best practices in disaster grantmaking - philanthropy northwest

Best Practices inDisaster Grantmaking

Lessons from the Gulf Coast

New York Regional Association of Grantmakers

2 Introduction

3 Executive SummaryBest Practices; Practices to Avoid; Future Investment Opportunities

5 NYRAG Member Response toHurricanes Katrina and Rita

10 Snapshots of InnovativeGrantmakingAs Reported by Nonprofit Organizations,Governmental Agencies, and CommunityFoundations

21 Future Investment in the Gulf CoastOpportunities for Promoting Recovery,Transformation, and Revitalization

26 Appendices

New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG)

The New York Regional Association ofGrantmakers (NYRAG) is a nonprofitmembership organization of more than285 grantmaking foundations and corpo-rations in the New York metropolitan area.Its members award more than $3.9 billionannually to more than 20,000 charitableorganizations in the New York area andaround the globe. Its mission is to pro-mote and support the practice of effectivephilanthropy for the public good.

Acknowledgements

NYRAG wishes to thank The FordFoundation for its financial support of theNYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Initiative andof this report.

We also thank all those who respondedto requests for information regarding phil-anthropy’s response to Hurricanes Katrinaand Rita, and most importantly, to thosewho took time out of their busy schedulesto talk with the authors of this report.

Contents

2 Best Practices in Disaster Grantmaking

The Gulf Coast region is an area rich in culture, tradition,and resources. It is also an area in which many communitiesgrapple with vast social, racial, and economic inequities.Despite these inequalities, or perhaps because of them, thecommunity leadership in the Gulf Coast region has a depthand breadth equal to that in any other part of the country.Local leaders are passionate, dedicated, and highly skilledcommunity members who are committed to working forthe betterment of their neighborhoods, towns, and states —but many lack the resources necessary to support theirefforts and to further develop their skills.

While local leaders in the Gulf Coast have long fought thesystemic injustices in their communities, many people acrossthe country, including many in the philanthropic sector,were unaware of the severity of the inequities untilHurricanes Katrina and Rita so violently revealed the truth.The news reports and photographs that depicted the loss oflife, the desperation, and the isolation of so many communi-ties across the Gulf Coast region underscored the need fornational attention and a national response to the region.This report, which highlights the work of the New York phil-anthropic community, presents some of these responses.

In order to ensure the compilation of a report that recog-nizes the many outstanding philanthropic practices thatwere instituted in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers(NYRAG) gathered information from more than 370 indi-viduals — from 287 NYRAG members via survey, and, via

telephone and face-to-face interviews, from 86 individualsrepresenting community foundations from the hurricaneaffected areas; local governmental agencies developed torespond to the hurricanes; nonprofit organizations fromMississippi and Louisiana; members of the NYRAG GulfCoast Recovery Task Force; and affinity groups from acrossthe country.1 In addition to this research, a review wasundertaken of existing publications and reports regardingthe philanthropic response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,and to other national disasters.2

The primary purpose of this report is to share knowledgeabout philanthropic responses to Hurricanes Katrina andRita that were deemed, by both funders and grant recipi-ents, to be “successful,” and to glean recommended practicesthat donors can apply to future disasters. While creating thisreport, the authors were made aware of a Ghanaian wordthat captures perfectly the purpose of this report —Sankofa.3 In the Akan language of Ghana, Sankofa translatesto “go back and take” (Sanko:go back, fa:take). The Asanteof Ghana use a symbol to represent this same idea — that ofa bird with its head turned backwards taking an egg off itsback. It symbolizes one taking from the past what is goodand bringing it into the present in order to make positiveprogress through the benevolent use of knowledge. It ishoped that this report will do just that—provide some ofthe knowledge necessary to generate positive progress andensure continued investment by the philanthropic commu-nity in the transformative recovery of the Gulf Coast region.

Introduction

“Take from the past what is good and bring it into the present in order to make positiveprogress through the benevolent use of knowledge.

”

3

Utilize key people in the affected communities.Recognize, respect, and utilize the skills and knowledge ofkey people and local leaders in the affected communities.

Utilize existing relationships to gather informa-tion. Leverage existing relationships with both non-profit partners in the local community andphilanthropic peers who are funding in the region tolearn of needs, opportunities, and potential fundingrelationships in affected areas.

Be willing to take risks. Overcome the inherent cau-tiousness of foundations and invest in nonprofit organ-izations that have not previously received significantsupport from the philanthropic community.

Share information with other funders and withnonprofits. Foster collaborative relationships withpeers, share ideas and funding opportunities, andencourage direct communication with nonprofitorganizations in the affected communities.

Create a dynamic funder collaborative. Partnerwith other funders to create a flexible, adaptable infor-mation-sharing method that has the ability to adapt itspurpose and function to the changing needs of itsmembership though all stages of the recovery process.

Create a nationally relevant informationresource. Collaborate with other funders to develop apractical, user-friendly resource that distills informa-tion about community needs and grantmaking oppor-tunities into a referenced document that encouragescommunication among funders.

Put staff “on the ground.” Use staff to develop rela-tionships in the affected communities, to garner knowl-edge about the ever-changing needs of the communitiesas they move through the recovery process, and to pro-vide practical, skills-based support to nonprofit organ-izations in the days immediately following a disaster.

Be proactive. Don’t wait for nonprofit organizationsin the affected communities to request assistance —make phone calls and offer support.

Create collaborative funding efforts. Work withpeers to pool funds and maximize financial resourcesavailable to the affected areas.

Strengthen local philanthropy. Use financialresources, and staff expertise and time to invest in anddevelop local philanthropic organizations. Strongerlocal philanthropic organizations will yield strongernonprofit organizations.

Defer a portion of grant dispersal. Rather than pro-viding only short-term funding to the affected commu-nities, wait to see what “gaps” need to be filled andprovide medium- and long-term funding in those areas.

Expand funding focus. Recognize the extraordinarycircumstances that arise following disasters and look foropportunities to fund outside traditional fundingguidelines.

Simplify the application process. Modify the grantapplication process to minimize demands made on non-profits in the weeks and months following a disaster, andutilize common application forms whenever possible.

Executive Summary

BEST PRACTICES: STRATEGIES IDENTIFIED BY NONPROFITS, COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS, AND GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES


PRACTICES TO AVOID: PROCESSES THAT PROVED DETRIMENTAL TO RECOVERY

Failing to respect time of nonprofit leaders. Manynonprofit leaders reported that foundation representa-tives expected nonprofit practitioners to arrange tours,participate in meetings, and introduce them to othernonprofit providers and then failed to provide fundingto the organization. Visits should not be made to a non-profit organization unless funding for that organizationis almost certain.

Failing to recognize the role of faith-basedorganizations in the immediate disaster recoveryprocess. As cornerstones of many communities in theGulf Coast, many faith-based organizations had exist-ing structures in place to meet community needs; how-ever, they were often overlooked when funding wasdistributed.

Using a “philanthropic lens” rather than a “com-munity lens” when looking at recovery.Foundations are often very paternalistic in the wake ofdisaster. It is imperative that affected communities beallowed to determine what they need for recovery. Trustthose on the ground to make the decisions and listen towhat they need.

Failing to modify application and reportingrequirements. Following a disaster, loss of data, lackof basic equipment, and decreased staffing may make itimpossible for nonprofit organizations to submit tradi-tional applications and collect data typically requiredfor reporting. Foundations must recognize these veryreal limitations and adjust expectations accordingly.

Failing to recognize recovery time required fol-lowing a disaster. Funders need to recognize that itmay take years, not weeks or months, for communitiesto return to their pre-disaster levels of operation.

Investing quickly rather than well. If funders donot have existing relationships in a region, they shouldtalk to other funders and learn. Do not give money tothe largest institutions in the region in the hope it willtrickle down to those that are actually serving the com-munities in need.

Forcing nonprofit collaboration. Disaster recoveryis not the time for nonprofit organizations to be devel-oping radically new programs. Collaboration betweennonprofits must occur organically and should not beforced.

Failing to respond to requests for funding. Ifrequests for funding are received from organizations indisaster-affected areas, foundations should respond in atimely and respectful manner. If funding is not possible,use peer networks to introduce nonprofit organizationto other potential funders.

Lacking awareness of federal policies thatimpact disaster recovery. When funding in disasterrecovery, foundations should have a basic understand-ing of Federal policies that directly impact the recoveryprocess (e.g. the Stafford Act). Do not “waste” philan-thropic funding on actions that should be funded by thefederal government.

FUTURE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES: STRATEGIES TO CONSIDER

Support and empower local philanthropy. Increasethe capacity, influence, and power of local philanthropyby developing partnerships and collaborative fundingopportunities.

Affect change in local and state policy. Supportnonprofit organizations that are working to change leg-islative policies that propagate racial, social, and eco-nomic inequity in the Gulf Coast region.

Develop opportunities for funder cooperationand collaboration. Maximize resources flowing to theGulf Coast by sharing information and developingstrategic funding responses.

5

NYRAG GULF COAST RECOVERY TASK FORCE

The Mission of the Task Force is to support the individual andcollective efforts of foundations, corporations, and individualdonors to meet the immediate and long-term needs of dis-placed persons and survivors, and help ensure an equitablerebuilding and transformation of all communities affected byHurricanes Katrina and Rita.

To advance this Mission, the Task Force gathers and distillsinformation to inform existing and effective philanthropicpractices and opportunities in the hurricane-affected areas,disseminate the information to current and prospectivedonors, and facilitate cooperative efforts.

■ HistoryIn response to NYRAG’s identified priorities of expandingdonor opportunities, promoting information sharing andcollaboration between NYRAG members and key audiences,and building a learning community among its members,NYRAG convened a Members Briefing on September 15th,2005, to discuss how best to respond to the needs of the com-munities affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The highattendance figures at the briefing—45 in-person attendeesand 32 teleconference attendees—demonstrated the interestof the New York philanthropic community in addressing thedevastation caused by the hurricanes and led to the immedi-ate creation of the NYRAG Gulf Coast Initiative. The objec-tives of the initiative are: to equip foundations, corporations,and individual donors with information and resources neces-sary to most effectively respond to both the immediate andlong-term needs of the communities affected by HurricanesKatrina and Rita; to facilitate collaboration among grant-makers; to share knowledge about the benefits of collabora-tion; and to glean recommended practices that donors canapply to other natural disasters in the future.

The driving force behind the NYRAG Gulf CoastInitiative is the 50-plus member NYRAG Gulf CoastRecovery Task Force4. The Task Force, co-chaired by MaryJo Mullan of The F.B. Heron Foundation and Erica Hunt ofThe Twenty-First Century Foundation, is comprised of rep-resentatives from private, public, and corporate philan-thropic organizations, as well as representatives fromnational and local business and philanthropic organizationssuch as the Committee to Encourage CorporatePhilanthropy, the Council on Foundations, the FoundationCenter, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and AmeriCares.

The Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force is staffed by consult-ants employed by NYRAG and is funded through grantsfrom NYRAG member organizations5.

■ AchievementsSince the creation of the Gulf Coast Initiative, NYRAG hasworked diligently to focus and maintain national andregional attention upon equitable rebuilding and transfor-mation in the Gulf Coast. To this end, the NYRAG GulfCoast Recovery Task Force created three vehicles for infor-mation dissemination, learning, and the exchange of ideas:

DONORS’ GUIDE TO GULF COAST RELIEF & RECOVERY Immediately following the hurricanes, the majority of TaskForce members identified the sheer immensity of the task athand as the primary obstacle to providing effective philan-thropic support to the hurricane-affected area. The hurdles,both immediate and long-term, appeared insurmountableyet the opportunities to invest in the recovery of devastatedcommunities were myriad and, in many cases, unfamiliar.In order to address these barriers, Task Force membersdetermined that the Task Force should focus its attentionsupon gathering, distilling, and making accessible theimmense quantities of information around the relief, recov-ery, and rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast. As a result ofthis directive, the Donors’ Guide to Gulf Coast Relief &Recovery was developed.

The first edition of the Donors’ Guide was printed in July2006, and was originally designed as an internal documentfor dissemination among members of the Task Force and thewider NYRAG membership. However, with the assistance of“word of mouth” endorsements, and in the absence of otherresources regarding philanthropic responses to the hurri-canes, it has become a definitive national guide for founda-tions and nonprofit organizations. Of the 20 organizationsinterviewed in New Orleans in preparation for this report,more than 75 percent were aware of the Donors’ Guide, hadused the guide, or had referred another organization to theguide. Of the 18 organizations interviewed in Mississippi,approximately 33 percent were aware of the Donors’ Guide.Representatives from two community foundations in thehurricane-affected region stated that they had receivedphone calls, emails and grants from a number of funders asa direct result of their inclusion in the Donors’ Guide.NYRAG has also received feedback from businesses, philan-

NYRAG Member Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita


thropic organizations, and affinity groups from across thecountry praising the value and importance of the Guide.

In an effort to ensure it accurately reflects past and cur-rent hurricane-related grantmaking activity by the NewYork philanthropic community, a second edition of theDonors’ Guide to Gulf Coast Relief & Recovery was printed inDecember 2007. This latest publication provides informa-tion on the more than $325 million the New York philan-thropic community has contributed for rescue, recovery,and rebuilding efforts since the landfall of hurricanesKatrina and Rita.

According to the data received for the Donors’ Guide, 145New York area philanthropic organizations have respondedto the devastation in the Gulf Coast since September 2005,providing funding to 950 nonprofit organizations in 196communities across 38 American states and four countries.Grants were distributed to organizations across the pro-grammatic spectrum—from those that work with infantsand toddlers, to those that provide services to the elderly;from emergency response organizations that provided foodand clothing in the days immediately following the storms,to those that are working to promote economic growth inlong underserved communities; and from those helping topreserve the region’s rich cultural heritage, to those workingto address the many environmental hazards the region isfacing. For a breakdown of data according to geographicand programmatic distribution, please see Appendix 1 ofthis report.

INFORMAL BREAKFAST SERIES In an effort to provide grantmakers with relevant, topicalinformation about grassroots activities in the hurricane-affected areas, the NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Forcedeveloped a series of informal breakfast meetings withnonprofit leaders from the Gulf Coast region. Through theinformal presentation and discussion format of thesemeetings, grantmakers have the opportunity to hear first-hand of the myriad challenges faced by those in the hurri-cane-affected areas, of the work that has been undertaken,and of the need for a long-term commitment to the region.

The informal breakfast series—which has featured speak-ers from ACORN, Contemporary Arts Center (NewOrleans), the RAND Gulf Coast Policy Institute, the GreaterNew Orleans Foundation, marketumbrella.org, Seedco,Times Picayune, Women of the Storm, Institute forSustainable Communities, United Way for the Greater NewOrleans Area, The Fertel and Ruth U. Fertel Foundations, theSamuel J. Green Charter School, Libraries for the Future, andthe Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land AssistanceFund—is an integral part of NYRAG’s efforts to keep theneeds of those affected by the hurricanes at the forefront ofthe collective “mind” of the philanthropic community.

The opportunistic model used for the breakfast meetingshas enabled NYRAG to meet the identified needs of mem-

bers of the Task Force while limiting the expenses associatedwith implementing such events. Breakfast meetings, whichare held at either the NYRAG office or at offices of NYRAGmembers, have been initiated only when a nonprofit practi-tioner from the Gulf Coast region has indicated he/shewould be in New York City and has volunteered to sharetime, knowledge, and expertise with members of the TaskForce. This model has proved beneficial to both the NewYork philanthropic community and to visiting nonprofitleaders — NYRAG is aware of a number of organization,including at least one community foundation, that havereceived funding as a direct result of information presentedat a NYRAG breakfast meeting.

LEARNING FORUM SERIES In an effort to provide up-to-date, relevant informationabout relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts in the areas dev-astated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and to broaden thediscussion beyond NYRAG member organizations, NYRAGimplemented a series of Learning Forums to discuss effectivelong-term reinvestment strategies in the Gulf Coast.6

The first in the series — Voices of the Gulf Coast: Strategiesfor Hope and Change — was held in July 2006. This event,which was hosted by UJA-Federation of New York and co-sponsored by 14 additional organizations,7 was attended bymore than 160 members of the national and local philan-thropic, business and nonprofit communities and focusedupon housing, civic participation, and infrastructurerebuilding in New Orleans and Louisiana.

The second event, held in January 2007, attracted anaudience of approximately 65 members of the wider NewYork philanthropic community and focused upon the men-tal health needs of individuals and communities affected byHurricanes Katrina and Rita. In response to Task Forcemember requests, presenters for the second LearningForum were drawn from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas,and represented the mental health, nonprofit, and govern-mental sectors.

In September 2007, days after the second anniversary ofHurricane Katrina, NYRAG co-sponsored the FundersForum on Sustainable Gulf Coast Transformation. This event,which was organized in collaboration with the Initiative for

“145 New York area philanthropicorganizations have responded to thedevastation in the Gulf Coast since September2005, providing funding to 950 nonprofitorganizations in 196 communities across 38American states and four countries.

”

7NYRAG Member Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Regional and Community Transformation, and co-spon-sored by eleven other philanthropic organizations8, washeld in New Orleans and was attended by 111 representa-tives from local, regional, and national philanthropic organ-izations, as well as approximately 80 representatives fromthe nonprofit community.

The NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force is currentlyplanning the fourth event in the Learning Forum Series.This event will be held in New York City in March of 2008and will focus upon the role of the media in disasterresponse and recovery.

■ ChallengesAs with most long-term collaborative projects, the TaskForce has faced hurdles at various stages of its existence. Ascould be expected, these challenges changed with the tenureof the Task Force.

IMMEDIATE CHALLENGESIn its initial weeks, the primary challenges confronting theTask Force were associated with its purpose and relevance:What did the Task Force hope to achieve? How could theTask Force help its members reach their goals in the GulfCoast? How could the Task Force best meet the needs ofthose affected by the storms? And, finally, how could theTask Force encourage a long-term philanthropic commit-ment to the region?

At the first meeting of the Task Force, attendees presentedinformation on their funding history in the South, a briefoverview of their foundation’s response to the hurricanes, andtheir long-term plans for funding in the Gulf Coast. The vastmajority of funders in attendance had very little or no historyof funding in the region and were looking for guidance in thisarea. Many of those funders who did have pre-existing fund-ing relationships in the hurricane-affected areas were lookingat opportunities to fund outside their traditional fundingguidelines, or to expand their funding to include a greaternumber or range of nonprofit organizations.

While some meeting attendees (primarily those repre-senting corporate foundations) had made grants to theAmerican Red Cross immediately following the hurricanes,many had sought alternative avenues to provide emergencyassistance to the region, or had determined that they wouldnot make grants to the region in the immediate aftermath ofthe storms. Of those who had already committed funds tothe region, very few were confident that additional fundingwould be approved by their Boards of Directors and wereseeking advice and information from their peers to bolstertheir advocacy efforts.

