Search Through New Orleans Grants for Nonprofits in Louisiana

Who We Are

We support thousands of youth each year through three programs: the Community Grants program, Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen, and the Aaron Sanchez Impact Fund.

The Community Grants program provides program and capital support to nonprofit organizations in the communities where we live and work. Projects funded include an accessible learning kitchen for students with special needs at St. Michael Special School, a four-year culinary arts program for high school students at New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Hospitality Center at Café Reconcile for opportunity youth to receive life skills and job training, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Innovation Kitchen providing food service training for individuals with developmental disabilities at Arc Broward and much more.

We all share a passion for helping children realize their full potential.

Giving kids the knowledge and tools to grow and become their best selves is our true purpose. That’s why we created a signature program that allows us to make a direct, lasting impact on the lives of young people. Emeril’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen reflects our mission to inspire, mentor and enable youth while broadening our reach nationally.

By integrating gardening and cooking concepts in school curriculums, we offer an engaging experience that connects kids to the world of food and nurtures skills that benefit them not only in the kitchen but also throughout life. Through a growing network of like-minded schools, Emeril’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen enriches the lives of kids through a fun, fresh perspective on food.

The Four Pillars

Appreciation for the source of food

To instill in children a respect for and understanding of the source of their food.

Development of Life skills through food

To develop life skills, confidence and a sense of respect in children through the rigors of growing and preparing food.

Nutrition Education

To impart the values of healthy eating in children, who in turn can influence their families and community to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Development of Culinary Skills

To teach culinary skills to children to enable them to cook for themselves, enriching their self-reliance skills.

Are We a Match?

Do you envision a world where every child and family sees the road to success? Where a community’s future is determined by the people who live there?A world where:

• All kids receive nurturing early care and education.
• Health care for mothers, birthing people and babies is readily available where they live.
• Good food is a given, along with support for the people who grow it.
• Parents and caregivers land career pathways that sustain their family
•   And where everyone can heal from the harms of racism and contribute to a more equitable world.

That’s the world we want to see, too!

Where We Fund

Across the United States, with generational commitments in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans. We also fund in Chiapas and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and in central and southwest Haiti.

Who We Are

The Pro Bono Publico Foundation takes its name from the motto of the Rex Organization, which means “For the Public Good.” The Foundation raises funds and makes grants to help organizations engaged in the rebuilding of the New Orleans region, with a special focus on education. Most grants have been awarded to schools and supporting organizations working toward the goal of assuring that all children in New Orleans have access to excellent schools.

Funding Priorities

Innovative and effective programs and organizations serving the citizens of the New Orleans region, with a special focus on education. Most grants in past cycles have been awarded to schools and supporting organizations working toward the goal of assuring that all children in New Orleans have access to excellent schools.

Early Childhood Grants

IMH seeks to strengthen and sustain policies, programs, and providers focusing on early childhood and families with children ages birth to six years.

Early Childhood Program Grants

Through this grantmaking program, IMH will fund programs to increase the number of children ready for kindergarten by building their social and behavioral skills; to increase the social and emotional well-being of children in early childhood programs; to assist parents and caretakers in parenting their children; and to improve the effectiveness of parents and organizations in advocating for programs and policies that address the social and emotional needs of young children. In reviewing applicants, we look for the use of evidence-based approaches. IMH will also fund early intervention and treatment programs for young children with mental health issues.

Child Care Improvement Grants to Promote Diverse Delivery

IMH supports Diverse Delivery, the provision of LA 4 preschool and/or Head Start/Early Head Start services in child care centers. There are several examples of such partnerships in New Orleans. Both Head Start grantee agencies in New Orleans (Total Community Action and the Recovery School District) have contracted with child care centers to locate Early Head Start and Head Start classes within Child Care centers. The Recovery School District has also contracted with several child care centers to provide LA4 classes. In each case, these diverse delivery classrooms meet all the standards for each funding stream and setting involved, providing the highest quality option for the children served.

