PROGRAM AREAS AND INITIATIVES
Foundation for Louisiana’s programs and initiatives are driven by the Foundation’s mission to invest in people and practices that work to reduce vulnerability and build stronger, more sustainable communities statewide.
Based on known best practices and our in-depth understanding of local context, the Foundation seeks to realize our vision for a better Louisiana by investing in:
- Community economic development
- Local leadership and grassroots civic engagement
- Policy initiatives that support innovation and equitable access to resources
- Disaster Readiness and Response
Since 2005, the Foundation’s cross-cutting investments in these areas have resulted in a vastly strengthened non-profit sector; a newly robust and sophisticated generation of local leaders and neighborhood activists; an increased level of resilience and disaster readiness; substantial gains in economic opportunity and access to affordable housing for the region’s most vulnerable residents.
GRANTMAKING PHILOSOPHY
Foundation for Louisiana insists on philanthropy rather than charity. Our grantmaking strategy focuses on equipping people and communities with the tools they need to educate, organize, lead and prosper, resulting in an improved quality of life for all. We are committed to endeavors that promise a lasting impact on Louisiana communities by growing capacity, increasing human and social capital, and prompting systemic change. The Foundation also focuses on developing local initiatives that, once proven, can be scaled to larger regions and exported to other communities facing similar challenges.
Foundation for Louisiana is purposeful about reaching out to diverse groups to encourage proposals that embody the Foundation’s mission and address the real needs of underserved communities. The Foundation seeks to maximize the impact of its grantmaking by identifying underlying causes of poverty and inequity, addressing complex issues with multi-pronged strategies and investing in the transformation of organizational and ideological structures that present barriers to progress.
Foundation for Louisiana’s investment and grantmaking strategies necessarily embrace calculated risk. In order to revitalize struggling communities, we must be willing to invest in those that have been historically marginalized. We take responsibility for managing that risk through our high-engagement approach to grantmaking, carefully stewarding our investments via sustained, hands-on involvement with our grantees and their work, providing them with the support and guidance they need to succeed and sustain.
FOUNDATION OUTCOMES
The Foundation, through grantmaking, program related investments, convenings, publications and new and enhanced partnerships, shall work throughout the state of Louisiana to realize the following outcomes over the next five years:
- A 15% increase in the number of affordable housing units developed statewide
- A 15% increase in the number of affordable housing units developed in the Louisiana’s largest metropolitan areas
- A leverage by at least 5 times of each foundation grant or program related investment in affordable housing
- A leverage by 5 times of each foundation grant or program related investment small business support and developments
- A 20 % increase in the number of small businesses and disadvantaged business enterprises obtaining public contracts in Louisiana’s largest metropolitan areas
- An 15% increase in the buying and saving power of Louisiana’s population currently earning less than 80% of area median personal earnings