Most of those who attended this first meeting had expe-rienced the aftermath of September 11th and recognizedthat the recovery process in the Gulf Coast would be longand difficult and would require significant funding from thephilanthropic sector. That said, many funders stated that

they were overwhelmed by the needs of the region and didnot know how to respond most effectively and efficiently.

Following this introductory process, Mary Jo Mullan andErica Hunt, Task Force co-chairs, questioned meeting atten-dees about what they wanted the Task Force to provide. Theoverwhelming response was that members wanted a practi-cal, user-friendly resource that distilled information regard-ing Gulf Coast needs and grantmaking opportunities into areferenced document that encouraged communication andcollaboration among Task Force members. As a result of thisdiscussion, work began on the Donors’ Guide to Gulf CoastRelief & Recovery.

Information for the Donors’ Guide was gathered directlyfrom Task Force members and also, via emailed surveys,from the wider NYRAG membership. This information wascombined with web-based information on potential fundingopportunities, statistical information regarding the havocwrought by the hurricanes, and “advocacy points” that couldbe used when discussing with boards possible long-termfunding in the Gulf Coast. A unique feature of the Donors’Guide was the inclusion of contact information for programofficers responsible for making each grant. The purpose ofincluding such information was to encourage communica-tion and reduce the need for replicated due diligence. At atime when nonprofit organizations required immediatefunding, enabling program officers to share informationabout nonprofit organizations, eliminate red tape, andreduce the time needed to process a grant application wasseen as vitally important, and highlights the Task Force’scommitment to funder collaboration and cooperation.

The Donors’ Guide to Gulf Coast Relief & Recovery waswidely praised by members of the Task Force as an essentialtool that informed their philanthropic practices in the GulfCoast. In addition, funders from across the country haveused the Donors’ Guide to gather information about fund-ing opportunities in the Gulf Coast, and to share informa-tion with their peers. In response to requests fromgrantmakers, NYRAG has created and printed a second edi-tion of the Donors’ Guide that includes information on themore than $325 million the New York philanthropic com-munity has invested in the Gulf Coast for rescue, recovery,and rebuilding efforts.

MEETING CHANGING NEEDSApproximately twelve months after Hurricane Katrinamade landfall, the Task Force experienced a precipitousdecrease in meeting attendance figures. Many Task Forcemembers no longer had funds to commit to the region,media attention had diminished, and the time commitmentthat people had previously been willing to make to the TaskForce became more than they could continue. Additionally,by this time the Task Force had achieved many of its initialgoals: the Donors’ Guide to Gulf Coast Relief & Recovery hadbeen printed and distributed widely throughout the philan-


thropic community; Voices of the Gulf Coast: Strategies forHope and Change, the first in the Learning Forum series,had been presented; and Task Force meetings were continu-ing to be held every six weeks.

While attendance at meetings was waning, a core group ofTask Force members identified the need to continue theactivities of the Task Force and investigated ways to adapt theTask Force model to the changing needs of its membership.

To address the issue of decreased attendance at meetings,the Task Force co-chairs revisited one of the guiding princi-ples of the Task Force—that members wished to learn fromexperts in the hurricane-affected region. To this end, thenature of the Task Force meetings was refocused upon top-ical content rather than process, and Task Force staff redou-bled their efforts to identify nonprofit leaders from the GulfCoast who were visiting New York and who would be inter-ested in presenting to NYRAG members. Through thisaction, there was something of a merging of the informalbreakfast meetings and the traditional Task Force meetings.Meetings were now used principally for the purpose of pre-senting guest speakers to meeting attendees, with only aportion of the meeting time used for process-related issues.

In addition to ensuring the Task Force returned more fullyto its original purpose of providing relevant, topical informa-tion to current and prospective donors, Task Force meetingswere now promoted not just among Task Force members, butto the wider NYRAG membership. This action resulted fromthe recognition that the Task Force was no longer relevant tosome of its original membership. Many early members nolonger had funding to contribute to the Gulf Coast recoveryand rebuilding process and, as a result, could no longer justifycontinued attendance at meetings. At the same time, however,other NYRAG members were only just beginning their forayinto Gulf Coast funding and were looking for venues to accessresources and information. As a result of promoting TaskForce meetings to the wider NYRAG audience, attendance isnow at a level comparable to attendance figures in early 2006,with approximately 33 percent of recent meeting participantsbeing first-time attendees at a Task Force meeting.

ONGOING CHALLENGES Since its inception in September 2005, the NYRAG GulfCoast Recovery Task Force has been staffed by a team ofthree consultants contracted by NYRAG to assume all func-tions associated with the Task Force. This staffing modelwas originally utilized due to the overwhelming workloadalready assumed by senior NYRAG staff, and the uncer-tainty surrounding the expected lifespan of the Task Force.The use of this model has continued due both to its success,and to the transition in NYRAG leadership that occurredbetween September 2006 and September 2007.

The Task Force consultants have been responsible fororganizing and implementing all aspects of the Task Force’sactivities — planning and staffing meetings, identifying

speakers, creating resource materials, implementing allcomponents of the Learning Forum series, creating theDonors’ Guide to Gulf Coast Relief & Recovery, and writingproposals for funding to support the activities of the TaskForce. While the NYRAG president has worked diligently toadvance the mission of the Task Force and NYRAG staffhas fully supported the Task Force’s activities, it has beenthe consultants who have been responsible for the bulk ofthe work.

The consultants, who have worked an average of approxi-mately 50 hours per week since their employment began inOctober 2005, have extensive experience in the New Yorkphilanthropic community, a thorough knowledge of localand national philanthropic practices, and exceptional organi-zational, writing, and technical skills. These skills, combinedwith a deep familiarity of NYRAG and its members, haveensured that Task Force staff is able to respond to the needsand demands of both Task Force members and the widerNYRAG community. Additionally, the use of consultant staffhas allowed a more intensive use of staff time than hadNYRAG staff time been utilized. Whereas the man-hoursNYRAG staff could commit to the project would have beenconstrained by their existing duties and responsibilities to theorganization’s membership, consultant staff has greater flexi-bility in managing their workloads. While this operatingmodel has been extremely successful and beneficial to bothNYRAG and the Task Force members, it has resulted ingreater expense than would have been incurred had NYRAGstaff assumed the duties related to the Task Force.

As more disasters—both natural and man-made—occurthroughout the nation and the world, and as national inter-est in Gulf Coast recovery wanes, funding to support thisproject is becoming more challenging to access. Fewer foun-dations have the ability to allocate Gulf Coast-focusedresources to non-programmatic activities such as the TaskForce, and many foundations have discontinued all grant-making activity in the area. In the coming months, as fund-ing becomes an increasingly challenging hurdle to overcome,the NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force must determineif its concentrated focus of maintaining national and regionalattention upon equitable rebuilding and transformation inthe Gulf Coast should be continued, or if the activities of theTask Force should be broadened to address additional issues.

■ Lessons Learned

FOCUSA vitally important component of the success of theNYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force was the very earlycreation and adoption of a statement of “core values” — orMission statement — by the Task Force.

The NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force Missionstatement9 was developed by Task Force members throughgroup discussion and debate at three meetings, with modifi-

9NYRAG Member Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

cations, editing, and rewrites being completed by Task Forcestaff between meetings. When developing the statement,Task Force co-chairs, who characterized the developmentprocess as “tough, but well worth the effort,” encouraged themembers to look beyond the immediate function and activ-ities of the group and to consider the long-term implicationsof the Mission statement—an action that has been essentialin ensuring the Task Force has maintained its focus andremained true to its original goal. The long-term success ofthis strategy has been recognized by many members of theTask Force, including one who stated, “time and again whendecisions regarding the direction of the Task Force needed tobe made, we returned to the Mission statement for guid-ance.” For a group with a revolving membership comprisedof representatives from a variety of sectors and with a vari-ety of expectations, the early creation of a statement of corevalues has been essential to its success.

FLEXIBILITYWhile adherence to a Mission statement has been indispen-sable in ensuring the Task Force maintains its focus, theflexibility of meeting type presented by the group has alsobeen vital to its continued success.

The three distinct, but complementary, meeting struc-tures provided by the Task Force — the opportunistic infor-mal breakfast meetings that address issues of relevance tosmall, but passionately interested, groups of funders; theTask Force meetings devoted to topical issues that are ofimmediate importance to a wider range of funders; and theLearning Forums that allow a deeper and more thoroughinvestigation of a single issue of fundamental importance —has enabled the Task Force to continue to attract the inter-est and attention of members of the philanthropic commu-nity long after the needs of those in the Gulf Coast havebegun to fade from the public conscience.

Over the past two years, the Task Force has seen the ros-ter of philanthropic organizations funding in the Gulf Coastchange dramatically. Initial involvement by a wide variety offunding groups during the “rescue” and “recovery” phases

has ceased, leaving a core group of public, private, and fam-ily foundations that are committed to long-term transfor-mative reconstruction of the area. In addition to this “coregroup,” a new group of funders has joined the Task Force —those who have not previously funded in Gulf Coast, butwho now recognize the need for long-term philanthropicinvestment in the region. The recognition by the Task Forcethat a flexibility of meeting type is necessary to respond tothe changing composition of its membership has enabledthe Task Force to successfully continue its advocacy onbehalf of those affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita farbeyond its initial expectations.

FUNDINGThe cost of staffing the NYRAG Gulf Coast Initiative has,since its implementation, been covered by grants fromNYRAG member organizations. Seed funding for TaskForce operations were initially secured from five memberfoundations that were active in the Gulf Coast and who rec-ognized the need for a forum that promoted the sharing ofinformation and ideas. In the early months of the Initiative,however, additional funding streams to cover costs otherthan staffing were not aggressively pursued.

Due to initial uncertainty regarding the lifespan anddirection of the Gulf Coast Initiative, funding to cover thecost of activities such as producing resource materials,implementing conference type meetings, or bringing practi-tioners from the Gulf Coast to New York, were not pursued.As a result, a premium was placed on utilizing in-kind con-tributions from Task Force members wherever possible. Thispractice, while successful from a budgeting perspective, wasdetrimental to the escalation of the activities of the TaskForce and caused a significant delay in the production one ofthe Task Force’s most widely recognized resource materials—the Donors’ Guide to Gulf Coast Relief & Recovery.

While it is acknowledged that the use of in-kind contribu-tions to produce this resource would have resulted in signif-icant savings, the reliance upon an in-kind contribution asthe sole source of funding for this project was unwise. In theearly months of the Task Force, it was important for itsmembers, and the wider philanthropic community, toobserve concrete examples of the work being undertaken bythe Task Force, and a delay in the production of this valuableresource could have severely impacted its ongoing success.

In recognition of this funding oversight, in mid-2006 theTask Force became more aggressive and focused in its pur-suit of funding for ongoing activities — an approach which,while requiring more structured planning, has enabled anexponential increase in the scope of activities that can beundertaken by the Task Force.

“A vitally important component of thesuccess of the NYRAG Gulf Coast RecoveryTask Force was the very early creation andadoption of a statement of “core values” —or Mission statement — by the Task Force.

”


Without exception, the 86 representatives of the nonprofitorganizations, governmental agencies, and communityfoundations interviewed for this report recognized the gen-erosity, efficacy, and commitment of philanthropic organi-zations from across the country following the devastationcaused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Foundations wererecognized for their flexibility in funding, for their ability to“fill in the gaps” left by governmental funding sources, andfor their commitment to long-term recovery and transfor-mation in the region. While philanthropic organizationsfrom all across America responded to the disasters, and con-tinue their response to this day, it is the purpose of thisreport to focus upon the efforts of New York area fundersthat demonstrated grantmaking strategies and practicesthat were most beneficial in the aftermath of the hurricanes.For this reason, only New York area organizations are listedin the section below.

For ease of reporting, the following section has beenarranged into five categories: funders that responded to thehurricanes by developing peer collaborations/collectives; pub-lic foundations; private foundations; corporate foundations;and disaster relief organizations. Within each of these cate-gories, the organizations most regularly cited as demonstrat-ing the best examples of innovative grantmaking are listed.

COLLABORATIVE/COLLECTIVE RESPONSES

■ Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal & Ecological Health

The Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal & EcologicalHealth (“The Gulf Coast Fund”) is a collaborative grant-making fund housed at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisorsand supported by more than 25 public and private founda-tions10. The Gulf Coast Fund was established by a coregroup of 13 funders with histories of investing in environ-mental, social, and economic justice programs, and isstaffed by one full-time staff member who is responsible forall aspects of the fund’s administration and grant dispersal.

The Gulf Coast Fund supports projects that address theunderlying causes that contributed to the severity of the dis-asters in the Gulf Coast, and that strengthen and amplify localorganizing, social justice concerns, and movement-building,with an emphasis on communities that have been historicallydisenfranchised due to race, class, gender, and/or immigra-tion status. The Gulf Coast Fund supports community, state,

and regional efforts that engage, empower, and benefit dis-placed and returning residents, and that promote the sustain-able and just rebuilding of neighborhoods, cities, andecosystems throughout the Gulf Coast. The majority of fundgrantees are organizations led by people of color and/or his-torically disenfranchised constituencies that reflect and aregrounded in the communities in which they work.11

The Gulf Coast Fund, which supports organizationsthroughout Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, wascreated specifically to respond to the wider environmental,economic, and social justice issues that contributed to theseverity of the damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina andRita. For many years, the Gulf Coast region has experiencedpolitical disenfranchisement, has been exposed to destruc-tive environmental practices, and has suffered from signifi-cant economic disinvestment — all of which have preventedmany communities from protecting their rights and theirland. All too often it has been low-income communities andcommunities of color that have borne the brunt of theseissues. In order to ensure that the Gulf Coast has the neces-sary protections in place to cultivate economic, social, andcultural revitalization in the region and to assure the sur-vival of sustainable communities, the Gulf Coast Fundbelieves support of coastal restoration, environmental pro-tection, and social and economic justice programs is vital.

EFFECTIVE PRACTICESOver half of the nonprofit organizations interviewed forthis report cited The Gulf Coast Fund for CommunityRenewal & Ecological Health as a philanthropic organiza-tion that responded most effectively to the needs of hurri-cane-affected communities following Hurricanes Katrinaand Rita. The primary reasons given for the perceived suc-cess of the Gulf Coast Fund were: its identification and uti-lization of key people in the region; its utilization of, andexpansion upon, existing relationships in the hurricane-affected areas; and its willingness to “take risks” in its grant-making activities.

Identification of Key People The Gulf Coast Fund is committed to an open and trans-parent decision-making process that is led by the commu-nities most affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Toachieve this, the fund operates in partnership with anAdvisory Group,12 which informs the grantmaking processof the Gulf Coast Fund and identifies needs on an ongoing

Snapshots of Innovative GrantmakingAs Reported by Nonprofit Organizations, Governmental Agencies, and Community Foundations

11Snapshots of Innovative Grantmaking

basis. The Advisory Group is comprised of communityleaders from across the Gulf Coast — people with their “earsto the ground” who are aware of local grassroots organiza-tions working in innovative, creative, and effective ways.Members of the Advisory Group represent a variety of fields— from workers rights to healthcare, from the environmentto housing — and were invited to serve on the AdvisoryGroup because of their knowledge, experience, and influ-ence in their local communities. This use of “on the groundexperts” who are aware of the ever-changing landscape ofthe recovery and rebuilding process has not only garneredthe appreciation of many members of the Gulf Coast com-munity but has ensured that the fund’s investment dollarsare reaching effective, efficient nonprofit organizations thatare grounded in, and supported by, communities through-out the Gulf Coast region.

Utilization of Existing RelationshipsIn the weeks immediately following the landfall of the hur-ricanes, funding efforts of many philanthropic organiza-tions were hindered by a lack of knowledge about effectivenonprofit organizations in the region.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that prior to 2005, philan-thropic investment in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabamaby New York area grantmakers had been in decline for manyyears. This decrease in involvement in the Gulf Coast regionled to a decrease in relationships with, and knowledgeabout, nonprofit organizations working in the area. Asmany funders were not familiar with organizations in theregion and did not have established networks from which torequest information, some funders undertook lengthyinvestigations before making recovery and rebuildinggrants.

During interviews conducted in preparation for thisreport, the primary criticism expressed regarding philan-thropy’s response to the storms was the time nonprofitleaders were required to devote to meetings, “disastertours,” and information sharing sessions with potentialfunders. Almost 100 percent of nonprofit practitionersinterviewed reported that the time spent meeting withgrantmakers, showing them the damage caused by thehurricanes, and introducing them to members of the com-munity, was detrimental to the health of the nonprofitorganization, and indeed to the nonprofit leader him/her-self. At a time when people were struggling to rebuild allaspects of their personal and professional lives, when lead-ers in the nonprofit community were working twelvehours a day, six or seven days a week, the need to againstop work to show yet another potential funder the dam-age caused by the hurricanes led to feelings of frustrationand resentment. While members of the nonprofit commu-nity recognized the need for funders to diligently andthoroughly investigate the activities of nonprofit organiza-tions prior to making an investment, it was believed that in

times of disaster recovery, funders should use tools otherthan traditional “site visits” to meet these goals.

Due to its collaborative nature, the Gulf Coast Fund wasable to develop other such “tools.” By drawing on the insti-tutional intelligence of its members and by utilizing theknowledge of the “key” community people that comprisethe Advisory Group, the Gulf Coast Fund was able tobypass, or at least defer, the need for traditional site visits.The collaborative nature of the fund enabled grantmakersto share knowledge about effective nonprofit practitionersin the region and use local networks established by theirphilanthropic peers to gain awareness of organizations inthe area. This sharing of information and resources reducedthe need for multiple visits to nonprofit organizations, andreduced the time demands placed on potential grantees—apractice that received overwhelming support and gratitudefrom nonprofit organizations in the region.

Willingness to “Take Risks”The final practice undertaken by the Gulf Coast Fund thatwas widely lauded by nonprofit organizations, governmen-tal agencies, and community foundations, was the fund’swillingness to trust those who were on the ground deliver-ing services in the aftermath of the hurricanes.

The acceptance by the Gulf Coast Fund that it was thepeople from the hurricane-affected area who best knewtheir communities’ needs was a significant factor in theirsuccess. Their willingness to ask communities and non-profit organizations, “What do you need?” rather than stat-ing, “These are our guidelines and here’s what we can do,”led the fund to provide financial support to organizationsthat traditionally have not received significant support fromthe philanthropic community. An example of such a prac-tice is the Gulf Coast Fund’s support of faith-based organi-zations. It is widely acknowledged that faith-basedorganizations were instrumental in providing food, shelter,and emergency services to many non-urban communitiesand communities of color in the immediate aftermath of

“At a time when people were struggling torebuild all aspects of their personal andprofessional lives, when leaders in thenonprofit community were working twelvehours a day, six or seven days a week, theneed to again stop work to show yet anotherpotential funder the damage caused by the hurricanes led to feelings of frustrationand resentment.