We are especially encouraged by partnerships between individual public schools and child care centers in their neighborhoods such as the partnership between Langston Hughes Academy and Wilcox’s Academy of Early Learning through which the school is providing LA 4 classes in a nearby child care center. Such partnerships offer many benefits. Children are better prepared for “big school” but located in a familiar and developmentally appropriate setting for pre-k, families are helped to prepare for the transition, schools are assured a class of children prepared to learn, and child care centers are recognized as partners in the larger effort to provide the best quality education for our children.

Additionally, diverse delivery offers the opportunity to braid the scarce funding streams available for early childhood education, maximizing the available state and federal dollars. Over time, we anticipate such partnerships will have the potential to help New Orleans move toward more neighborhood-based schools and provide greater access to high quality early childhood education for all children.

We are seeking proposals to promote such Diverse Delivery arrangements. We are open to creative proposals from any of the parties involved: local educational agencies, Head Start/Early Head Start grantee and delegate agencies, individual schools, child care centers, and organizations facilitating diverse delivery arrangements. We seek strategies to promote Diverse Delivery arrangements that can be self-sustaining over time.

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

The New Orleans Community Support Foundation (NOCSF) invites applications from eligible nonprofit and community-based organizations for grants under the Community-Led Green Infrastructure initiative. This initiative, supported by federal funding, aims to advance environmental well-being and community resilience through the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-led green infrastructure projects focused on flood mitigation, community resilience, and water quality improvement in vulnerable and underserved communities in the Greater New Orleans region. There will be two rounds of grants under this program, with applications for the second round opening in fall of 2026.

Program Goals and Objectives

This initiative will:

• Increase the resiliency of Southeast Louisiana communities through green stormwater infrastructure projects that are developed, implemented, and evaluated by members of the communities that the projects serve. At least 12 projects or project phases (planning, construction, evaluation) will be supported by the initiative with a focus on creating community-led green infrastructure in the most vulnerable and underserved communities.
• Increase the number of individuals with improved understanding of environmental issues in their community through their involvement in the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-led green infrastructure projects; and
• Ensure that grantee partners have improved their abilities to identify, successfully apply for, and effectively manage grants related to green infrastructure and water quality improvement in underserved communities that are adversely and disproportionately affected by environmental and human health harms or risks.  

Purpose

Since it was founded nearly 60 years ago, Turner Industries has grown to be one of the nation’s leading heavy industrial contractors. Founder Bert S. Turner (now deceased) and his wife, Sue, and their children have taken an interest from the very beginning in steadily investing charitable dollars back into the communities in which the company works. As the company has grown in size and number of locations across the country, so have the number of recipients the company has been able to assist. Turner Industries benefits workforce development and community improvement as it relates to health and education.

The Turner Industries Fund at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation invites you to apply for grant funding for your organization through this process. The Fund committee meets on a semi-annual basis to review grant requests and will look forward to reviewing your submission.

Values

Organizations eligible for funding should have values consistent with those of Turner Industries:

• A top priority of everyone is to honor commitments, both personally and professionally. 
• The workplace atmosphere is one of openness and fairness where everyone communicates directly and honestly, and is governed by the same rules.
• A goal of everyone is to grow, personally and professionally, and to contribute to the achievement of the organization.
• The importance of innovation is recognized and peak performers are rewarded.
• The value of excellence in produce quality, customer service and financial performance is stressed.

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 2, 2024, from eligible nonprofit organizations that promote access to affordable housing by providing homebuyer resources and supports, access to disaster preparedness and mitigation services for current homeowners, and home rehabilitation resources for current owners to maintain and preserve affordable housing.

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.

Our Mission: Making Art Happen

Now in our fifth decade, Arts New Orleans is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting arts and culture in the city. We support public art and artists, creating work that inspires, connects, and enriches the community through creative expression.

Our Vision: Art in Everything.

Cultivating Vibrant Communities Through the Impact of Arts and Culture.

More Joy Community Arts Grant

More Joy grants are available to support groups engaging the New Orleans community through parading, public performance, and other free, street-based activities that have roots in or pay homage to the street parading culture of New Orleans. These are activities typically done by Black Masking Indians/Mardi Gras Indians and Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs.

