourage creativity which recognizes emerging needs, and to assist innovation which addresses current urgent problems. 

Within these parameters, it provides initial impetus to exemplary organizations and programs, to operating funds, to pioneering organizations and programs which other institutions might similarly use, and to programs which have potential for wider service or educational exposure than an individual community.

The Foundation encourages collaborations, mergers and the formation of alliances among agencies within the community to reduce duplication of effort and to promote a maximum effective use of funds. The Foundation also considers requests for operating.

Introduction and Intent

Louisiana Project Grants are administered jointly by the Louisiana Division of the Arts (LDOA) and nine regional arts councils across the state. This program provides a system for funding arts projects in all regions of the state by giving artists, nonprofit arts organizations, nonprofit organizations, public and private schools, school boards, colleges and universities, and local government agencies in each region the opportunity to develop arts projects that meet their local needs. The purpose of the program is to cultivate innovative arts projects that have a lasting impact within each region of our state.

Louisiana Project Grants are funded by the LDOA. Due to a substantial decrease in state general funds for the LDOA, Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser transfers $1 Million from the Louisiana Office of Tourism to fund this program. Funds are provided to each region on a per capita basis utilizing the most recent U.S. Census figures. The Louisiana Division of the Arts oversees the Louisiana Project Grants program and disburses the funds to nine Regional Arts Councils (RAC), which in turn re-grant those dollars within their regions.

Recognized Artistic Disciplines

Louisiana Project Grants provide funds for a wide variety of arts projects that can impact their region and/or meet specific community needs. Arts projects funded must focus on one or more of the recognized arts disciplines listed below.

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 Glossary of Terms. 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.

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 Grants

Since 1979, the Jazz & Heritage Foundation has invested proceeds directly into the community with grants to fund projects that support the Foundation’s mission.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is now accepting requests for funding of up to $5,000 to support music and art education programs, cultural events put on by Louisiana arts-based nonprofits, new artistic works that interpret Louisiana culture, and other projects that support the Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s mission.

Through the Community Partnership Grants program, the Foundation provides grants to schools, artists, and arts-based nonprofit organizations throughout the state. Over the last decade, more than $13.5 million in grants have been distributed to Louisiana communities.

Jazz & Heritage After-School and Summer Education Programs in Music, Arts, and Cultural Traditions

This category supports after-school and summer educational arts programs offered by nonprofit organizations. Organizations may apply for money only to pay the professional teaching fees of the artists or educators who provide arts instruction. Only nonprofit organizations in Louisiana may apply.

Community Partnership Grants

Since 1979, the Jazz & Heritage Foundation has invested proceeds from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell directly into the community with grants to fund projects that support the Foundation’s mission.

Through the Community Partnership Grants program, the Foundation provides grants to schools, artists, and arts-based nonprofit organizations throughout the state. Over the last decade, more than $15 million in grants have been distributed to Louisiana communities.

In each grant cycle, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation reviews hundreds of requests for funding of up to $7,500 to support music and art education programs, cultural events put on by Louisiana arts-based nonprofits, new artistic works that interpret Louisiana culture, and other projects that support the Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s mission.

Jazz & Heritage Presenting: Festivals and Concerts in Music and Performing Arts

This category supports job opportunities for Louisiana performing artists through financial support to local nonprofit organizations to facilitate the hiring of Louisiana-based performers for festivals and public cultural events within the state. Eligible organizations for this funding are limited to nonprofits located in Louisiana.

Beaird Family Foundation Grant

The majority of our grants support qualified nonprofit organizations in the Shreveport-Bossier City area of North Louisiana. 

Our Mission

Carolyn and Charles established a Foundation that continues their work under the direction of their family’s second, third and fourth generations and an Executive Director. The Foundation awards grants to qualified nonprofit organizations, mostly in the Shreveport and Bossier City region of Louisiana. It has supported a wide range of interests, including but not limited to education, housing, health care, social services, the arts and community development. From its small beginnings in 1960, the Carolyn W. and Charles T. Beaird Family Foundation has grown, enabling its Board to award over $1,400,000 to nonprofit organizations in 2020.

The Carolyn W. and Charles T. Beaird Family Foundation is committed to improving the Shreveport and Bossier City region of Louisiana through assisting organizations to add opportunity, freedom of action and choice, self-betterment and a climate for change to the lives of the people they serve.

The Foundation’s priority is to fund organizations in, or projects which take place in, the Shreveport and Bossier City region, but it may also fund requests from other locations, especially those with the potential to be replicated in its geographic scope if proven effective.

The Foundation is particularly interested in supporting those programs which are small, local, innovative and perhaps even unpopular. The Foundation leaves to others the funding of grants to individuals and the support of large national causes such as the American Cancer Society and the American Red Cross.

Bring independent documentary filmmakers to your community for screenings and conversations around powerful stories and the art of filmmaking. Screening Partners are partner organizations that present Southern Circuit screenings, Q&As, and other filmmaker engagements with the community. Screening Partners develop screening audiences through strategic marketing and partnerships. As a group, they participate in the film selection process and discuss programming/marketing strategies for each film. Screening Partners act as hosts to touring filmmakers, providing recommendations for travel, lodging, and dining.