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the storms. These faith-based organizations, primarily localchurches, have for many years been the cornerstones oftheir communities and have worked diligently on social,economic, and racial justice issues on behalf of their con-gregations. They have not, however, traditionally been therecipients of funding from national and out-of-region phil-anthropic organizations. The Gulf Coast Fund’s willingnessto “take the risk” in investing with such organizations, andits willingness to overcome the inherent cautiousness offoundations and pursue investment opportunities that donot fit the traditional mold of grantmaking, resulted in thediscovery and support of many grassroots organizationsthat are now leading the recovery process.

■ Gulf Coast Funders for EquityGulf Coast Funders for Equity (GCFE) is a coalition ofinstitutional and individual funders that, over the past twoyears, has involved more than 100 members. Formed withindays of landfall by Hurricane Katrina and originally con-ceived by The Twenty-First Century Foundation and theSouthern Partners Fund as an ad hoc information-sharingresource, GCFE is now co-chaired by Bernadette Orr ofOxfam America and the Rev. John Vaughn of The Twenty-First Century Foundation, and has developed into a highly-valued collaborative effort that provides a platform forstrategically focused advocacy and policy work in the GulfCoast Region.

GCFE’s mission is to promote a just, equitable, and sus-tainable rebuilding of the Gulf Coast communities ravagedby hurricanes, with a special emphasis on those impacted byHurricanes Katrina and Rita. Its goal is to ensure that all res-idents (particularly those with the least access to resources),their allies, and others from the impacted areas, are centralto the decision-making and implementation of the rebuild-ing efforts. Towards this goal, GCFE participants shareinformation, identify opportunities for cooperative fundingacross issues and strategies, and encourage other funders toprioritize support for systemic change and advocacy effortsin the affected regions.

After operating as a wholly volunteer-driven collabora-tive for more than 18 months, GCFE hired its first staff per-son (a consultant) in April 2007. The employment of a staffperson to undertake the primary operations of GCFE hasenabled the collaborative to develop a small grants andtechnical assistance fund, participate in building regionalcapacity to advocate nationally, and to further concentrateits efforts on building collaborative and cooperative strate-gies between funders and grantees to support equitabletransformation in the Gulf Coast region.

EFFECTIVE PRACTICESAs with the Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal &Ecological Health, GCFE was highly praised for it post-Katrina activities by the majority of those interviewed in the

Gulf Coast, and for its utilization of existing networks andfaith-based organizations. The primary cause for theacclaim for GCFE, however, was its willingness and abilityto share and disseminate information among both its mem-bership and nonprofit organizations in the hurricane-affected areas.

Information Sharing Between Funders and NonprofitsImmediately following Hurricane Katrina, The Twenty-FirstCentury Foundation and Southern Partners Fund, two pub-lic foundations with significant experience funding in theGulf Coast region and in communities of color, began receiv-ing phone calls and requests for advice from foundationsfrom across the country. Many funders wishing to makeeffective, responsive contributions to the immediate reliefand recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast lacked the necessaryinformation about nonprofit organizations in the region andsought assistance from more experienced funders.

To address this influx of requests, weekly conference callswere established within days of Hurricane Katrina, duringwhich funders discussed information and funding opportu-nities in the Gulf Coast. It soon became apparent, however,that there was more information than could be shared inweekly phone calls. While the weekly conference calls con-tinued, a website was also developed where grantee listscould be posted, events occurring in the Gulf Coast regioncould be highlighted, and information could be requestedfrom fellow funders. Members used both the phone conver-sations and the website to secure information about possiblefunding prospects, to introduce previous grantees to poten-tial funders in the group, and to help nonprofits in theregion develop new relationship with each other. Essentially,GCFE helped philanthropy and nonprofits “connect.”

By relying on information gathered by trusted peers andgrantees who were equally committed to equitable transfor-mation in the Gulf Coast, members of GCFE were able toreduce the number of “hoops” through which nonprofitswere required to jump in order to secure funding at a timewhen their ability to cope with such demands was extremelylow. Time and again, nonprofit organizations relayed stories

“Many funders wishing to make effective,responsive contributions to the immediaterelief and recovery efforts in the Gulf Coastlacked the necessary information aboutnonprofit organizations in the region andsought assistance from more experiencedfunders.

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of how, immediately following the storms, they wererequired to provide only two-page proposals in order torequest funding from GCFE members — site visits had beenconducted by other GCFE members and the informationhad been shared, or a formal proposal had been submittedto one organization and passed onto other potential funderswithin GCFE, or the nonprofit organization had an existingrelationship with another GCFE funder and their recom-mendation had been sufficient to secure funding for thenonprofit organization. While, over time, the collaborativeand information sharing role of GCFE has moved awayfrom ensuring the immediacy of funding, this practice wasessential in the days and weeks of immediate disaster reliefand recovery.

■ NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force

The NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force is comprised of50-plus members representing private, public and corporatephilanthropic organizations, as well as national and local busi-ness organizations. The Task Force was formed in September2005, specifically to respond to the devastation wrought byHurricanes Katrina and Rita. For more information on theTask Force, please see the first section of this report.

EFFECTIVE PRACTICESThe work of the NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force hasbeen cited by philanthropic organizations, business groups,and nonprofit organizations across the country as an exem-plary model of a collaborative philanthropic response to aspecific issue or need. While many issue-related collabora-tions tend to “wind down” once initial enthusiasm haswaned, the Task Force is still relevant, active and widely sup-ported more than two and a half years after its creation.Some of the reasons for the success, efficacy, and longevity ofthe Task Force are related to the efforts of individual TaskForce members. However, the dynamic nature of the TaskForce and the resources created by the group have also beenvital to its success.

Creation of a Dynamic Funder CollaborativeThroughout the two and a half years the Task Force hasexisted, it has made a concerted effort to adapt its purposeand function to the changing needs of its membership andto the ever changing landscape in the hurricane-affectedareas. At each meeting, Task Force members are asked tonominate specific areas of interest or concern they wish theTask Force to address in future meetings; feedback — bothformal and informal — is actively solicited from Task Forcemembers and from nonprofit and philanthropic organiza-tions in the Gulf Coast; and information regarding trendsand funding opportunities in the region is gathered from awide range of sources. This effort to gather and assembledata, glean expertise from a variety of sources, and provide

a flexible and adaptable resource to Task Force members,has resulted in an initiative that has the ability to respondrapidly to fluctuations in the often unpredictable recoveryprocess and to keep Task Force members, who are geo-graphically removed from the hurricane-affected areas,abreast of important changes, developments, and legislativeand political decisions that affect the region.

The flexibility of the Task Force in responding to theneeds of its members is complemented by the flexibility ofits information delivery systems. As discussed in the firstsection of this report, the Task Force utilizes three distinctbut complementary systems for disseminating informationto its members: opportunistic informal breakfast meetingsthat address issues of relevance to small, but passionatelyinterested, groups of funders; Task Force meetings devotedto topical issues that are of immediate importance to awider range of funders; and Learning Forums that allow adeeper and more thorough investigation of a single issue offundamental importance. The dynamic nature of the TaskForce and its information delivery systems, combined withthe monthly e-newsletter distributed by the Task Force andthe printed resource materials that have been developed, hasensured the Task Force has continued to attract the interestand attention of members of the national philanthropiccommunity long after the needs of those in the Gulf Coasthave begun to fade from the public conscience.

Creation of a Nationally Relevant ResourceOne of the most widely acclaimed achievements of the TaskForce has been the creation and distribution (to philan-thropic and nonprofit organizations across the country) ofthe Donors’ Guide to Gulf Coast Relief & Recovery—the sec-ond edition of which was printed in December 2007. Thisdocument, which provides information regarding the morethan $325 million the New York area philanthropic commu-nity has contributed for rescue, recovery, and rebuildingefforts since the landfall of hurricanes Katrina and Rita aswell as information on the nonprofit organizations that havebeen the recipients of this investment, has become a definitenational resource on philanthropic investment in the GulfCoast and has provided the wider philanthropic communitywith an authoritative guide to nonprofit organizations thatare leading the recovery process in the Gulf Coast.

The Donors’ Guide was originally created by the NYRAGGulf Coast Recovery Task Force as an internal text to beused to guide the investment activities of Task Force mem-bers who had little grantmaking experience in the GulfCoast region. In the meetings of the Task Force immediatelyfollowing the hurricanes, members expressed the desire fora document that distilled the overwhelming amount ofinformation regarding Gulf Coast needs and grantmakingopportunities into a referenced document that encouragedcommunication and collaboration among Task Force mem-bers. In response to this expressed need, and seeking to


maximize the resources available to its members, the TaskForce created a document that not only provided informa-tion on nonprofit organizations working with hurricane-affected communities, but also the names and contactinformation of New York area program officers who hadprevious experience in the region. This strategy of maximiz-ing the opportunity for information sharing among TaskForce members resulted in a document of national rele-vance that has had a significant impact in informing philan-thropic activity in the Gulf Coast region and hasencouraged cooperation, networking, and collaborativegrantmaking activity between members of the wider,national philanthropic community.

PUBLIC FOUNDATIONS

Ms. Foundation for Women —Katrina Women’s Response Fund

As the country’s first national, multi-issue women’s fund, theMs. Foundation directs resources of all kinds to cutting-edgeprojects that nurture girls’ leadership skills, protect the healthand safety of women, and provide low-income women withthe tools to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.As a public foundation, the Ms. Foundation for Women reliesupon contributions from individuals, companies, founda-tions and other entities for its grantmaking capital.

Formed in the immediate aftermath of HurricanesKatrina and Rita, the Katrina Women’s Response Fund pro-vides strategic support to meet the immediate needs ofwomen of color and low-income women in the Gulf Coastregion and ensure that their leadership and priorities arecentral in both short and long-term recovery and rebuildingefforts. By making grants to organizations throughout theregion, the Katrina Women’s Response Fund invests in thecrucial infrastructure that promotes the health, safety, andeconomic well-being of women, their families, and commu-nities. The goal of the fund has been to offer critical, ongo-ing support for women’s grassroots leadership and toincrease the participation of low-income women andwomen of color in policy-making decisions—all to ensure atruly equitable transformation of people’s lives in the regionacross the spectrum of gender, race, and class.13

EFFECTIVE PRACTICESAs with Gulf Cost Funders for Equity, the Ms. Foundationfor Women was recognized by those in the Gulf Coast for itsuse of existing networks and relationships to facilitate itsgrantmaking activities in the wake of Hurricanes Katrinaand Rita, and for its sharing of information with other fun-ders. The method used by the Ms. Foundation for informa-tion-sharing was, however, significantly different from thatused by GCFE.

Several nonprofit practitioners and community founda-tion representatives interviewed for this report stated thatthey had found telling their hurricane survival stories againand again to be an incredibly traumatic experience. Havingto relive the events that so nearly destroyed their homes,places of work, and neighborhoods, caused significantanguish and distress at a time when they were trying to healboth themselves and their communities. To help reduce theneed for this repeated recounting of events, the Ms.Foundation placed on their website the stories of several ofthe organizations they had funded with details of the devas-tation they faced in the aftermath of the hurricanes. As aresult of this action, representatives from nonprofit organi-zations were able to avoid some of the many requests forinformation by referring those curious about the impact ofthe storms to the Ms. Foundation website. While anecdotalevidence suggests that this method of information sharingresulted in significant amounts of additional funding reach-ing the featured nonprofits, the gratitude expressed bymany nonprofit practitioners indicated that these actionswere also enormously beneficial in many other ways.

Another practice for which the Ms. Foundation waswidely recognized was its decision to put staff “on theground” in the hurricane-affected areas in the days andweeks immediately following the storms.

Putting Staff “On the Ground”In the days and weeks immediately following the hurri-canes, the Ms. Foundation for Women sent staff to the GulfCoast region to acquire first-hand knowledge about whatwas happening on the ground and where resources couldbest be invested. The personal contacts made, and theresulting conversations held with those working to rebuildtheir communities, were the basis of the Ms. Foundation’sinformation gathering process for their grantmaking activ-ities in the immediate aftermath of the storms.

Many nonprofit organizations in the areas worst hit byHurricanes Katrina and Rita were physically unable to gen-erate traditional requests for funding in the weeks followingthe hurricanes. As an executive director of a nonprofitorganization in New Orleans explained, “When you nolonger have an office, a desk, or a computer, let alone finan-cial records, writing a grant application can be an impossi-ble task.” While requesting funding in the traditionalmanner was not feasible, the need for funding to helprebuild facilities and services was extreme.

Many staff members from nonprofit organizations in theGulf Coast reported receiving both visits and phone calls fromMs. Foundation staff asking, “What do you need?” and “Howcan we help?” From these seemingly informal conversationsthat made minimal demands on the time and resources ofthose trying to rebuild their lives and organizations, Ms.Foundation staff crafted simple grant applications on behalfof the nonprofit practitioners. As a result of this extremely


atypical grant application process, the Ms. Foundation wasable to provide timely funds to nonprofit organizations thatwere in desperate need of financial support, but lacked theresources to hew to the traditional application process.

While all of the interviewed nonprofit organizations andcommunity foundations recognized that a process such asthe one utilized by the Ms. Foundation would be untenableunder normal grantmaking situations, the use of on-the-ground staff who simplified the grant application process inthe immediate aftermath of the hurricanes was perceived asan excellent example of how philanthropic organizationscan best respond to the needs of nonprofits in the aftermathof a disaster.

The Twenty-First Century Foundation

The mission of The Twenty-First Century Foundation(21CF) is to facilitate strategic giving for black communitychange. Specifically, 21CF works with donors to invest ininstitutions and leaders that solve problems within blackcommunities nationally.

Formed within days of the disaster, The Twenty-FirstCentury Foundation’s Hurricane Katrina Recovery Fund pro-vides targeted support to help rebuild the lives of black andlow-income people and communities directly impacted by thehurricanes. Due to the widespread devastation and immediateneed for relief, the fund’s initial efforts were focused on meet-ing the basic needs of those affected while also supportingcommunity change organizations seeking long-term solutionsto the many challenges communities encountered. The prior-ity of the fund was, and continues to be, making strategicgrants for relief, recovery, and advocacy efforts that provide avoice for all people in the rebuilding plans for the region, andthat promote long-term equitable solutions.14

EFFECTIVE PRACTICESThe Twenty-First Century Foundation employed many ofthe effective grantmaking practices already cited in thisreport when dispersing funds from its Hurricane KatrinaRecovery Fund, including:

• Utilizing existing relationships with nonprofit organiza-tions in the Gulf Coast;

• Sharing information with other funders;

• Bypassing traditional grant application procedures toreduce demands on nonprofit practitioners in the imme-diate aftermath of the storms;

• Dispatching staff to the hurricane-affected areas to gatherinformation;

• Funding the faith-based organizations that were so vitalin the period of relief after the disasters.

The primary practice, however, that set 21CF apart fromthe actions of its funding peers was its active solicitation offunding opportunities immediately following the storms.

Proactive GrantmakingMany of the nonprofit organizations and community foun-dations interviewed for this report stated that prior toHurricanes Katrina and Rita they believed their organiza-tions and programs were not of significant merit to warrantattention from philanthropic organizations outside theirimmediate geographical location. Few nonprofit organiza-tions, especially in Mississippi, had existing relationshipswith the philanthropic community and reported that theyrelied primarily upon contributions from local governmentand small, community fundraising activities to supporttheir programmatic goals. Consequently, following the hur-ricanes, many nonprofit practitioners reported that they didnot know how to go about contacting potential nationaland out-of-region funders to assist them in their recoveryand rebuilding efforts.

As a funder with a significant history in the Gulf Coastregion, 21CF was in an optimal position following the hur-ricanes to utilize existing networks to immediately impactrecovery efforts. The nonprofit leaders and communityorganizations with whom the foundation had relationshipsknew who to contact to request funding — however, moreoften than not, it was 21CF that attempted the first commu-nications following the storms.

Time and again, the actions of Rev. John Vaughn,Program Director at The Twenty-First Century Foundation,were raised by members of the nonprofit community as anexample of an optimal post-disaster response from a phil-anthropic professional. The day after Hurricane Katrinamade landfall, Rev. Vaughn attempted to contact granteesvia phone and email to gauge their safety and to assure themthat, when they were ready to assess the needs of theirorganization, 21CF would be there to help support theirefforts. Within two or three days of landfall, his phone callswere reaching nonprofit leaders who did not have a rela-tionship with the foundation. One practitioner, whoseorganization had not previously received funding from21CF, recounted the story of receiving a phone call fromRev. Vaughn while she was standing in Wal-Mart shoppingfor underwear three days after having evacuated her homein New Orleans. The gratitude and appreciation expressedby nonprofit practitioners for such proactive offers of sup-

“. . . following the hurricanes, many nonprofitpractitioners reported that they did not knowhow to go about contacting potential nationaland out-of-region funders to assist them intheir recovery and rebuilding efforts.

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port was still palpable more than twelve months after thephone calls were made.

The acts of proactive philanthropic support demon-strated by The Twenty-First Century Foundation were notonly greatly appreciated by those in the hurricane-affectedcommunities, but were also enormously effective in ensur-ing immediate relief grants were reaching those who needswere unmet by relief organizations in the area. Throughsuch actions, 21CF was able to provide vital support tomany non-urban communities, low-income communities,and communities of color in the days immediately follow-ing the hurricane when such services for these communitieswere scarce.

PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS

Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation was established to “promotethe well-being” of humanity by addressing the root causesof serious problems. The foundation supports work aroundthe world to expand opportunities for poor or vulnerablepeople and to help ensure that globalization’s benefits aremore widely shared15.

EFFECTIVE PRACTICESWithin days of Hurricane Katrina, the RockefellerFoundation announced that it would provide financial sup-port to leading nonprofit organizations working to addressboth immediate human service needs and the longer-termrebuilding of housing and economic development infra-structure in New Orleans and the region. In the summer of2006, the Rockefeller Foundation further demonstrated itscommitment to the redevelopment of New Orleans throughits placement of a senior program officer in New Orleans tohelp galvanize and accelerate planning and rebuildingefforts in the region.