These funds seek to promote the continued success of street parades, examine the cultural traditions behind this local tradition, educate children under age 18 in specific traditions, and generally bring More Joy to the neighborhoods of New Orleans via the street parade. Exhibitions, workshops, and other presentations dedicated to the street parading traditions of New Orleans are also eligible for funding.

About The Community Arts Grant Program

Community Arts Grants (CAG) are funded by the City of New Orleans and administered by Arts New Orleans. 

Who We Are

The Arts Council of New Orleans, dba Arts New Orleans, envisions New Orleans as a city that integrates Art in Everything, where arts and culture play a pivotal role in all policy, planning, and placemaking.

We believe in the power of arts and culture to actively improve the quality of life in New Orleans and that the full spectrum of benefits should be equally accessible to all residents. Arts New Orleans advocates for expanded investment in the arts and culture ecosystem. We provide artists and culture bearers with vital training and economic opportunities while recognizing our commitment to equity in our sector and city.

New Orleans As Cultural Capital Category

New Orleans as Cultural Capital grants provide operating support to nonprofit arts organizations working in the following arts disciplines: dance, design arts, folklife, literature, media, multidisciplinary, music, theater, and visual art and crafts. Applicants should demonstrate artistic excellence and equitable practices. Funds can be used for administrative or overhead expenses, including but not limited to salaries, programming costs, marketing, supplies and materials, space rental, utilities, and insurance.

Funding

An eligible arts organization may apply for $14,000, $7,000, or $3,500 grants in accordance with funds it spent during its fiscal year. 

Amount Of Grant Request:

Applicants' expenditures for their fiscal year will be used to determine their request amount

Level 3 = Expenditures during the applicant's fiscal year must be at least $700,000. Grant awards will be $14,000.  

Activity Period

New Orleans as Cultural Capital grants are awarded for two years.  This grant will renew for the second year after receipt and approval of the organization's final report for the first year. 

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.

The New Orleans Community Support Foundation, a supporting organization of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, is seeking an evaluator or evaluation team to support evaluation planning and execution for a new grantmaking program, “Green Infrastructure for Justice in Southeast Louisiana.”

Overview of Desired Evaluation

Leveraging its track record of environmental grantmaking, nonprofit capacity-building, and extensive relationships, the Foundation will distribute $1.75 million in grants to implement community-led green infrastructure projects in underserved communities at highest risk for the adverse environmental impacts. Through the grantmaking, as well as outreach, evaluation, and high-quality technical assistance, the Foundation will build community capacity to advance transformational and equitable adaptation and flood mitigation projects. These efforts seek to raise environmental awareness, strengthen community resiliency, and improve water management in communities most impacted by disaster and extreme weather. This RFP seeks an evaluator to develop and execute a monitoring and evaluation plan for the duration of the program, including qualitative and quantitative indicators.

Grantmaking Program Goals

The Green Infrastructure for Justice in Southeast Louisiana initiative will facilitate the following goals:

• Increase the resiliency of Southeast Louisiana communities as a result of the implementation of at least 12 stormwater and flood mitigation improvement projects.
• Ensure that at least 12 subawardees have improved their abilities to identify, successfully apply for, and effectively manage grants related to water quality improvement, and prevention, reduction, and/or elimination of pollution in vulnerable and underserved communities that are adversely and disproportionately affected by environmental and human health harms or risks.
• Increase the number of individuals with improved understanding of environmental issues in their community.

Potential indicators measuring the success of this program could include:

• Total number of stormwater management projects implemented in most vulnerable communities.
• The number of individuals who report, in post-workshop surveys, an increased ability to manage environmental grants.
• Total gallons of stormwater runoff mitigated by green infrastructure projects.

Amazon Literary Partnership Grant: US

From the time we opened our virtual doors, Amazon has helped writers tell their stories and find readers. Since 2009, Amazon Literary Partnership has provided more than $17 million in funding to local, regional, and national organizations across the country that empower writers to create, publish, learn, teach, experiment, and thrive in order to reach their audiences.