South Arts coordinates filmmaker tours and provides marketing materials for each film. South Arts recognizes the value of filmmaker participation by providing an honorarium for each filmmaker’s tour, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Screening Partners must be nonprofit, educational, or governmental organizations residing in the South Arts region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Southern Circuit Screening Partners have included schools, churches, arts centers, municipalities, and other organizations, serving audiences of all ages.

Southern Circuit is invested in partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the South Arts region.

What films are presented?

Southern Circuit prioritizes featuring Southern filmmakers and stories. We are committed to presenting films by filmmakers of color, LGBTQ+ filmmakers, and filmmakers with disabilities. Selected filmmakers should have an ethical relationship with the topics and individuals/communities represented in their work. We are invested in including emerging and first-time filmmakers.

Screening Partners are provided a Southern Circuit Film Guide with potential selections for the season. Screening Partners work together to select six films that will tour to all Screening Partners. The Southern Circuit Film Selection Meeting will be held in June. At least one representative from your organization will be required to participate.

Who We Are

Community Foundation of North Louisiana brings people and resources together to solve problems and enhance our community. Our mission is to promote philanthropy and improve the quality of life in the North Louisiana community by serving as a permanent and growing resource of expertise and funds.

Established in 1961, the Foundation oversees more than $200 million in assets for the benefit of North Louisiana. The funds managed by the Foundation are invested for the community’s benefit and then are returned to the community in the form of grants to a wide variety of charitable endeavors. Since inception, the Community Foundation has granted over $150 million in grants to nonprofit organizations.

Primary Grants

Primary Grants are typically awarded to existing organizations with annual revenue of $250,000 or more.

Program Area

The proposed program must align with one of the following program areas:

• Civic Engagement
• Economic Development
• Education
• Environment
• Health & Science
• Human Services
• Organizational Development 

Types of Funding Request

Program support, general operating support, or capital support may be requested.

Amount of Request

There is no maximum or minimum amount that can be requested.

Who We Are

Community Foundation of North Louisiana brings people and resources together to solve problems and enhance our community. Our mission is to promote philanthropy and improve the quality of life in the North Louisiana community by serving as a permanent and growing resource of expertise and funds.

Established in 1961, the Foundation oversees more than $200 million in assets for the benefit of North Louisiana. The funds managed by the Foundation are invested for the community’s benefit and then are returned to the community in the form of grants to a wide variety of charitable endeavors. Since inception, the Community Foundation has granted over $150 million in grants to nonprofit organizations.

Small Grants

Small Organization Grants are awarded to organizations with annual revenue of less than $250,000. The amount of funding requested cannot exceed $10,000. 

Program Area

The proposed program must align with one of the following Community Foundation program areas:

• Arts and Culture
• Civic Engagement
• Economic Development
• Education
• Environment
• Health & Science
• Human Services
• Organizational Development

Types of Funding Request

Program support, general operating support, or capital support may be requested.

Amount of Funding

The maximum that can be requested in this category is $10,000.

Detailed Program Description

Grants of up to $2,500 for organizations to make arts programs accessible to persons with disabilities.

The Southeast is home to some of the world’s more diverse and vibrant artistic communities. At South Arts, we believe that the arts are for everyone. The arts enrich the lives of people of all abilities and backgrounds. In our commitment to amplifying the success of the Southeast’s arts ecology, South Arts offers micro-funding to supplement the efforts of arts organizations throughout our service area.

Art making is for everyone too! South Arts encourages arts organizations to hire artistic personnel of all abilities at all levels; for these grants in particular, we encourage arts organizations to work directly with artists who identify as disabled. 

Through our partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, South Arts offers small grants that compliment existing efforts by arts organizations to include audiences and artists with disabilities. Accessibility micro-grants are available to support Nonprofit, 501c3, arts organizations located within the South Arts Service region states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. This funding program is open to a wide variety of organizations, including community cultural organizations, museums, performing arts presenters, theatre companies, visual arts and music organizations. Priority funding will be given to new applicants to South Arts.

South Arts has prioritized the following:

• South Arts prioritizes applications from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ identifying organizations.
• South Arts prioritizes applications from organizations led by persons with disabilities or organizations that provide significant programming to artists or audiences with disabilities.
• South Arts is committed to funding artists organizations in rural communities (with populations under 50,000).
• Primary consideration will be given to new applicants.

Usage of Funds

Grants awards may reimburse the applicant for any combination of qualifying expenses incurred during the grant period. Projects may include but are not limited to the following:

Programs

• Usage of large print or braille program materials for patrons/audiences with low vision
• Artist/consultant fees to provide accessibility training or audits
• Transportation of constituents or performers with disabilities
• Preparation for special exhibitions (i.e. space modifications or accessibility audit)
• Audio description
• Sign language interpretation
• Website accessibility
• Docent training for visual or audio enhancement
• Consultant fee to develop an overall accessibility plan for your organization
• Inclusive programming
• Staff training to learn about accessibility as it relates to programming, operations, or facilities modifications (i.e. travel to a workshop and/or training)
• Other accommodations that make programs accessible

Facilities Enhancements

• Accessibility signage for exterior and/or interior space
• Modification of restroom(s) signage
• Modification to drinking fountain(s) signage
• Installation of Braille plaques

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