The Unified New Orleans Plan, or UNOP as it quicklybecame known, was developed to addresses specific actionsnecessary to facilitate the recovery and rebuilding of NewOrleans16. An earlier plan developed for the Mayor’s officewas widely criticized for its treatment of some low-lyingneighborhoods, and throughout the city there was little orno agreement about how such a comprehensive recoveryplan could satisfy all constituencies. In an effort to defeatthis stalemate and to deliver a recovery plan that unifiedthe city, the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the body estab-lished by the state to oversee the distribution of federalrebuilding funds, requested the involvement of theRockefeller Foundation. The foundation was able to con-tribute to the UNOP process the services of a SeniorProgram Officer, Carey Shea, who had more than twodecades of experience in housing and community develop-ment. Shea, who was housed at the Greater New Orleans

Foundation (GNOF) and who helped guide this con-tentious project to a successful outcome, has also taken aleading role in another of the Rockefeller Foundation’scommitments to the region — the establishment of aCommunity Revitalization Fund at GNOF. TheCommunity Revitalization Fund is a collaborative fundingeffort that will provide money to a wide range of rebuild-ing projects in New Orleans over the next five years.

Collaborative Funding EffortsGNOF’s Community Revitalization Fund is a funding col-laboration between ten local, national, and communityfoundations17 which aims to raise a total of $25 million overfive years. It is designed to support revitalization activitiesin New Orleans that generate housing and communitydevelopment through the creation of housing units;improve the capacity of the local housing production sys-tems; and promote government accountability and citizenengagement. While the Rockefeller Foundation played aleading role in the conception and development of theFund, it has contributed only approximately ten percent offund’s total dollar amount. By utilizing non-monetaryresources that are at its disposal (i.e., the skills and experi-ence of its staff, its reputational capital, and its relationshipswith its philanthropic peers) the Rockefeller Foundationhas ensured that financial resources that exceed its owncapacity have flowed to the region to aid recovery and revi-talization. By relocating a senior program officer to theregion, developing close ties with a local community foun-dation, and encouraging its philanthropic peers to invest inthe recovery of New Orleans, the Rockefeller Foundationhas brought more to the Gulf Coast region than it couldwith funding alone. In addition, it has created a laudableprototype of a funding collaborative that is working tomaximize its impact in the region.

While some other foundations have contributed greatersums of money to recovery and rebuilding efforts in theGulf Coast region, the Rockefeller Foundation has led byexample — using its grantmaking dollars to invest in theregion, and its name, the skills of its staff, and its reputationto encourage others to do the same.

“By relocating a senior program officer to theregion, developing close ties with a localcommunity foundation, and encouraging itsphilanthropic peers to invest in the recoveryof New Orleans, the Rockefeller Foundationhas brought more to the Gulf Coast regionthan it could with funding alone.

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Ford Foundation

For more than fifty years, the Ford Foundation has sup-ported innovative efforts by individuals and organizationsin every state, and around the world, to find solutions to themost challenging problems facing communities today.Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the FordFoundation made an immediate grant to a national disasterrelief organization and committed significant additionalfunding to support long-term recovery, with particularfocus on the most disadvantaged communities. Ford con-tinues to be active in the Gulf Coast region, making grantsdesigned to help ensure that low-income families areempowered to be active participants in the rebuilding oftheir homes, small businesses, and neighborhoods.18

EFFECTIVE PRACTICESThe Ford Foundation has been actively involved in the GulfCoast for many years and substantially increased its invest-ment in the region following the hurricanes. While Ford hascontributed significant grant monies to many nonprofitorganizations in the region, Ford’s peers, as well as commu-nity foundations and governmental agencies in the GulfCoast, provide Ford with its greatest accolades for its workin strengthening, transforming, and revitalizing the philan-thropic community in the region.

Strengthening Local PhilanthropyEven prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the FordFoundation had identified as a priority the need to assist localfoundations in the Gulf Coast region strengthen, transform,and redirect their activities in their local communities. Formany years, the Ford Foundation has supported communityleaders in their efforts to develop strategies for increasing thepower of philanthropy in the Gulf Coast, and for increasingthe pool of philanthropic dollars that could be used to pro-mote racial, social, and economic equity in the region.19 Inthe aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the need to support suchtransformative practices became even more evident.

Immediately after Hurricane Katrina, the FordFoundation was instrumental in the creation of theLouisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation (LDRF) — awholly independent, Baton Rouge-based foundation estab-lished to “provide resources for the relief, recovery, and bet-terment of Louisiana’s people and communities…. (and)support (to) nonprofit organizations engaged in economicdevelopment, housing, land use planning, education, andhealthcare.”20 LDRF, which was originally created as anagent for the collection and distribution of funds donatedto the Louisiana state government from individuals, compa-nies, and philanthropic organizations across the countryand throughout the world, is supported by the FordFoundation, both through grants and through the presenceof a senior Ford staff member on its Board of Directors.

The mission of the LDRF is to promote strategies thatresult in a better, more equitable Louisiana that offers allpeople — regardless of race, economic status, and gender —the opportunity for full participation in its economy andsociety.21 While the work of LDRF itself is exemplary, it isFord’s strategy of supporting the development and growthof a local philanthropic organization that utilizes the skills,knowledge, and commitment of local community leadersthat should be recognized.

As has been stated previously in this report, prior to thesummer of 2005, philanthropic investment in the GulfCoast had been dwindling for many years. And, while thereis a significant local philanthropic presence in the GulfCoast, the focus of many of these organizations’ grantmak-ing strategies precludes the funding of issues surroundingsocial, racial, and economic justice. As Hurricane Katrina sographically demonstrated to the nation and the world, theseare issues that desperately require attention in the GulfCoast, and they are issues that can and should be addressedby a robust local philanthropic community. The FordFoundation’s assistance in the creation of LDRF, in additionto its historical support of community foundations in theregion, is helping develop such a community — a philan-thropic network that can provide resources for the better-ment of all, and help revitalize and transform the entireGulf Coast region.

CORPORATE FOUNDATIONS

Toshiba America Foundation

Toshiba America Foundation is a private foundation createdwith support from Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba AmericaInc., and the six Toshiba America group companies operatingin the United States. The foundation’s mission is to promotequality science and mathematics education in U.S. schools,which it does by providing grants for science and mathemat-ics programs and activities for grades K–12. 22

EFFECTIVE PRACTICESImmediately following Hurricane Katrina, Toshiba, alongwith numerous other corporations throughout the country,recognized the need to support relief, recovery, and rebuild-ing efforts in the region. While many corporations and pri-vate and family foundations elected to make immediate,one-time gifts to large national organizations that provideemergency relief operations, Toshiba enlisted the skills andknowledge of its foundation staff and made a decision atyp-ical for a corporation — to make an immediate pledge ofsupport to the region, but to defer the disbursement ofgrant monies until foundation staff had the opportunity toreview the needs and opportunities in the region. This deci-sion, which was highly unusual in the world of corporate


philanthropy, resulted in Toshiba making grant allocationsto nonprofit organizations in the Gulf Coast region at atime when the influx of philanthropic dollars was in decline.

Deferring Grant DispersalIt is human nature to reach out to those in need in times ofdisaster. It is therefore common for foundations with fund-ing guidelines that precisely focus their grantmaking activi-ties to respond to disasters by making significant, one-timecontributions to disaster response organizations. Whilesuch grants are essential to relief efforts following disasters,the medium and long-term needs of affected communitiesshould not be forgotten.

The timing of grant assistance to nonprofit organizationsrecovering from disaster was a topic of much debate and somecontention among those interviewed in preparation for thisreport. Many organizations involved in immediate disasterrelief efforts (e.g., those providing food, clothing and shelter todisplaced persons) believed funding should be provided in theimmediate aftermath of the disaster; those whose services arecalled into play in the weeks and months following the disaster(e.g., those who provide services around housing or education)advocated for funding to be delayed until “the dust has settled”and unmet needs became more obvious; and those whose pri-mary function is to focus upon the longer-term needs of com-munities (e.g., community development, advocacy) stressedthe need for a long-term view to be taken when consideringfunding opportunities. When considering its response to thedisasters in the Gulf Coast, the Toshiba America Foundationtook all these points of view into account.

Based on the post-disaster contribution patterns typicallydemonstrated by corporate foundations, and through dis-cussion with their corporate foundation peers followingHurricane Katrina, staff at the Toshiba America Foundationdetermined that the majority of New York-based corporatefoundations responding to the disasters would be makingan immediate, one-time contribution to a national disaster-response organization. While the Toshiba AmericaFoundation recognized the merit of such action, they alsorecognized the need for the flow of funding to the GulfCoast to continue long after organizations such as theAmerican Red Cross had departed, and after many private,family, and public foundations had ceased their activity inthe region. Based on this awareness, the Toshiba AmericaFoundation took the unusual step of making an immediatepledge of financial support to the hurricane affected areas,but announced that funds would not be dispersed for up totwelve months. Staff used this twelve-month period todevelop relationships with nonprofit organizations in theGulf Coast region, to discuss “funding gaps” with theirfunding peers, and to investigate ways in which the founda-tion’s grantmaking dollars could have the greatest impacton those communities affected by the storms.

As a result of the decision to make an immediate pledge,but to delay funding to the region, the Toshiba AmericaFoundation was able to “fill in the gaps” left by other phil-anthropic and governmental programs and direct its fund-ing efforts towards assisting displaced students attendingHouston public schools and organizations in the Gulf Coastworking to rebuild schools and youth organizations —needs and opportunities that would not have been apparentin the immediate aftermath of the storms.

New York Life Foundation

The New York Life Foundation is dedicated to helpingyoung people fulfill their potential and grow into produc-tive adults. To achieve these goals, the foundation estab-lished the Nurturing the Children initiative which providesresources to organizations and programs that offer educa-tional enhancement and mentoring, and provide childrenwith safe places to learn and grow.23

EFFECTIVE PRACTICESFollowing Hurricane Katrina, the New York LifeFoundation was another corporate foundation thatemployed a grantmaking approach that was atypical amongits peers. Recognizing the need for funding to support bothemergency relief activities and programs that promotelonger-term recovery, the New York Life Foundation madethe innovative decision to make grants to the regionthroughout the rebuilding process — immediately follow-ing the hurricanes when funding was desperately needed tosupport displaced residents, and later in the recoveryprocess when the influx of philanthropic dollars was indecline. By extending its grantmaking activity beyond theimmediate-response timeframe typically employed by cor-porate foundations, the New York Life Foundation was ableto not only support the work of national emergency relieforganizations, but also provide more specific, targetedgrants for recovery and rebuilding programs in the region— a practice that has resulted in the New York LifeFoundation continuing its involvement in the Gulf Coastregion long after the vast majority of its peers have ceasedtheir hurricane-related grantmaking.

“. . . they also recognized the need for the flowof funding to the Gulf Coast to continue longafter organizations such as the AmericanRed Cross had departed, and after manyprivate, family, and public foundations hadceased their activity in the region.

”


While the practice of extending grantmaking across allphases of disaster recovery sets the New York LifeFoundation apart from many of its corporate foundationpeers, its willingness to expand its funding focus beyond itstraditional boundaries was what truly made it unique.

Expansion of Funding FocusAs with many other corporate foundations, the New YorkLife Foundation has a precise funding strategy that incorpo-rates geographical requirements in its guidelines — typi-cally, the New York Life Foundation provides grants only toorganizations headquartered in New York City/WestchesterCounty, or a few key cities where New York Life has facili-ties. Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, however, theNew York Life Foundation recognized the opportunity toaddress the needs of the hurricane-affected communities bymaintaining the programmatic focus of its grantmaking pro-gram, but expanding its geographical restrictions to allowdisaster-related grants to be awarded to nonprofit organiza-tions outside its traditional geographic grantmaking area.While it would have been possible for the New York LifeFoundation to adhere to its geographical boundaries whenresponding to the disasters, the foundation decided that itwished to support not only the needs of those displaced bythe storms, but also the rebuilding and recovery efforts ofthose communities directly affected by Hurricanes Katrinaand Rita.

To achieve this goal, and to open the door to broaderfunding opportunities, the Board of Directors of the NewYork Life Foundation made the strategic decision to allowfor the expansion of the foundation’s geographical focuswhile maintaining the foundation’s traditional funding focus.This exception to the foundation’s typical funding activitiesresulted in significant, long-term funding to support theactivities of organizations in Mississippi and Louisiana thatprovide children with safe places to learn and grow.

DISASTER RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS

While many disaster relief organizations mobilized in theGulf Coast region immediately following HurricanesKatrina and Rita, the majority left the region in the weeksand months following the storms. Several organizations,however, recognized the need for a long-term commitmentto the region and moved beyond their traditional disasterresponse practices.

AmeriCaresAmeriCares is an international relief organization whosepassion to help is matched by an ability to deliver. Whetherit is an epic disaster or a daily struggle, AmeriCares goes toextraordinary lengths to ensure that medicines, medicalsupplies, and aid reaches individuals in need wherever they

are, whenever they need it.24 Immediately after HurricaneKatrina ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005, AmeriCares deliv-ered in-kind aid such as medicines, hospital supplies andother materials to Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas andAlabama. Recognizing the ongoing needs of the region,AmeriCares has continued to work with local partners tosupport primary healthcare and mental health needs, andhelp communities deal with other pressing recovery issuessuch as shelter and disaster preparedness.

EFFECTIVE PRACTICESPrior to Hurricane Katrina, AmeriCares did not have agrantmaking program. Its exceedingly successful and highlyregarded disaster response activities were restricted to thedelivery and coordination of in-kind medical aid to regionsthroughout the world that had been hit by natural or man-made disasters. Following Hurricane Katrina, however, theinflux of cash contributions to AmeriCares from individu-als across the country and throughout the world demandedthe creation of a vehicle for the dissemination of theseresources. In order to ensure the donations reached thosemost profoundly affected by the storms, AmeriCares cre-ated a grantmaking program that targeted the immediateemergency needs of rural areas, smaller municipalities, andtraditionally underserved communities, and the longer-term health and mental health needs of all communities inthe Gulf Coast region.

The AmeriCares post-hurricane grantmaking programcreated in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita utilizesmany of the practices already cited in this report:

• putting staff “on the ground” to facilitate the develop-ment of relationships and allow for an increased under-standing of communities’ ever-changing needs duringthe recovery process

• identifying and utilizing “key people” in the affectedcommunities

• a willingness to take risks in its grantmaking practices

• a willingness to ask those directly affected by the disas-ters, “what do you need?”

In addition to these practices, however, AmeriCares wasalso recognized for its straightforward grant applicationprocess — a process that was lauded by many nonprofitorganizations interviewed for its simplicity and practicality.

Straightforward Application ProcessThe focus of the AmeriCares grantmaking program is uponimmediate recovery needs such as food and shelter, as well aslonger term primary and mental healthcare for those in thecommunities affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Thebulk of grants made through the program have typicallybeen distributed to small, grassroots organizations, withfunds also going to intermediaries (such as local community


foundations), and established national organizations withlocal chapters (e.g., Boys and Girls Clubs). Many of thegrassroots organizations that received funding through theAmeriCares grant program had never before received fund-ing from an out-of-region philanthropic organization.

As AmeriCares grantmaking program was developedspecifically to respond to the disasters in the Gulf Coast,AmeriCares had the “luxury” of designing an applicationform that gathered the information required, but mademinimal demands upon nonprofit practitioners. The result-ing application form is a simple, six- to eight-page docu-ment (depending upon the purpose of the grant) thatrequires enough basic supporting information and histori-cal records to meet due diligence and auditing require-ments, without being overly burdensome to the applicant.The wording in the document is straightforward, the docu-ment does not have to be completed online, and fundingwas available for both programmatic and operational costs.For many of the small, less experienced grassroots organiza-

tions interviewed in preparation for this report, such anapplication process provided them the opportunity toaccess funding that was sorely needed to support their workin their local communities.

As was mentioned previously, many nonprofit practi-tioners, especially those in Mississippi, reported that theydid not know how to go about accessing funding from out-of-region philanthropic organizations and found approach-ing funders extremely intimidating. This, combined withthe fact that many foundations have particularly rigorousgrant application processes, meant that many smaller non-profit organizations did not pursue funding opportunitiesfollowing the hurricanes. The example provided byAmeriCares of a straightforward grant application for useunder exceptional circumstances, demonstrates that foun-dations can gather the information for their reportingrequirements while also being sympathetic to the condi-tions under which nonprofit organizations are operating intimes of disaster.

“. . .many nonprofit practitioners, especially those in Mississippi, reported that they did notknow how to go about accessing funding from out-of-region philanthropic organizations andfound approaching funders extremely intimidating.

”

21Future Investment in the Gulf Coast

The disasters across the Gulf Coast triggered by HurricanesKatrina and Rita graphically revealed the need for ongoingeffective and responsive investment in the region. Whetherthe destruction of houses, businesses, and whole communi-ties was the result of high winds and storm surges as it wasalong the Mississippi coast, or environmental degradationand the failure to maintain the complex levee system as it wasin New Orleans, the storms exposed the poverty, injustice,and inequities that many in the region battle on a daily basis.

The community leaders and nonprofit practitioners inthe region who are working to address these issues are ascommitted, skilled, and proficient as those anywhere in thecountry — but they need resources, information, and peersupport to continue their work. For too long many in thephilanthropic community have ignored the “bigger picture”and focused their investment in the region primarily uponindividual programs and organizations. Investment in lead-ership and leadership development has been largelyignored, funding to support those working to changeinequitable legislative practices and policies has been mini-mal, and the opinions of community leaders who areinvested in, and committed to, their communities haveoften gone unheeded. If the Gulf Coast is to emerge fromthe devastation of the 2005 hurricane season economicallyrobust, socially cohesive, and culturally intact, it is essentialthat the philanthropic community invest in long-termrebuilding initiatives that address these issues and promotetransformation and revitalization in the region.

Even prior to the 2005 hurricanes many areas of the GulfCoast were in dire need of ongoing, committed philan-thropic, private, and governmental investment in affordablehousing, economic development, healthcare, mental healthservices, environmental justice, childcare services, andmany, many other areas. The devastation wrought by thehurricanes only amplified these needs.

The decimation by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of rentaland low- and middle-income housing stock in Mississippiand Louisiana only exacerbated existing issues surroundinginadequacies in affordable housing and inequitable housingpractices in the region. The closure of Charity Hospital inNew Orleans due to flooding only revealed more vividly theexisting deficits in healthcare services throughout that cityand the entire state. The permanent departure of manymental health professionals and closure of all of the privatepsychiatric clinics in New Orleans following HurricaneKatrina pushed an already tenuous mental healthcare sys-

tem to the brink of collapse. The region’s continued relianceupon non-unionized, low-paying service industry jobs asthe basis for economic growth in the region has further seg-regated the population in many areas. These issues — com-bined with decades of environmental degradation that haveresulted in the destruction of the wetlands so vital to theprotection of the coastline and coastal cities, an educationsystem that has failed to give generations of Gulf Coast res-idents an education equal to that of their peers in otherregions of the nation, and systemic injustices that deny peo-ple of color, women, and those living in poverty an equalopportunity for economic security — have produced aregion of the country whose needs are vast and whereopportunities for funding are myriad.