Amazon Literary Partnership seeks to fund organizations working to champion diverse, marginalized, and underrepresented authors and storytellers. From New Orleans to Houston, Minneapolis to Salt Lake City, our previous grant recipients represent both local and national institutions of all sizes and include nonprofit writing centers, residencies, fellowships, after-school classes, literary magazines, national organizations supporting storytelling and free speech, and internationally acclaimed publishers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Writers supported by these organizations have become bestselling authors and literary award winners.

Grants are given to innovative groups whose core mission is to support diverse, underserved, and marginalized writers, develop emerging writers and/or build the careers of working writers to connect them with readers. We help writers across all genres and formats, fiction and nonfiction, including poetry and translation.

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.

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 In-School Education Programs in Music, Arts, and Cultural Traditions

This category supports music and arts education in the schools by funding music and art instruction that takes place at Louisiana K-12 schools during the regular school day or after school. Schools (public or private) may apply for money to pay for instruments, instrument repair, sheet music, visual art supplies, or other needed materials to support arts instruction as part of the school’s curriculum. Only one application per school is allowed- teachers must verify with their principal, CEO, or School leadership and colleagues before submitting an application to make sure that no one else in the school is submitting one.

Funding

• The maximum grant amount is $7,500. Grant awards may be – and frequently are –for less than the amount requested.
• All Jazz & Heritage grant funds must be spent in Louisiana.

Levitt Music Series Grants - AMP

Levitt AMP is a multi-year matching grant opportunity bringing the joy of free, live music to small to mid-sized towns and cities.

Geared to towns and cities with populations under 250,000, Levitt AMP grantees reflect the three goals of the Levitt AMP program: Amplify community pride and a city’s unique character; enrich lives through the power of free, live Music; and illustrate the importance of inclusive and vibrant public Places. From rural Alaska to Appalachian Main Streets and Midwestern locales, the Levitt AMP Music Series is a catalytic opportunity engaging a wide range of towns and cities across America to realize a shared mission—building community through music to create a healthy and thriving future for all.

In addition to financial support, the Levitt Foundation provides grant recipients with valuable resources including best practices, program frameworks, toolkits, and trainings to deepen impact in their communities.

Launched in 2015, the Levitt Foundation has provided funding to more than 50 communities coast to coast through the Levitt AMP program, activating underused public spaces, ensuring access to the arts and strengthening the social fabric of communities through creative placemaking, bringing people together of all ages and backgrounds through free, outdoor concert series.

Special Music Series Grant - Tennessee-Based Nonprofits

The Levitt Foundation is thrilled to announce its partnership with the Tennessee Entertainment Commission to award up to six communities based in Tennessee with multi-year Levitt AMP matching grants, with support from the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. This project marks the Levitt Foundation’s first joint partnership with a specific state.

Through this partnership, the State and the Foundation together will be awarding matching grants of up to $40K per year to small to mid-sized cities throughout Tennessee in through the next 3 years. The funding will go toward presenting free outdoor concerts featuring high-caliber entertainment in a broad array of music genres, amplifying stages across the state with up to 180 free concerts for Tennesseans of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy.

This partnership applies to the Levitt AMP grant opportunity only. There is no separate application process to be considered and interested Tennessee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits should proceed with completing their online application on the Levitt Foundation website. Levitt AMP grant applicants from Tennessee that advance to the public voting phase will be in the running with other Tennessee-based Levitt AMP grant applicants only. Nonprofits based in Tennessee that are interested in applying for the Levitt VIBE or Levitt BLOC grant opportunity may still submit an online application, though if advanced to the public voting phase will be in the running with applicants from across the country.

Funding

U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible to receive a three-year matching grant of up to $40K/year (up to $120K total) to bring 7-10 free concerts to your community each year!

Levitt Music Series Grants - BLOC

Levitt BLOC is a multi-year matching grant opportunity that activates underused public spaces across multiple neighborhoods within a town or city through the joy of free, live music.

Geared to communities of any size, Levitt BLOC (Building Layers Of Community) activates different neighborhoods in a town or city by “layering” concerts across multiple public spaces, broadening the overall reach of the music series. Levitt BLOC fosters social cohesion and amplifies community pride by featuring a diverse lineup ranging from acclaimed, emerging talent to seasoned, award-winning artists on the local, regional, and national circuits, ensuring access to high-caliber performances throughout a community. Levitt BLOC launched as a two-year pilot program this past year with the Chattanooga-based nonprofit, RISE.