While long-term, committed philanthropic investment isurgently needed in the programmatic areas listed above,investment is also required to support broader activitiesthat affect change across program areas and throughout theregion.

Discussion with those listed in Appendix Two of thisreport revealed three fundamental but far-reaching andexpansive areas to which long-term philanthropic invest-ment should be directed to help achieve economic growth,social cohesion, and racial and economic parity: 1) support-ing and empowering local philanthropy; 2) affecting changein local and state policy; and 3) developing cooperative andcollaborative opportunities for funding in the Gulf Coast.

This section provides an overview of each of these areas,citing examples of existing effective philanthropic practices.

SUPPORTING AND EMPOWERING LOCAL PHILANTHROPY

When interviewed by the Chronicle of Philanthropy on therole of the Greater New Orleans Foundation in the develop-ment of the Unified New Orleans Plan (UNOP), CareyShea, Senior Program Officer, stated, “Wealth is not loudhere in New Orleans. Wealth is quiet and dignified.”25

For many years, local philanthropic activity in the GulfCoast region has indeed been quiet and dignified — with lit-tle fanfare, local families, businesses, and individuals ofwealth have contributed to the well-being of their commu-nities by generously creating foundations, establishingdonor advised funds at local community foundations, ordeveloping other avenues for the distribution of their phil-

Future Investment in the Gulf Coast Opportunities for Promoting Recovery, Transformation, and Revitalization


anthropic dollars. This somewhat low-key approach tocommunity and nonprofit support is often at odds with thebolder and more overt philanthropy practiced by some ofthe national charitable organizations that have becomemore active in the Gulf Coast since 2005, and, as a result, thecontributions of local philanthropy to the recovery andrebuilding efforts in the region have often been overlooked.As the national philanthropic community continues itsinvolvement in the Gulf Coast, it should be rememberedthat while local philanthropy may be “quiet and dignified,”it possesses experience, knowledge, and a passion for itscommunity that should be drawn upon and utilized whenmaking investment decisions in the Gulf Coast.

As stated earlier in this report, prior to HurricaneKatrina, the majority of grassroots nonprofit organizationsin the Gulf Coast relied solely upon the support of localphilanthropic and governmental organizations for theirfinancial resources. Most typically, these governmental andphilanthropic contributions have been directed to supportthe programmatic activities or general operating costs ofnonprofit organizations working with specific populations(e.g., children, the elderly, the disabled), or providing a spe-cific service (e.g., healthcare, cultural resources, education)to the community. While this system of funding has beenadequate to support the operating and programmatic activ-ities of many nonprofit organizations, those nonprofitswhose work may be seen as divisive or controversial havestruggled for many years to identify revenue streams. Agraphic example of this is the field of environmentalactivism. Those interviewed for this report who work fornonprofit organizations active in the environmental arenastated that their organizations receive no funding from theGulf Coast philanthropic community — 100 percent oftheir funding comes from states other than Louisiana,Mississippi, and Arkansas, with the vast majority of fundingcoming from New York and California. Additionally, pre-senters at a philanthropic conference held in New Orleansin September 200726 stated that they estimate there are lessthan 25 environmental activists in the entire state ofMississippi, with the vast majority of these activists beingvolunteer workers. Given the widely acknowledged environ-mental destruction and degradation that has occurredalong the Gulf Coast in past decades, and the direct rela-tionship between this degradation and the impact of the2005 storms, this is clearly a situation that needs to bechanged. This need for change, however, also presents anopportunity — the opportunity for national and out-of-state philanthropic organizations to support and empowerthe local philanthropic community.

Perhaps the best example of utilizing the need for changeas a means for empowering and increasing the capacity oflocal philanthropy is the successful collaborative partner-ship developed by the Rockefeller Foundation and theGreater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF). The collabora-

tion between these two vastly dissimilar philanthropicorganizations on the Unified New Orleans Plan (UNOP)demonstrates how the relationship between out-of-stateand local philanthropy can be eminently successful if theskills, resources, and knowledge of each partner are recog-nized and utilized.

According to Ben Johnson, President and CEO of GNOF:“Taking on such a high-profile and contentious project (asthe UNOP) was new territory for the Greater New OrleansFoundation. Sixteen months ago the planning process was-n’t even on the foundation’s radar screen….when all of asudden that became our largest priority, because that wasthe next most-important thing that had to happen for therecovery of this city.”27

While Mr. Johnson, and many others in New Orleans,recognized the vital importance of developing a blueprintfor the rebuilding of the city, it is highly unlikely that GNOFwould have played such a pivotal role in the development ofthe UNOP without the support and assistance of theRockefeller Foundation. As stated earlier in this report,Carey Shea, a Senior Program Officer at Rockefeller withmore than two decades of experience in housing and com-munity development, relocated to New Orleans in the sum-mer of 2006 with the specific objective of working withGNOF to guide the UNOP process to a successful outcome.Ms. Shea’s skills in the areas of housing and communitydevelopment, combined with the institutional memory ofGNOF, the community and governmental contacts devel-oped over many years by Mr. Johnson, and the relationshipsof several board members with the Mayor and Governor,resulted in the successful completion of a process that hadpreviously seemed doomed to failure.

As stated by Mr. Johnson, tackling the UNOP process wasnew territory for GNOF—territory into which they had notpreviously ventured due to insufficient financial resources anda lack of staff with the specific skill-set required to undertakesuch an endeavor. The financial support of the RockefellerFoundation, combined with the skills of the loaned seniorprogram officer, enabled GNOF to build its capacity, expandits focus, and become involved in a programmatic area inwhich it had little previous experience. Since its involvementin the development of the UNOP, the Greater New OrleansFoundation has continued its expansion—both of its philan-

“This need for change, however, alsopresents an opportunity — the opportunityfor national and out-of-state philanthropicorganizations to support and empower thelocal philanthropic community.

”


thropic focus and, through its involvement in initiatives suchas the collaborative Community Revitalization Fund, its roleas a leader in the community.

By investing in the Greater New Orleans Foundation,Rockefeller not only assisted in the development of a vitallyimportant rebuilding tool, but also increased the capacity,influence, and power of philanthropy in New Orleans. Whilesuch intensive investment in a community foundation maynot be viable for many national or out-of-state charitableorganizations, the collaborative relationship betweenRockefeller and the Greater New Orleans Foundation servesas an example of how the support and empowerment oflocal philanthropy benefits not only the local philanthropicorganization, but also the wider nonprofit community. Asthe capacity, skills, and focus of local philanthropy expand, itcan be expected that this expansion will translate intoincreased funding opportunities for local nonprofit organi-zations—including those nonprofits that have not tradi-tionally been the recipients of local philanthropic dollars.

AFFECTING CHANGE IN LOCAL AND STATE POLICY

According to the most recent U.S. census, prior toHurricane Katrina:

• 28 percent of families with children under the age of 18who were living in New Orleans were living in poverty

• New Orleans was the sixth poorest out of the 100 largestmetropolitan areas nationwide

• 33 percent of black residents in New Orleans did not owncars

• only 66 percent of black residents had successfully com-pleted a high school education

• 6 percent of the total population aged 25 years and olderhad less than a ninth-grade education.28

While these statistics are specific to New Orleans, some ofthe information can be extrapolated to the wider Gulf Coastarea region. The South, as a region, is the poorest con-stituency in the country with a long history of rural poverty,racial polarization, lower than national average educationalattainment, and an undercapitalized nonprofit infrastruc-ture.29 To overcome these obstacles and move towards asociety in which resources are fairly distributed, opportuni-ties to create wealth are available to all, and quality educa-tion can be accessed by every child regardless of where he orshe lives, vulnerable communities must be given the oppor-tunity to participate in civic and political processes and havea voice in the development of policies that directly affecttheir lives.

The second edition of the NYRAG Donors’ Guide to GulfCoast Relief & Recovery, a document that provides informa-

tion on the more than $325 million invested in the GulfCoast by New York area philanthropy since the landfall ofHurricanes Katrina and Rita, lists more than 120 nonprofitservice providers working in the areas of advocacy, socialjustice, and equity. While many of the organizations listed inthe guide focus on issues directly related to their local com-munities, many other organizations are working to empowerGulf Coast residents to impact state and national policy. Oneof these organizations, the Mississippi Conference of theNAACP, is striving to identify inequitable and unjust statepolicies that negatively impact vulnerable members of theircommunity, and, through the legislative system, are fightingto have these policies changed. Another such organization,the Advancement Project, a democracy and justice actiongroup based in Washington D.C., has for almost two yearsbeen a powerful voice on behalf of tenants who have beenunable to return to public housing units in New Orleans dueto discriminatory state and federal policies and decisions.New Orleans ACORN, an organization that has been a pow-erful community organizer and advocate for citizens’ rightsfor many years, began its advocacy work on behalf of hurri-cane survivors the day after the levees broke and has been atireless voice for the people of New Orleans ever since. AndAdvocates for Environmental Human Rights, a nonprofitpublic interest law firm whose mission is to provide legalservices, community organizing support, public education,and campaigns focused on defending and advancing thehuman right to a healthy environment, has been an unflag-ging voice for residents across the Gulf Coast region.

While the above organizations, and indeed all of the non-profit service providers listed in the Donors’ Guide, havereceived funding from New York area grantmakers, pastinvestment is not enough. In order to address the inequitiesrife in the recovery and rebuilding process and to tackle themany systemic injustices that have existed at a local, state,and federal level since long before the storms hit, philan-thropy must direct its financial support not only to non-profits that focus upon programmatic issues, but also tothose addressing policy and legislation. While it is undeni-able that nonprofits working, for example, in the area ofhousing access and development warrant substantial long-term support from the philanthropic sector, the efforts ofsuch direct service organizations would be significantlyenhanced if the issues of discriminatory and inequitablestate and federal policies were ameliorated. For example, arecent publication by the Center for Social Inclusion reportsthat “Mississippi is one of the few states without a FairHousing Act and limited anti-predatory mortgage lendingstatutes, but that still allows non-judicial foreclosures.Additionally, the state provides very few resources to sup-port…affordable housing developers in their efforts to facil-itate the construction of affordable homes. Even the state’slandlord-tenant laws favor landlords, giving them the right


to evict, in some cases, without ever going to court.”30

Should the current efforts of the Mississippi StateConference of the NAACP be successful in changing thesediscriminatory legislative policies, not only will direct serv-ice providers in the affordable housing sector receive avitally important resource to add to their direct service tool-boxes, but all renters and lower-income homeowners inMississippi will gain protection for one of their most funda-mentally important resources — their homes.

As we well know, the wheels of political change turnslowly, and those nonprofit organizations endeavoring toimpact public policy and influence political decision-mak-ing must invest substantial time, resources, and energy intothis process. If the philanthropic community wishes toaddress and impact existing policies that propagate racial,social, and economic inequity in the Gulf Coast region, thenit must be equally committed to the long-term nature ofthis work and invest its funds accordingly.

DEVELOPING COLLABORATIVE AND COOPERATIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDING

The devastation in the Gulf Coast during the 2005 hurri-cane season brought with it many changes — changes topeoples’ lives, changes to entire communities, changes to theway Americans view their elected officials, and changes tothe way the philanthropic sector responds to catastrophicevents. The ineffective response by government at all levelsto the devastation across the Gulf Coast revealed to anational audience the social, racial, and economic inequitiesthat exist throughout the country and accentuated the needfor significant strategic long-term involvement by the phil-anthropic sector in the transformative rebuilding process.Due to the extent of the destruction, and to the magnitudeof the inequities revealed by the storms, many in the philan-thropic community recognized the need for a response thatmaximized the resources invested in the Gulf Coast regionwhile ensuring that those directly affected by the hurricaneshad a voice in all stages of the recovery process. As a resultof this realization, the New York philanthropic communitycreated an unprecedented number of innovative and highlysuccessful collaborative and cooperative initiatives thataddressed the myriad issues and needs that arose followingthe storms.

The responses undertaken by New York area funders thatare highlighted in this report use a variety of collaborativeactivities to support recovery and transformation in the

Gulf Coast region — the Gulf Coast Fund for CommunityRenewal & Ecological Health uses collaboration to poolfinancial resources and distribute funds; Gulf CoastFunders for Equity uses collaboration as a means of dissem-inating information among its membership and amongnonprofit organizations in the hurricane-affected areas; theNYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force uses collaborationas a means of developing resources that are relevant to thewider philanthropic community and that encourage ongo-ing investment in the Gulf Coast; and the RockefellerFoundation uses collaboration as a means of addressingvital needs of a specific community while also building thecapacity and empowering a local philanthropic organiza-tion. The one commonality among the four collaborativeefforts described above is the use of collaboration as ameans of maximizing the efficacy of resources. None ofthese initiatives could have had the impact, or indeed thelifespan, they have were they reliant upon a single philan-thropic organization for their survival. Had the 25 publicand private foundations that support the activities of theGulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal & EcologicalHealth decided to invest in the region independently ratherthan through the fund, their impact would have been min-imal. Had members of the Gulf Coast Fund for Equity indi-vidually sought to gather and disseminate informationabout recovery initiatives, their efforts would be far lesscomprehensive. Had NYRAG sought to create resourcesindependently of a collaborative Task Force, the resultingdocuments would have minimal relevance to the widerphilanthropic community, and had the RockefellerFoundation sought to develop the Unified New OrleansPlan independent of the Greater New Orleans Foundation,it would have required a significantly greater financialinvestment and would have been unlikely to succeed.

The utilization of collaborative partnerships to respondto the catastrophic devastation in the Gulf Coast hasenabled funders to share information, maximize resources,and develop strategic responses in a way that has previouslybeen rare in the wider philanthropic community. The suc-cess of these collaborative initiatives, as perceived by boththe philanthropic organizations involved in the collabora-tions and the nonprofit community in the hurricane-affected areas, has demonstrated the efficacy of suchinitiatives and should encourage the development of fur-ther collaborative partnerships as the wider philanthropiccommunity continues its involvement in the transformativerebuilding of the Gulf Coast region.


1. For a list of those interviewed, see Appendix 22. For a list of reports reviewed, see Appendix 33. Thank you to Raymond Jetson, CEO of the Louisiana Family Recovery Corp.4. For the Task Force member list, see Appendix 45. Funding received from: Altman Foundation; The F.B. Heron Foundation;

The Ford Foundation; The New York Community Trust; Open SocietyInstitute; Pfizer Inc.; Rockefeller Foundation; and The Twenty-First CenturyFoundation

6. For Learning Forum presenters, see Appendix 57. Co-sponsors of 1st Learning Forum: Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in

Philanthropy; Association of Black Foundation Executives; The Center forCorporate Citizenship at Boston College; Council on Foundations; DisabilityFunders Network; Environmental Grantmakers Association; Forum ofRegional Associations of Grantmakers; Grantmakers for Children, Youth &Families; Grantmakers in Aging; Hispanics in Philanthropy; NativeAmericans in Philanthropy; Neighborhood Funders Group; Philanthropy forActive Civic Engagement; UJA-Federation of New York; Women’s FundingNetwork

8. Co-sponsors of Funders Forum: The Ford Foundation; JP Morgan ChaseFoundation; W.K. Kellogg Foundation; John S. and James L. KnightFoundation; The Rockefeller Foundation; The Community Foundation ofSouth Alabama; Foundation for the Mid South; Greater New OrleansFoundation; Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation; Foundation Center;New York Regional Association of Grantmakers

9. The Mission Statement of the NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force canbe found in the section of this report titled “NYRAG’s Response toHurricanes Katrina and Rita”

10. Funding received from: AB Fund; Agua Fund; Barbara Smith Fund; BeldonFund; Dome Fund; Durst Family Foundation; Estelle Friedman GervisFoundation; Ford Foundation; Jenifer Altman Foundation; Jessie SmithNoyes Foundation; Johnson Family Foundation; John Merck Fund; KiteFund; Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation; Marisla Foundation;Mitchell Kapor Foundation; Nathan Cummings Foundation; Mustard SeedFund New World Foundation; New York Community Trust; Park

Foundation; Richard King Mellon Family Foundation; Rockefeller BrothersFund; Singing Field Foundation; Starry Night Fund at Tides Foundation;The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region; Two TreesFoundation; Walter & Elise Haas Fund

11. RPA website12. For a list of Advisory Group Members and their affiliations, see Appendix 5 13. Ms. Foundation for Women website14. The Twenty-First Century Foundation website15. Rockefeller Foundation website16. unifiedneworleansplan.com17. Contributors to the Community Revitalization Fund: the blue moon fund;

The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation; Conrad N. HiltonFoundation; Gates Foundation; Goldring Family Foundation; Greater NewOrleans Foundation; W.K. Kellogg Foundation; The Rockefeller Foundation;Surdna Foundation; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; and the WoldenbergFoundation

18. Ford Foundation website19. Where Hope and History Rhyme: Reflections and Findings from the Mid South

Commission to Build Philanthropy, Mid South Commission to BuildPhilanthropy, December 2004

20. Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation website21. Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation website22. Toshiba America Foundation website23. New York Life Foundation website24. AmeriCares website25. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Volume XIX, No. 21, August 23, 200726. Funders Forum on Sustainable Gulf Coast Transformation, New Orleans,

LA, September 5th–7th 200727. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Volume XIX, No. 21, August 23, 200728. 2000 U.S. census, www.census.gov29. Population Reference Bureau, www.prb.org30. M. Wiley, Triumph Over Tragedy: Leadership, Capacity and Needs in Arkansas,

Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,The Center for Social Inclusion: A Project of the Tides Center, August 2007

ENDNOTES


Ten states in which the greatest number of grant recipients are located:

Number of State Grant Recipients

Louisiana 323Mississippi 106New York 102Texas 94Washington, DC 55Georgia 45Alabama 30California 25Virginia 20Florida 15

APPENDIX ONEPresentation of resource distribution by NYRAG members in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

The information in this section reflects data gathered viasurvey and phone conversations with 287 NYRAG mem-bers. All information was received as a result of direct com-munication between NYRAG staff and the memberorganizations with no information being garnered fromthird parties or previously released reports.

The information is presented both geographically andprogrammatically. When reviewing the data, two factorsshould be considered: 1) all nonprofit organizations locatedin Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi,Louisiana, and Texas are classified as being located “in theGulf Coast region”; 2) while the listed nonprofit organiza-

tions have been sorted into eleven programmatic categories,in some instances an organization may appear in more thanone category (e.g., ACORN appears in both the “Advocacy,Social Justice, and Equity” category and the “Communityand Economic Development” category).

For more information regarding grants made by the NewYork area philanthropic community in response toHurricanes Katrina and Rita, please refer to the second edi-tion of the NYRAG Donors’ Guide to Gulf Coast Relief &Recovery which can be downloaded from the NYRAG web-site (www.nyrag.org).

Ten Gulf Coast cities* in which the greatestnumber of grant recipients are located:

Number of City Grant Recipients

New Orleans, LA 169Baton Rouge, LA 58Houston, TX 51Jackson, MS 29Biloxi, MS 17Lake Charles, LA 13Gulfport, MS 13Lafayette, LA 11Austin, TX 10San Antonio, TX 9

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

Countries other than the U.S. in which grant recipients are located:

Number of Country Grant Recipients

Germany 1Italy 1Mexico 1

105Total number of Gulf Coast cities/towns* in which

NYRAG-member grant recipients are located

612Total number of Gulf Coast-based*

nonprofit organizations that were the recipients of grants from NYRAG members

* Located in Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, or Texas

27Appendices

Communities in which grant recipients are located:

Bayou La Barte ALBirmingham ALCoden ALDaphne ALFairhope ALFowl River ALGrand Bay ALMobile ALMontgomery ALSelma ALSylacauga ALTuscaloosa ALTuskegee ALConway ARLittle Rock ARPhoenix AZBerkeley CAIrvine CALos Angeles CAOakland CASan Diego CASan Francisco CASanta Barbara CASanta Monica CAAspen CODanbury CTStamford CTWashington DCNewark DEGainesville FLJacksonville FLMiami FLPonte Vedra Beach FLSanford FLTallahassee FLTampa FLWest Palm Beach FLWinter Park FLAlpharetta GAAmericus GAAtlanta GABrunswick GACornelia GADecatur GAEast Point GAIowa City IAChicago ILElk Grove Village ILLisle IL

Peoria ILRolling Meadow ILElkhart INOlathe KSLexington KYLondon KYAlexandria LAAngie LAArcadiana LAAvondale LABarataria LABaton Rouge LABeauregard LAClinton LAColumbia LACovington LACut Off LAFranklin LAFranklinton LAGolden Meadow LAGrambling LAGreenwell Springs LAHammond LAHarahan LAHouma LAKenner LALa Place LALafayette LALake Charles LALuling LAMandeville LAMetairie LAMonroe LANew Iberia LANew Orleans LANew Roads LAOpelousas LAPlaquemines LAShreveport LASlidell LASulphur LAThibodaux LATickfaw LABelchertown MABoston MACambridge MACarlisle MANeedham MASomerville MA

Baltimore MDBethesda MDRockville MDSilver Springs MDAnn Arbor MIAuburn Hills MIDetroit MIMinneapolis MNSaint Paul MNBridgeton MOSt. Louis MOBay St. Louis MSBiloxi MSD’Iberville MSDuck Hills MSGreenville MSGulfport MSHattiesburg MSJackson MSLeakesville MSLexington MSLong Beach MSMarks MSMcComb MSMoss Point MSOcean Springs MSPascagoula MSPass Christian MSPicayune MSPoplarville MSRidgeland MSTougaloo MSTunica MSTupelo MSUniversity MSVicksburg MSWest Point MSWiggins MSChapel Hill NCDurham NCPittsboro NCRaleigh NCLincoln NEAmherst NHBridgewater NJNew Brunswick NJNewark NJSante Fe NMAlbany NY

Bronx NYBrooklyn NYNew York NYRochester NYTarrytown NYCincinnati OHColumbus OHDayton OHRedwood ORPhiladelphia PASpringfield PAProvidence RIClemson SCColumbia SCBrentwood TNChattanooga TNMemphis TNNashville TNAllen TXAustin TXBeaumont TXBellaire TXDallas TXFort Worth TXGarland TXGeorgetown TXHouston TXHumble TXKaty TXKirbyville TXLeague City TXMcKinney TXPlano TXPort Arthur TXSan Antonio TXStafford TXTomball TXArlington VABurke VACharlottesville VAFairfax VAFalls Church VAReston VARichmond VACochester VTMontpelier VTMadison WIMilwaukee WINew Holstein WI


All states in which grant recipients are located:Number of

State Grant Recipients

Alabama 30Arizona 1Arkansas 5California 25Colorado 2Connecticut 3Delaware 1Florida 15Georgia 45Illinois 15Indiana 1Iowa 1Kansas 1Kentucky 2Louisiana 323Maryland 11Massachusetts 14Michigan 3Minnesota 3

Number of State Grant Recipients

Mississippi 106Missouri 4Nebraska 1New Hampshire 1New Jersey 5New Mexico 1New York 102North Carolina 5Ohio 5Oregon 1Pennsylvania 6Rhode Island 1South Carolina 3Tennessee 9Texas 94Vermont 2Virginia 20Washington, DC 55Wisconsin 3

29Appendices

PROGRAMMATIC FOCUS

Ten nonprofit organizations that received the greatest number of grants:

Number of Nonprofit Organization Grants Received

American Red Cross (national) 49ACORN (New Orleans, LA) 18Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal & Ecological Health (New York, NY) 18Habitat for Humanity (national) 18Baton Rouge Area Foundation (Baton Rouge, LA) 14New Orleans Museum of Art (New Orleans, LA) 13Salvation Army (national) 12Southern Mutual Help Association (New Iberia, LA) 12United Way (national) 12Children’s Health Fund (national) 11

Ten Gulf Coast-based nonprofit organizations that received the greatest number of grants:

Number of Nonprofit Organization Grants Received

ACORN (New Orleans, LA) 18Baton Rouge Area Foundation (Baton Rouge, LA) 14New Orleans Museum of Art (New Orleans, LA) 13Southern Mutual Help Association (New Iberia, LA) 12Dillard University (New Orleans, LA) 10Enterprise Corporation of the Delta (Jackson, MS) 10Foundation for the Mid South (Jackson, MS) 9Greater New Orleans Foundation (New Orleans, LA) 9Xavier University (New Orleans, LA) 9Mississippi Workers Center for Human Rights (Greenville, MS) 8

All grants awarded, arranged by programmatic focus:

Number Programmatic Focus of Grants

Arts, Culture, and Education 234Intermediaries 148Health and Mental Health 127Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity 125Immediate Disaster Relief 97Women, Children, and Families 88Community and Economic Development 75Housing 27Hunger and Poverty 27Environment 25Aging and Disabled Populations 21


COMPLETE LIST OF GRANTS AWARDED BY NYRAG MEMBERS ARRANGED BY PROGRAMMATIC FOCUS:

Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity

100 Black Men of Lake Charles21st Century Youth Leadership

MovementACORN (Association of Community

Organizations for Reform Now)Action Communication and

Education ReformAdvancement ProjectAdvocates for Environmental Human

RightsAfrican-American Leadership ProjectAgenda for ChildrenAJAMM MinistriesAlabama Coalition on Black Civic

ParticipationAll Congregations TogetherAmerican Civil Liberties Union of

Mississippi American Federation of Musicians of

the U.S. and CanadaAmerican Friends Service CommitteeAmerican Institute for Social Justice

(formerly the Arkansas Institutefor Social Justice)

AmericaSpeaksAMOS NetworkAntioch Urban MinistriesApplied Research CenterBayou Interfaith Shared Community

OrganizingCascade Center for Community

GovernanceCatholic Charities of Central TexasCatholic Legal Immigration NetworkCBNO-Mac FoundationCenter for Environmental and

Economic JusticeCenter for Nonprofit Resources &

Community Data/New OrleansCommunity NetworkCenter for Social InclusionCentro por la Justicia (Center for

Justice and International Law)Citizens Against Widening the

Industrial CanalCitizens United for Economic EquityCoalition for Citizens with

DisabilitiesCoalition to Restore Coastal

LouisianaColorLines MagazineCommon Ground Worker Education

ProjectCommunity Labor United/

The People’s Hurricane FundCommunity Policy, Research and

Training InstituteConcerned Citizens for a Better

Tunica CountyConcerned Citizens of Agriculture

Street LandfillCritical Resistance/Justice NowDeep South Center for Environmental

Justice at Dillard UniversityDetroiters Working for

Environmental Justice

Faith Partnerships IncorporatedFamilies & Friends of Louisiana’s

Incarcerated ChildrenFamilies Helping Families of Greater

New OrleansFamily and Youth Counseling AgencyFarmers’ Legal Action GroupFarmworker Association of FloridaFoundation for Jewish CampingFree Speech Radio New KPFA

Radio # 73Grace Harbor Community MinistriesGreater Birmingham MinistriesGulf Coast Fund for Community

Renewal & Ecological HealthGulf Coast Funders for EquityGulf Coast Latin American AssociationHeartland Alliance for Human Needs

and Human RightsHouston Area Urban LeagueHouston Interfaith Sponsoring

CommitteeInnocence Project New OrleansInstitute for Southern StudiesInstitute of Community

DevelopmentInterfaith Worker JusticeJeremiah GroupJewish Community Relations CouncilJewish Funds for JusticeJFA InstituteJunebug Productions (JPI)Juvenile Justice Project of LouisianaKirwan Institute for the Study of

Race and EthnicityLawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights

Under LawLeague of United Latin American

CitizensLiving Cities: The National

Community Development InitiativeLouisiana Bucket BrigadeLower Ninth Ward Neighborhood

Empowerment NetworkAssociation

Malcolm X Grassroots MovementMeaningful Minds of LouisianaMedia Justice FundMetropolitan OrganizationMission African Strong ShouldersMississippi Center for JusticeMississippi Coalition Against

Domestic ViolenceMississippi Immigrant Rights

AllianceMississippi Workers Center for

Human RightsMoveOn.orgNAACPNAACP Legal Defense & Education

FundNational Alliance of Vietnamese-

American Service AgenciesNational Center for Human Rights

EducationNational Immigration Law CenterNational Network of Abortion FundsNational Youth Advocacy CoalitionNew Orleans Bar Foundation

New Orleans International HumanRights Film Festival

New Orleans Survivor CouncilNew Orleans Women’s Health and

Justice InitiativeNew Orleans Workers Center for

Racial JusticeNew Orleans Workers Justice

Coalition Opportunity AgendaPacific News ServicePhysicians for Social ResponsibilityPICO (Pacific Institute for

Community Organizations)PICO-LIFT (Louisiana Interfaiths

Together)Planned Parenthood Federation

of AmericaPolicyLinkPower U Center for Social ChangePraxis ProjectProject South: Institute for the

Elimination of Poverty andGenocide

Puentes New OrleansResurrection After ExonerationSafe Streets/Strong Communities

Coalition & CampaignSaving Our Selves CoalitionService Employees International

UnionSoutheast Louisiana Legal ServicesSouthern Center for Human RightsSouthern EchoSouthwest Workers UnionSt. Mary’s Community Action

AssociationUnited Church of Christ Justice and

Witness MinistriesUnited Houma NationUrban InstituteUrban League of Greater Dallas and

North Central TexasUrban League of Greater New

OrleansU.S. Human Rights NetworkVietnamese American Young Leaders

Association of New OrleansYouth Empowerment Project

Aging and Disabled Populations

Coalition for Citizens with DisabilitiesF.E.G.S.Families Helping Families of Greater

New OrleansGrantmakers in AgingHancock County Human Resources

AgencyHurricane Fund for the ElderlyInstitute for Disability Studies of the

University of Southern MississippiJewish Community Federation

Greater ChattanoogaJewish Family Service of Greater New

OrleansLafayette Restoration CenterLittle Sisters of the PoorLoaves and FishesLutheran Social Service of the South

Manna MinistriesMississippi Methodist Senior ServicesNational Council on AgingNew Orleans Council on AgingREJOICESheltering ArmsUnited Methodist Senior Services of

MississippiWider Opportunities for Women

(WOW)

Arts, Culture, and Education

21st Century School FundA Better ChanceA Studio in the WoodsAcadiana Arts CouncilAction Communication and

Education ReformAgenda for ChildrenAlgebra ProjectAlternate RootsAlumni Society of School of Visual

ArtsAmerican Federation of Musicians of

the U.S. and CanadaAmerican Jewish CommitteeArtists for LifeArts Council of New OrleansArtSpot ProductionsAscension of Our Lord SchoolAshé Cultural Arts CenterAssociation of Art Museum Curators

FoundationAtlanta Jewish FederationAustin Independent School DistrictBAC Education FoundationBay Catholic ElementaryBenjamin Franklin High SchoolBeth Israel CongregationBeth Shalom SynagogueBeulah Baptist ChurchBig Apple to Big Easy ConcertBirmingham Jewish FederationBishop Perry Middle SchoolBlackout Arts CollectiveLaura Bush Foundation Gulf Coast

School Library Recovery InitiativeCentenary College of LouisianaCenter for American ProgressCenter for New American MediaChabadChez Panisse FoundationClark Atlanta UniversityColumbia University Mailman

School of Public HealthColumbia University HillelColumbia University Medical CenterColumbia University TrusteesCommunities in Schools and its local

affiliatesCongregation Beth IsraelConsumer Credit Counseling

ServicesContemporary Art MuseumContemporary Arts CenterCraft Emergency Relief FundCreative Time

31Appendices

Dallas Independent School DistrictDillard UniversityDowntown Community Television

CenterDuke UniversityEast Central Independent School

DistrictEditorial Projects in EducationEducational Video CenterEfforts of GraceFaith ProjectFamily and Youth Counseling AgencyFinding Our Folks TourFirstBook.orgFort Worth Independent School

DistrictFoundation for Jewish CampingFranklin W. Olin College of

EngineeringFrederick Douglass Community

CoalitionFree Speech Radio New KPFA

Radio # 73French American Cultural ExchangeFriends of Atlantik-BrückeGeorge Mason UniversityGeorgia Southwestern State

UniversityGeorgia Tech Research CorporationGod’s Way Christian AcademyGood Shepherd Nativity Mission

SchoolGreater New Orleans Education

FoundationGreater New Orleans Youth

OrchestraGulf Coast Symphony OrchestraHadassah MinistriesHeart of America FoundationHendrix CollegeHeritage PreservationHillel: The Foundation for Jewish

Campus LifeHoly Cross High SchoolHouston Independent School DistrictInterfaith Education FundInternational Foundation for Art

ResearchIsidore Newman SchoolJazz at Lincoln CenterJazz Foundation of AmericaJesuit High SchoolJewish Children’s Regional Service of

New OrleansJewish Community Center on the

HudsonJewish Community Federation

Greater ChattanoogaJewish Federation of Baton RougeJewish Federation of CincinnatiJewish Federation of DanburyJewish Federation of Greater

HoustonJewish Federation of Greater New

OrleansJewish Federation of PeoriaJunebug Productions (JPI)Junior AchievementKamoingeKID smARTKids Rethinking New Orleans’ SchoolsKnowledge is Power Program (KIPP)Lafayette Restoration Center

Lake Charles Symphony OrchestraLevee BrokeLouisiana Community and Technical

College SystemLouisiana Cultural Economy

FoundationLouisiana Landmarks SocietyLouisiana Philharmonic OrchestraLouisiana Resource Centers for

EducatorsLouisiana Restaurant Association

Education FoundationLouisiana State Department of

EducationLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University School of

Social WorkLouisiana State University Veterinary

Medical AssociationLower Manhattan Cultural CouncilLoyola UniversityLoyola University Chicago, Stritch

School of MedicineMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMazonMcKinney Independent School

DistrictMillsaps CollegeMississippi Arts CommissionMississippi Heritage TrustMississippi State University College

of Veterinary MedicineMusiCares Hurricane Relief FundNational Association for Equal

Opportunity in Higher EducationNational Performance NetworkNational Performing Arts NetworkNational Trust for Historic

PreservationNational Trust for Historic

Preservation EmergencyStabilization of Historic Properties

Neighborhood Story ProjectNew Orleans Arts and Cultural Host

CommitteeNew Orleans Center for Creative Arts

Institute New Orleans Center for Science and

MathNew Orleans Charter Middle SchoolNew Orleans Creative Glass InstituteNew Orleans Film and Video FestivalNew Orleans International Human

Rights Film FestivalNew Orleans Jazz Heritage

FoundationNew Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO)New Orleans Museum of ArtNew Orleans Musicians ClinicNew Orleans Musicians Hurricane

Relief Fund/Renew Our MusicFund

New Orleans Philharmonic OrchestraNew Orleans Public LibraryNew Orleans Science and Math

Charter High SchoolNew Orleans West College PrepNew SchoolNew Schools for New OrleansNew York Foundation for

Architecture (Center forArchitecture Foundation)

New York University College ofNursing

Newman Day SchoolNicholls State UniversityNOLA 180North American Midway

Entertainment EducationalFoundation

North East Independent SchoolDistrict

North Louisiana Jewish FederationNorthside Independent School

DistrictOgden Museum of Southern ArtOhr-O’Keefe Museum of ArtOperation ReachOur Lady of Perpetual HelpPACE Head StartParents for Public SchoolsPass Christian Public Library

(Library Recovery Fund)Pearson Charitable Foundation/

Bay Waveland SchoolsPeople Left BehindPerforming Arts Society of AcadianaPlano Independent School DistrictPomegranate Productions, LLCPortersville Revival GroupPreservation Resource CenterPreservation Trades NetworkProject Row HousesPublic Education NetworkRenew Our Music FundResurrection Catholic School

Elementary CampusResurrection Middle High SchoolRiver Oaks Square Arts CenterSamuel J. Green Charter SchoolSan Antonio Independent School

DistrictSanta Fe Art InstituteSerendipity Films, LLCSisters of Charity of St. ElizabethSound Portraits ProductionsSouth San Antonio Independent

School DistrictSoutheastern Library Network

(SOLINET)Southeastern Museum ConferenceSouthern Atlantic CorporationSouthern Institute for Education and

ResearchSouthern University and A&M CollegeSouthwestern UniversitySpelman CollegeSt. Bernard Unified SchoolSt. James Episcopal Day SchoolSt. Joan of Arc SchoolSt. Martin’s Episcopal SchoolSt. Mary’s Dominican High SchoolStart the Adventure in Reading

(STAIR)Students at the CenterSummerbridge New OrleansTaglit — Birthright IsraelTeach for AmericaTeachers College at Columbia

UniversityTemple UniversityTennessee Williams FestivalThird World Majority (TWM)Thurgood Marshall Scholarship FundTougaloo CollegeTulane University Health Sciences

Center

Tulane University of LouisianaTulane University School of MedicineTulane University School of Public

Health and Tropical MedicineTuskegee UniversityUnited Negro College Fund (UNCF)University of DelawareUniversity of Florida College of

MedicineUniversity of IowaUniversity of Nebraska Medical CenterUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Rochester Medical

CenterUniversity of VirginiaUniversity of Wisconsin School of

Medicine and Public HealthVanderbilt UniversityWilliam Winter Institute for Racial

Reconciliation at the University ofMississippi

Women Make MoviesWorld Media FoundationWorld Monuments FundWYES Channel 12Xavier UniversityYA/YA (Young Aspirations/Young