In addition to financial support, the Levitt Foundation provides grant recipients with valuable resources including best practices, program frameworks, toolkits, and trainings to deepen impact in their communities.

Funding

U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible to receive a three-year matching grant of up to $40K/year (up to $120K total) to bring 7-10 free concerts to your community each year!

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.

Pratt-Stanton Manor Fund

Pratt-Stanton Manor helped older adults to live independent lives for over forty years, as a nonprofit assisted living facility for older adults in New Orleans. Recent trends show an increase in the number of adults 65 and over who fall below the poverty line. This is occurring at the same time that funding for older adult services is declining. We believe that, while it is important to invest to reverse this trend, it is also important to invest to help older adults live independently and with dignity. Pratt-Stanton Manor worked hard to provide high quality services. It created a happy and healthy environment for its residents so that they could enjoy fruitful and meaningful lives. As a fund of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, Pratt-Stanton Manor seeks to continue this legacy through partnerships with organizations that share this vision.

Goal

Help older adults to live dignified, meaningful, and independent lives.

Objective

Leverage existing resources available to organizations serving older adults by awarding grants, up to $40,000, annually. In special circumstances the Pratt-Stanton Manor advisory committee can recommend larger grants.

Priority Areas

Priority will be given to organizations in three areas of work:

• serve older adults, especially those living below the region’s median income level;
• serve the most frail and dysfunctional older adults who are living independently; and
• address most basic needs, including food, housing, long term care, activities for daily living, improving general quality of life, and delaying the onset of disability.

Specific Guidelines

Requirements necessary to keep older adults living independently cut across project, program, and capital needs.

The following are examples of project or program needs:

• To provide informal caregiver support–initiatives that support the work of unpaid caregivers, including friends and family.
• To provide services and supports–basic needs and interventions designed to prevent or delay hospitalization.
• To promote economic security–initiatives that help older adults manage their resources, or connect with benefits available to them.

The following are examples of capital needs:

• To provide housing rehabilitation and repair services–home repairs and home modification programs designed to help older adults lead independent lives in their homes, or in independent care facilities.
• To provide capital support for residential care and community-based facilities–capital projects aimed at developing a friendly home-like environment, including senior centers, adult day programs, and other facilities that provide non-institutional setting.

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 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 Media: Documentation + Creation 

This category supports the creation, documentation, or exhibition of artworks that reflect, interpret, document, or preserve the indigenous culture of Louisiana. Individuals and non-profits may apply. Priority will be given to Louisiana-based applicants.

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.

Purpose

The purpose of the Gert Town Community Fund, a Donor Advised Fund of The Greater New Orleans Foundation, is to enhance the quality of life for people in the Gert Town Community. An advisory committee of business and civic leaders meet annually to review grant requests in various program areas.

Program areas include:

• children and youth
• housing
• older adult services including transportation
• community leadership capacity building
• adult education and workforce development
• legal services (successions, taxes, or other housing matters)
• community beautification projects (i.e. tree planting, greenspace maintenance, and neighborhood cleanup).
• economic development (capacity building for entrepreneurs in Gert Town)

GNOF Exxon-Mobil Fund

The purpose of the GNOF Exxon-Mobil Fund, a Donor Advised Fund of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, is to improve the quality of life for people in Algiers and St. Bernard Parish. An advisory committee of business and civic leaders meet annually to review grant requests in all program areas relative to the designated areas.

For St. Bernard Parish, the Committee typically recommends grants that do not exceed $10,000, although larger grants may be made in extraordinary circumstances. For the designated area in Algiers, the Committee typically recommends grants that do not exceed $4,000. View Algiers boundaries here.

The Fund will provide for the following types of funding:

• Grants that support new, creative, or beneficial programs;
• Capital fund grants for new construction or major renovations;
• Seed money grants to help start a new organization which responds to an important opportunity in the community;
• Bridge grants to sustain organizations experiencing financial hardship.

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.