Artists)Young Audiences/Arts for LearningYoung People’s Project

Community and EconomicDevelopment

100 Black Men of Lake Charles5th Ward Community

Redevelopment CorporationACORN (Association of Community

Organizations for Reform Now)Affordable Housing ResourcesAfrican-American Leadership ProjectAlabama Coalition on Black Civic

ParticipationAll Congregations Together (ACT)Alliance of Artists CommunitiesAmeriCaresASII (A Shared Initiative)Atlanta Mutual Housing AssociationAvenue Community Development

CorporationBoat People SOSBonita Street House of HopeBroadmoor Development CorporationCafé ReconcileCenter for Community Initiatives of

Greater Houston CommunityCOFFEE (Community of Faith for

Economic Empowerment)Corporation for Enterprise

DevelopmentCorporation to Develop

CommunitiesCrescent City Peace AllianceDesire Street MinistriesDryades Saving BankEchoing Green FoundationEnterprise Community PartnersEnterprise Corporation of the DeltaFaith Center for Community

DevelopmentFarmworker Association of FloridaFederation of Southern Cooperatives


Focusing Our Community UponSustainability

Frederick Douglass CommunityCoalition

Fulton Atlanta Community ActionAuthority

Gert Town Revival InitiativeGrace Harbor Community MinistriesGulf Coast Fund for Community

Renewal & Ecological HealthHispanic Business Resources and

Technology CenterHope Community Credit UnionHouston Area Urban LeagueHouston Department of Economic

DevelopmentHouston HopeInstitute for Sustainable CommunitiesJewish Funds for JusticeJulia C. Hester HouseLiberty Bank & TrustLighthouse Community

Development CorporationLiving Cities: The National

Community DevelopmentInitiative

Local Initiatives Support Coalition Louisiana Loan FundLouisiana Minority Business CouncilLower Ninth Ward Neighborhood

Empowerment NetworkAssociation

Mary Queen of Vietnam CommunityDevelopment Corporation

Mississippi Action for CommunityEducation

Mississippi Association ofCooperatives

National Community InvestmentFund

National Community ReinvestmentCoalition

National Federation of CommunityDevelopment Credit Unions

National Urban LeagueNeighborhood CentersNew Orleans Business CouncilNew Orleans Redevelopment

AuthorityNorth Gulfport Community Land

TrustNorth Midtown Community

Development CorporationPeople’s Organizing CommitteePeople’s Institute for Survival and

BeyondProject for Public Spaces (PPS)Quitman County Community

Development OrganizationRedemption Community

Development CorporationRural Advancement Foundation

International — U.S.A.Save Middle East Action CommitteeSeedco/Seedco Financial ServicesSouth Plaquemines Parish United

Fishermen CooperativeSouthern Mutual Help AssociationTurkey Creek Community InitiativesUnited Church of Christ Justice and

Witness MinistriesUnited Houma Nation

Environment

Advocates for Environmental HumanRights (AEHR)

Alliance for Affordable EnergyAmerica the Beautiful FundAmerican Institute for Conservation

of Historic and Artistic WorksAudubon Nature InstituteCenter for Environmental and

Economic JusticeCitizens League for Environmental

Action NowCoalition to Restore Coastal LouisianaDeep South Center for Environmental

Justice at Dillard UniversityDetroiters Working for

Environmental JusticeEnvironmental DefenseGrand Bayou Community UnitedGulf Coast Fund for Community

Renewal & Ecological HealthGulf Restoration NetworkLouisiana BayoukeeperLouisiana Bucket BrigadeLouisiana Environmental Action

NetworkLouisiana State Department of

Environmental QualityMississippi River Basin AllianceMobile BaykeeperNatural Resources Defense CouncilNew Orleans Women’s Health and

Justice InitiativePeople’s Environmental CenterTexas Environmental Justice and

Advocacy ServicesTrust for Coastal Stewardship

Health and Mental Health

Agenda for ChildrenAIDS Services Coalition and 1-2-1

Haven HouseAll Saints Free Medical and Dental

ClinicAlzheimer’s AssociationAmerican Academy of PediatricsAmerican Kidney FundAmerican Lung Association of

LouisianaAmerican Medical Students

AssociationAngie Medical ClinicBaton Rouge AIDS SocietyBaton Rouge Crisis Intervention

CenterBayou ClinicBayou La Batre Rural Health ClinicBethel Lutheran Church Hurricane

Katrina Ministry Free MedicalClinic

Blood CenterC.G. Jung Society of New OrleansCalcasieu Cameron Hospital Service

DistrictCalcasieu Community ClinicCapital Area Human Services DistrictCarter PlaceChildren’s Health FundChildren’s HospitalChristian Health MinistriesCoastal Family Health

Columbia University Medical CenterCommon Ground Health ClinicCouncil for the Advancement of

Social Services and EducationCovenant House New OrleansCrisis Intervention of HoustonDirect Relief InternationalEmergency Medicine FoundationEXCELth (Community Health

Center)F.E.G.S.Family Road of Greater Baton Rouge

Community ClinicFamily Service of Greater New

OrleansFlorida Health Care AssociationFranklin Primary Health CenterGod’s Love We DeliverGreater Baton Rouge Community

ClinicGreene Area Medical ExtendersGulf Coast Health CenterHancock Medical Center FoundationHealth and Hospitals Corporation

Foundation of New York CityHealth Care Centers in SchoolsHeart to Heart InternationalHelping Everyone Receive Ongoing

Effective Support (HEROES)Houston Galveston InstituteIberia Comprehensive Community

Health CenterIn This TogetherJefferson Community Health Care

CentersJewish Community Federation

Greater ChattanoogaJewish Family Service of Greater New

OrleansJewish Federation of Baton RougeJewish Healthcare InternationalJulia C. Hester HouseKatrina Medical Volunteers

Association (D’Iberville Free Clinic)Kids in Crisis ProjectLady of the Sea General HospitalLafayette Community Health Care

ClinicLafayette Restoration CenterLarry King Cardiac FoundationLiteracy Alliance of Greater New

OrleansLittle Rock Missionary Baptist ChurchLiving BankLong Beach Substance Abuse Task

ForceLouisiana Association for the

Education of Homeless Childrenand Youth

Louisiana Public Health InstituteLouisiana Rural Health Services

CorporationLouisiana State Department of

Health and HospitalsMarkle Foundation Direct Charitable

ActivityMemorial Hospital Gulfport

Development FoundationMental Health AmericaMental Health Association in

LouisianaMental Health Association of

Mississippi

Mercy Family CenterMobile AIDS Support ServicesMobile BaykeeperMontrose ClinicMorehouse School of MedicineMt. Sinai Medical CenterMt. Sinai School of MedicineNational AIDS FundNational Alliance for Health

Information TechnologyFoundation

National Alliance for the Mentally IllNational Alliance on Mental Illness,

Southwest LouisianaNational Association of Community

Health CentersNational Association of County and

City Health OfficialsNational Association of School

NursesNational Cancer CoalitionNational Council for Community

Behavioral HealthcareNational Foundation for the Centers

for Disease Control & PreventionNational Mental Health Association

of GeorgiaNational Network of Public Health

InstitutesNatural Resources for Preparing,

Educating and ChangingEnvironments

New Orleans Kid Camera ProjectNew Orleans OutreachNew Orleans Re-Think ProjectNO/AIDS Task ForceNOAH’s FriendsNorth Shore — Long Island Jewish

Health System FoundationOne Love OutreachPhysicians for Social ResponsibilityPointe Coupee Better Access

Community HealthPrimary Care Providers for a Healthy

FelicianaProject HopeRainbowsRegion 13 Mental Health/MentalRetardation CommissionRosie’s For All Kids Foundation

Project Katrina Art TherapyProjects and Children’s Events

Samaritan Counseling Center ofImperial Calcasieu

Sophie Davis School of BiomedicalEducation

South Mississippi AIDS Task ForceSoutheast Texas Community Health

ClinicSouthern Law Enforcement

FoundationSouthwest Louisiana AIDS CouncilSouthwest Louisiana Area Health

Education CenterSouthwest Louisiana Center for

Health ServicesSt. Bernard Parish Healthcare

Recovery ProjectSt. Charles Community Health CenterSt. Landry Parish Rural Health

NetworkSt. Thomas Health ServicesState Associations of Addiction

Services

33Appendices

State of Louisiana Department ofDepartment of Health andHospitals

Student Osteopathic MedicalAssociation

Ubi CaritasUnited Cerebral Palsy (UCP)

Association of TexasWest Alabama AIDS Outreach

Housing

Affordable Housing ResourcesAtlanta Mutual Housing AssociationCenter for Affordable HousingCircle of Love OutreachCommon Ground Community HDFCFamily Promise Interfaith Hospitality

NetworksGreater New Orleans Fair Housing

Action CenterGulf Coast Housing PartnershipHabitat for Humanity Homeownership Education ProgramInitiation for Affordable HousingJericho Road Episcopal Housing

Initiative (JREHI)Louisiana Housing Alliance/

St. Mary’s Community AgencyLouisiana Loan FundMercy Housing and Human

DevelopmentNational Fair Housing AllianceNeighborhood Development

FoundationNeighborhood Housing Services

(NHS)NeighborWorksAmericaNew Orleans Neighborhood

Development CollaborativeNYC Department of Housing,

Preservation & DevelopmentOperation Home DeliveryProvidence HouseRe-Ward Third WardSan Antonio Metropolitan MinistriesSouthwestern Louisiana Homeless

CoalitionStar of Hope Mission

Hunger and Poverty

America’s Second HarvestAtlanta Community Food BankBack Bay MissionBayou Interfaith Shared Community

Organizing (BISCO)Benevolent and Protective Order of

Elks of the U.S.A.Brother’s Keeper MinistriesCapital Area Alliance for HomelessCapital Area Food Bank of TexasCity HarvestFaith Partnerships IncorporatedGreater Birmingham MinistriesHancock County Food PantryHancock County Human Resources

AgencyHeartland Alliance for Human Needs

and Human RightsHouston Food Bank and EndowmentKaty Christian Ministries

Marshall Faulk FoundationMazonMississippi Coastal Plains Resources

Conservation & DevelopmentCouncil

National Policy and AdvocacyCouncil on Homelessness

North Texas Food BankOrder of MaltaSan Antonio Food BankSan Francisco Food BankSisters of Charity of St. ElizabethTarant Area Food BankTarget Hunger

Immediate Disaster Relief

8th District AMEC Disaster ReliefCenter

Acadia Long-Term RecoveryCoalition

American Red Cross AmeriCaresAustin People’s Action CenterBack Bay MissionCalling all Christians ChurchCamp Coast CareCaritas of AustinCatholic Charities Archdiocese of

New OrleansCitizens Organized for Rita

RestorationCommittee for Plaquemines

RecoveryCommon Ground CollectiveCommunity Relief FoundationCrescent Alliance Recovery EffortDirect Relief InternationalDisaster Recovery Services of George

CountyEast Biloxi Relief and Coordination

CenterEmmitt Spurlock Memorial

FoundationEpiscopal Relief and DevelopmentFaithShare Outreach MinistriesGateway Community ChurchGethsemane Missionary Baptist

ChurchGood Hope Missionary Baptist

ChurchGreater Grambling Community

Relief EffortGreater New Hope Missionary

Baptist ChurchGreater New Orleans Disaster

Recovery PartnershipGreater St. Mary Baptist ChurchGreater St. Matthews Baptist ChurchHancock County Long-Term

Recovery CommitteeHANDS (Helping Americans

Needing Disaster Support)Hands On Gulf CoastHands On Network Hands On USAHands On WorldwideHarrison County Long Term

Recovery CoalitionHeifer Project InternationalHope Crisis Response NetworkHope Force InternationalHope Haven Children’s Shelter

Household of Faith Family WorshipChurch International

Houston Katrina/Rita FundHurricane Fund for the ElderlyHurricane Katrina Displaced

Residents FundHurricane Katrina Good Neighbor

FundInternational Relief and

DevelopmentInternational Relief TeamsInternational Rescue CommitteeIsrael Trauma CoalitionJefferson Disaster Recovery

CommitteeJohnson & Johnson Retirees ClubJoy Fellowship ChurchKentucky CoalitionKids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.)Lafayette/St. Martin Parish Long-

Term Recovery CoalitionLewis Temple CME ChurchLouisiana Interchurch ConferenceMetropolitan Council on Jewish

PovertyMexican Red CrossMohammad Mosque 65Montgomery County Disaster

Recovery Task ForceMoving Forward Gulf CoastMt. Hebron Missionary Baptist

ChurchMt. Hebron Baptist ChurchNational Association of Police

Organizations Relief FundNational Council of La Raza (NCLR)National Urban LeagueNechama Jewish Response to DisasterNew Beginnings MissionNew Hope Missionary Baptist ChurchNewark Emergency Services for

FamiliesNorthern and Central Louisiana

Interfaith and SponsoringCommittee

Northwest Assistance MinistriesPartnership for YouthPass Christian Recovery ProgramsPastors for PeacePeople’s Hurricane Relief Fund and

Oversight CommitteePoints of Light Foundation and

Volunteer Center NationalNetwork

Project K.I.D.Rebuild Jackson CountyRebuilding Pearl River County

TogetherRebuilding TogetherRebuilding Together, Southern

California CouncilRescue & Recovery Search DogsSt. Bernard Long Term Recovery

CommitteeStone County Long Term Recovery

CommitteeTexas Asset Building CoalitionTomball Emergency Assistance

MinistriesTri-Coastal Community Outreach in

South AlabamaUnion Privilege Relief Fund

United Methodist Church Committeeon Relief

Unmet Needs Committee ofTangipahoa

Volunteers of America in CentralLouisiana

Volunteers of America of GreaterBaton Rouge

Volunteers of America of GreaterNew Orleans

Volunteers of America of NorthLouisiana

Washington Emergency RecoveryOngoing Cadre

Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church

Intermediaries

Archdiocese of New OrleansArkansas Community FoundationASPCAAssociated Colleges of the SouthAtlanta Regional CommissionAtlanta Women’s FoundationBaton Rouge Area FoundationBush Clinton Katrina FundCatholic Relief Services of the U.S.Catholic ConferenceChicago Foundation for WomenChildren’s Defense Fund Southern

Regional OfficeChildren’s Defense Fund Southern

Black Women’s InitiativeCity of Pass Christian RecoveryCity of Perth AmboyCity of PoplarvilleClinton Presidential FoundationDallas Mayor’s Disaster Relief FundDekalb County GovernmentDiocese of LouisianaETV Endowment of South CarolinaFamily Foundation of Southwest

LouisianaFlorida Community PartnersFoundation CenterFoundation for the Louisiana State

University Health Sciences CenterFoundation for the Mid SouthFriends of New Orleans Fire

DepartmentGifts In Kind InternationalGovernor’s Emergency Relief FundGrantmakers in AgingGreater Alexandria Economic

Development Authority/Alexandria MetropolitanFoundation

Greater Houston CommunityFoundation

Greater New Orleans FoundationGreater New Orleans Nonprofit

Knowledge WorksGulf Coast Community FoundationGulf Coast Policy ForumHenry W. Grady FoundationHope Haven Children’s ShelterHouston Department of Economic

DevelopmentHouston SPCAHuman Services Council of New

York CityHumane Society of the United States


IFCO (Interreligious Foundation forCommunity Organizing)/People’sOrganizing Committee

Jewish Board Family & Children’sServices

Jewish Center of the HamptonsJewish Community Relations CouncilJewish Federation of ArkansasJewish Federation of Greater

WashingtonJewish Federation of NashvilleLatin American Association Louisiana Association of Nonprofit

Organizations Louisiana DisasterRecovery Foundation

Louisiana Family Recovery CorpsLouisiana SPCALouisiana State University

FoundationLouisiana Veterinary Referral CenterLundy FoundationMarch of DimesMarkle Foundation Direct Charitable

ActivityMarshall Faulk FoundationMedical Center of Louisiana

FoundationMedical Foundation of South

MississippiMiddle School AdvocatesMid-South Community

Development CorporationMillennium FundMississippi Hurricane Recovery FundMississippi State Department of

Finance and AdministrationMountains to MississippiMs. Foundation for WomenNational Association of Vietnamese

American Service AgenciesNational Baptists Layman’s

MovementNational Center for Construction

Education and ResearchNational Coalition on Black Civic

ParticipationNational Conference of

Commissioners on Uniform State Laws

New Orleans Community NetworkNew Orleans Fire DepartmentNew Orleans Firehouse Restoration

ProjectNew Orleans Police DepartmentNew Orleans Police FoundationNew Orleans Public Library

FoundationNew York Board of RabbisNew York Disaster Interfaith ServicesNew York Regional Association of

GrantmakersNew Yorkers for the Gulf Coast

(NY4GC)NHP FoundationNorman Dixon, Sr. Annual Second

Line Parade FundOffice of Recovery Management, City

of New OrleansOMG Center for Collaborative

LearningOperation HOPEOrtho BiotechOxfam America

Partnership for Advanced TechnologyTraining

Partnership for Public ServicePetSmart CharitiesProQuestPublic/Private VenturesRAND Corporation and The RAND

Gulf States Policy InstituteRecover, Rebuild, Restore Southeast

Mississippi Rectors & Visitors ofThe University of Virginia

Renaissance Project/Students at theCenter

Research Foundation of StateUniversity of New York

Rockefeller Philanthropy AdvisorsRotary Club of Baton Rouge

FoundationRutgers UniversitySalvation Army and its local affiliatesSalvatorian Mission WarehouseSamuel DeWitt Proctor ConferenceSave the ChildrenSchool of the Arts FoundationSeamen’s Church InstituteSocial Science Research CouncilSocial Work Access Network (SWAN)Southern Education FoundationSouthern Foodways AllianceSouthern Governors’ AssociationSouthern Partners FundSpring Branch Education FoundationSt. Vincent de Paul SocietyState of LouisianaSTEPS CoalitionTechnical Assistance CollaborativeTechnology For AllTerrebonne Readiness & Assistance

CoalitionTexas State Department of Health

and Human ServicesThird Sector New EnglandTides CenterTipitina’s FoundationTouro Infirmary FoundationTRIOS Consulting Partners, LLCTulane Educational FundTwenty-First Century FoundationUJA/Federation of Jewish

Philanthropies of New YorkUNICEFUnion Community Fund (of AFL-CIO)Union of American Hebrew

CongregationsUnion Privilege Relief FundUnitarian Universalist AssociationUnited Jewish Communities (UJC)United Methodist Church

Hispanic/Latino MinistriesUnited States Equestrian FederationUnited Way of America and local

United Way chaptersUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette

FoundationU.S. Chamber of Commerce/

Business CoalitionLeadership Council

Vanguard Public FoundationVermont Public RadioVolunteer FloridaVolunteer HoustonVolunteer Mobile

Watchtower Bible & Tract Society ofNew York

We Care for America Foundation

Women, Children, and Families

AJAMM MinistriesAllen County Community Outreach Alliance for Children and FamiliesAmerica’s PromiseAtlanta Women’s FoundationBeauregard Area Ministerial Alliance

Disaster Relief NetworkBig Brothers Big Sisters of AmericaBig Brothers Big Sisters Southeast

LouisianaBig Buddy ProgramBoys and Girls Club of America and

its local affiliatesBoys Hope Girls HopeCasa Atabex AcheCenter for FamiliesChez Panisse FoundationChildren’s Defense FundChildren’s Health FundCoalition for Citizens with

DisabilitiesCoastal Women for ChangeDC Children & Youth Investment

Trust CorporationDePelchin Children’s CenterDignity U WearEast Fort Bend Human Needs

MinistryEast Tuscaloosa Family Resource

CenterEssential 2 LifeF.E.G.S.Families & Friends of Louisiana’s

Incarcerated ChildrenFamily Guidance Center of AlabamaFamily Promise Interfaith Hospitality

NetworksFamily Road of Greater Baton Rouge

Community ClinicFamily Services of Greater Baton

RougeFamily Services of Greater New

OrleansFederation of Childcare Centers of

Alabama (FOCAL)Foundation for Jewish CampingFreedomGlobal Fund for ChildrenGulf Coast Community Services

AssociationGulf Coast Women’s Center for

NonviolenceHadassah MinistriesInstitute for Women’s Policy ResearchInstitute of Women and Ethnic

StudiesJewish Children’s Regional Service of

New OrleansJewish Community Federation

Greater ChattanoogaJewish Family ServiceKaBOOM!KID smARTKids in Crisis ProjectKids In Distressed Situations

(K.I.D.S.)

Kids Rethinking New Orleans’Schools

Lena Pope HomeLouisiana Association for the

Education of Homeless Childrenand Youth

Louisiana Coalition AgainstDomestic Violence

Louisiana Foundation Against SexualAssault

Lutheran Social Service of the South Mary Hall Freedom HouseMetropolitan Battered Women’s

ProgramMississippi Children’s Home SocietyMississippi Families for KidsMississippi Gulf Coast YMCAMississippi Low Income Childcare

InitiativeMoore Community House (see also

Children’s Defense Fund)National Center for Missing and

Exploited ChildrenNational Domestic Violence HotlineNational Head Start AssociationNational Network of Abortion FundsNew Orleans Kid Camera ProjectNew Orleans Women’s Health and

Justice InitiativeNOLA Queer Women’s ProjectPrevent Child Abuse LouisianaRosie’s For All Kids Foundation

Project Katrina Art TherapyProjects and Children’s Events

Safe HorizonState of Louisiana Department of

Social ServicesSylacauga Alliance for Family

Enhancement (SAFE)UNICEFUniversity of California, Los Angeles

National Child Traumatic StressNetwork

V-Day/V to the 10thWider Opportunities for Women

(WOW)Women Make MoviesWomen’s Business Enterprise

National CouncilWomen’s Foundation for Greater

MemphisWomen’s Fund of Greater

BirminghamWomen’s Fund of the Community

Foundation of Greater JacksonWomen’s Funding NetworkYK CoalitionYoung Audiences/Arts for LearningYouth Empowerment ProjectYouth Inspirational ConnectionYouth RadioYWCA of Baton RougeZero to Three: National Center for

Infants, Toddlers and Families

35Appendices

GEOGRAPHIC AND PROGRAMMATIC FOCUS

Grants arranged by programmatic focus in the ten Gulf Coast cities* in which the greatest numbers of grant recipients are located:

New OrleansNumber

Programmatic Focus of Grants

Arts, Culture, and Education 54Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity 18Community and Economic Development 18Intermediaries 16Health and Mental Health 15Women, Children, and Families 10Immediate Disaster Relief 7Housing 7Environment 4Hunger and Poverty 2Aging and Disabled Populations 1

Baton RougeNumber


Arts, Culture, and Education 13Intermediaries 12Women, Children, and Families 9Health and Mental Health 7Immediate Disaster Relief 5Environment 5Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity 3Community and Economic Development 2Hunger and Poverty 2Housing 0Aging and Disabled Populations 0

HoustonNumber


Immediate Disaster Relief 10Community and Economic Development 10Intermediaries 6Arts, Culture, and Education 5Women, Children, and Families 5Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity 5Health and Mental Health 4Environment 2Housing 2Aging and Disabled Populations 1Hunger and Poverty 0

JacksonNumber


Intermediaries 8Arts, Culture, and Education 6Women, Children, and Families 6Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity 6Community and Economic Development 3Immediate Disaster Relief 1Aging and Disabled Populations 1Health and Mental Health 0Environment 0Housing 0Hunger and Poverty 0

BiloxiNumber


Immediate Disaster Relief 4Arts, Culture, and Education 3Women, Children, and Families 3Health and Mental Health 3Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity 2Community and Economic Development 1Aging and Disabled Populations 1Environment 1Intermediaries 0Housing 0Hunger and Poverty 0

Lake CharlesNumber


Health and Mental Health 6Immediate Disaster Relief 2Arts, Culture, and Education 1Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity 1Intermediaries 1Hunger and Poverty 1Women, Children, and Families 0Community and Economic Development 0Aging and Disabled Populations 0Environment 0Housing 0

*Located in Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, or Texas


GulfportNumber


Health and Mental Health 4Intermediaries 3Immediate Disaster Relief 2Community and Economic Development 2Women, Children, and Families 1Housing 1Arts, Culture, and Education 0Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity 0Hunger and Poverty 0Aging and Disabled Populations 0Environment 0

AustinNumber


Arts, Culture, and Education 3Health and Mental Health 2Immediate Disaster Relief 2Women, Children, and Families 2Hunger and Poverty 1Intermediaries 0Community and Economic Development 0Housing 0Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity 0Aging and Disabled Populations 0Environment 0

San AntonioNumber


Arts, Culture, and Education 5Hunger and Poverty 2Intermediaries 1Advocacy, Social Justice, and Equity 1Health and Mental Health 0Immediate Disaster Relief 0Women, Children, and Families 0Community and Economic Development 0Housing 0Aging and Disabled Populations 0Environment 0

37Appendices

Nonprofit Organizations

ACORN

Advocates for Environmental HumanRights

AmeriCares

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Gulf Coast

Center for Environmental andEconomic Justice

Coastal Family Health

Enterprise Corporation of the Delta

Families & Friends of Louisiana’sIncarcerated Children

Federation of Southern Cooperatives

Galilee Housing Initiative & CDC

Gulf Restoration Network

Marketumbrella.org

Mary Queen of Vietnam CommunityDevelopment Corporation

Memorial Hospital Foundation

Mental Health Association ofMississippi

Mercy Housing and HumanDevelopment

Mississippi Center for Justice

Mississippi Immigrant RightsAlliance

Mississippi Low-Income ChildcareInitiative

Mississippi Workers Center forHuman Rights

Moore Community Health Center

Neighborhood Housing

Association of New Orleans

Neighborhood Housing Services

New Orleans NeighborhoodDevelopment Collaborative

Oxfam

Seedco

Southern Mutual Help Association

STEPS Coalition

Turkey Creek Community Initiatives

United Way of South Mississippi

Women of the Storm

Community Foundations

Baton Rouge Area Foundation

Community Foundation of GreaterJackson

Family Foundation of SouthwestLouisiana

Foundation for the Mid South

Greater Jackson CommunityFoundation

Greater New Orleans Foundation

Gulf Coast Community Foundation

Louisiana Disaster RecoveryFoundation

Affinity Groups

Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders inPhilanthropy

Grantmakers for Children, Youth &Families

Grantmakers for Education

Grantmakers in Aging

Grantmakers In Health

Hispanics in Philanthropy

Native Americans in Philanthropy

Neighborhood Funders Group

PACE: Philanthropy for Active CivicEngagement

Women’s Funding Network

Collaborative/Collective Efforts

Gulf Coast Fund for CommunityRenewal & Ecological Health

Gulf Coast Funders for Equity

NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery TaskForce

Others

Accenture

American Red Cross

Council on Foundations

Forum of Regional Associations

of Grantmakers

Foundation Center

Louisiana Association of NonprofitOrganizations (LANO)

Louisiana Family Recovery Corps

McKinsey & Company

Mississippi Governor’s Office onRecovery & Renewal

Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund

RAND Gulf States Policy Institute

South Coast Consulting

NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force Executive Group

Ronna Brown, President, NYRAG

Erica Hunt, Co-Chair, Gulf CoastRecovery Task Force

Tamara Kreinin, Interim ExecutiveDirector, NYRAG

Mary Jo Mullan, Co-Chair, GulfCoast Recovery Task Force

NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force Funder List

Altman Foundation

F.B. Heron Foundation

Ford Foundation

New York Community Trust

Open Society Institute

Rockefeller Foundation

The Twenty-First CenturyFoundation

NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force Members

AmeriCares

The John A. Hartford Foundation

JP Morgan Private Bank

New York Life Foundation

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation

UJA Federation of NY

UJA Philanthropy Advisors

APPENDIX TWOList of those interviewed


D. Abramson, R. Garfield, and I. Redlener, The RecoveryDivide: Poverty and the Widening Gap Among MississippiChildren and Families Affected by Hurricane Katrina,National Center for Disaster Preparedness & The Children’sHealth Fund, February 2007.

L. Bernholz in collaboration with G. Kasper and K. Fulton,Future Matters: Philanthropy Marketplaces: Inventing theFuture of Community Philanthropy,” Blueprint Research &Design, Inc. and the Monitor Group, Fall 2006.

European Foundation Center and the Council onFoundations, Disaster Grantmaking: A Practical Guide forFoundations and Corporations, 2007 Edition.

Foundation Center, Giving in the Aftermath of the Gulf CoastHurricanes: Report on the Foundation and CorporateResponse, August 2006.

Foundation Center, Giving in the Aftermath of the Gulf CoastHurricanes: Update on the Foundation and CorporateResponse, August 2007.

Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, Policy Papers,September 2006.

Mid South Commission to Build Philanthropy, Where Hopeand History Rhyme: Reflections and Findings from the MidSouth Commission to Build Philanthropy, February 2005.

New York Regional Association of Grantmakers, SecondEdition of the Donors’ Guide to Gulf Coast Relief & Recovery,December 2007. PolicyLink, Issue Brief: Building a BetterNew Orleans, August 2007.

S. Vail, The Calm in the Storm: Women Leaders in Gulf CoastRecovery, Women’s Funding Network and the Ms.Foundation, 2006.

M. Wiley, New Orleans Recovery Report Card – October,2007, The Center for Social Inclusion: A Project of the TidesCenter, October 2007.

M. Wiley, Triumph Over Tragedy: Leadership, Capacity andNeeds in Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana andMississippi After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, The Center forSocial Inclusion: A Project of the Tides Center, August 2007.

APPENDIX THREEPublications and Reports

39Appendices

Roland V. AnglinInitiative for Regional and

Community Transformation

Kenneth W. AustinAssociation of Black Foundation

Executives (ABFE)

Jessica BaileyRockefeller Brothers Fund

Julia BeattyThe Twenty-First Century

Foundation

Charles BergmanThe Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc

Ronna BrownNYRAG

Alan CohenUJA-Federation of New York

Ligia CravoThe William Randolph Hearst

Foundations

Laura CroninToshiba America Foundation

Rita DomnitzChildren’s Health Fund

Gary DoranUnited Way of America

Annie DucmanisRockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Randy FertelThe Fertel Foundation

Kim FrawleyPfizer Inc.

Rebecca FreyvogelU.S. Chamber of Commerce

Penny Fujiko WillgerodtRockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Linetta J. GilbertThe Ford Foundation

Ellen GreeleyPhilanthropy Advisors

Colin GreerThe New World Foundation

Erica HuntThe Twenty-First Century

Foundation

Erlin IbreckOpen Society Institute

Namalie JayasingheMs. Foundation for Women

Billy E. JonesBlack Equity Alliance

Michele KahaneClinton Global Initiative

Steven LawrenceFoundation Center

Paula MadridMailman School of Public Health,

Columbia University

Jim MetzingerThe F.B. Heron Foundation

Ricardo MillettAssociation of Black Foundation

Executives (ABFE)

Mary Jo MullanThe F.B. Heron Foundation

Rev. Benjamin Musoke-LubegaParish of Trinity Church

in the City of New York

Amita NagarajaThe McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Jim O’SullivanThe John A. Hartford Foundation, Inc.

Pat OstranderU.S. Trust, Bank of America

Philanthropic Management

Chris ParkNew York Life Foundation

Cari ParsonsCommittee to Encourage

Corporate Philanthropy

Wendy PedowitzNew York Life

Alicin Reidy-WilliamsonMTV Networks

Stefanie RhodesJewish Funders Network

Walter SweetRockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Marlo TablanteGoldman, Sachs & Co.

Jasmine ThomasThe New York Community Trust

Lena TownsendThe Robert Bowne Foundation

Trish TweedleyAmeriCares

Rev. John H. VaughnThe Twenty-First Century

Foundation

Sarita VenkatCouncil on Foundations

Amber VernonRosie’s For All Kids Foundation

David J. VidalThe Conference Board

Megan WatkinsJPMorgan Private Bank

Mia WhiteConsultant

Cheryle WillsBlack Equity Alliance

Task Force StaffMichael BarrettDiana CrawfordEmily MacKenzieLynn Stekas

APPENDIX FOURNYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force Members


LEARNING FORUM 1:Voices of the Gulf Coast:Strategies for Hope & ChangeLauren AndersonExecutive DirectorNeighborhood Housing Services of

New Orleans

Lorna BourgPresident/Executive DirectorSouthern Mutual Help Association

Stephen BradberryHead OrganizerNew Orleans ACORN

Judith A. BrowneCo-DirectorAdvancement Project

Ambassador James A. Joseph Chairman of the BoardLouisiana Disaster Recovery

Foundation

Lionel C. McIntyreAssociate Professor of Urban PlanningColumbia University

LEARNING FORUM 2:Opportunities &Challenges: Mental HealthNeeds in the Gulf CoastRaymond Jetson Chief Executive OfficerLouisiana Family Recovery Corps

Jerome GibbsExecutive DirectorMetropolitan Human Services District

Gerri Hobdy Director of GrantmakingBaton Rouge Area Foundation

Susan Levin Executive DirectorHouston Galveston Institute

Grayson NorquistProfessor and Chairman of the

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

University of Mississippi Medical Center

LEARNING FORUM 3:Funders Forum onSustainable Gulf CoastTransformationIvye L. Allen PresidentFoundation for the Mid South

Dr. Roland V. AnglinExecutive DirectorInitiative for Regional and


Julia BeattyProgram OfficerTwenty-First Century Foundation

Steven BinglerPresidentConcordia Architecture and Planning

Xavier BishopMayorMoss Point, Mississippi

Dr. Edward J. BlakelyExecutive Director for

Recovery ManagementCity of New Orleans

Gretchen BonfertDirector, Environmental ProgramMcKnight Foundation

Lorna BourgExecutive Director and PresidentSouthern Mutual Help Association

K.C. BurtonSenior Associate, Annie E.

Casey FoundationInterim Executive Director, Louisiana

Disaster Recovery Foundation

William J. (Bill) BynumPresident and CEOEnterprise Corporation of the Delta/

Hope Community Credit Union

Victoria CintraOutreach OrganizerMississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance

Rosana CruzField CoordinatorNational Immigration Law Center

Pam DashiellPresidentHoly Cross Neighborhood Association

Mark S. DavisDirectorInstitute on Water Resources Law

and Policy, Tulane Law School

Thomas H. Davis Jr.Executive DirectorCommunity Foundation

of South Alabama

Michelle DePassProgram OfficerFord Foundation

Annie DucmanisProject ManagerRockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Rev. Tyronne EdwardsExecutive DirectorZion Traveler Cooperative Center of

Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana

Ashleigh A. GilbertVice PresidentJP Morgan Chase

Linetta J. GilbertProgram OfficerFord Foundation

Monique HardenCo-director and AttorneyAdvocates for Environmental

Human Rights

Sharon HanshawExecutive DirectorCoastal Women for Change

Erica HuntPresidentTwenty-First Century Foundation

Erlin IbreckDirector of Grantmaking StrategiesOpen Society Institute

Alisha JohnsonMississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance

Sam JonesMayorMobile, Alabama

Steven LawrenceSenior Director of ResearchFoundation Center

Adele LyonsProgram Director for

Mississippi Gulf CoastJohn S. & James L. Knight Foundation

Jason MackenzieExecutive DirectorNorth Gulfport Community

Land Trust

Richard McCarthyExecutive Directormarketumbrella.org

C. Ray NaginMayorNew Orleans, Louisiana

M. von NkosiSenior Advisor for Equitable

DevelopmentCity of New Orleans Office of

Planning & Development

Bernadette OrrProgram ManagerOxfam America

Juliet PageInterim Program OfficerGreater New Orleans Foundation

Paul PastorekSuperintendent of EducationState of Louisiana

Saundra ReedCo-chairCentral City Renaissance Alliance

Randy RoachMayorLake Charles, Louisiana

Brenda Dardar-RobichauxPrincipal ChiefUnited Houma Nation

Cynthia M. SarthouExecutive DirectorGulf Restoration Network

Warren SimmonsDirectorAnnenberg Institute for School

Reform, Brown University

Pam StevensPresidentConsulting NOLA LLC

Ashley Kennedy SheltonDirector of Policy InitiativesLouisiana Disaster

Recovery Foundation

Ed SivakDirector of Policy and EvaluationEnterprise Corporation of the Delta

Alta StarrProgram OfficerFord Foundation

Tony TranLead Project CoordinatorLouisiana Boat People SOS

Linda Usdin Project DirectorInitiative for Regional and


Rev. John H. VaughnProgram DirectorTwenty-First Century Foundation

Reverend Father Vien Thé NguyenMary Queen of Vietnam

Catholic Church

Alandra L. WashingtonProgram Director Philanthropy

and VolunteerismW.K. Kellogg Foundation

Orlando C. WatkinsVice PresidentGreater New Orleans Foundation

David J. UtterFormer DirectorJuvenile Justice Project of Louisiana

Betty WeissDirectorCommunity Initiatives

Mia WhiteConsultantInitiative for Regional and


APPENDIX FIVEThe NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force Learning Forum Series Speakers

79 Fifth AvenueFourth FloorNew York, NY 10003-3076212-714-0699www.nyrag.org

New York Regional Association of Grantmakers

best practices in disaster grantmaking - philanthropy northwest

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