Tim Walter is CEO and executive director of the Association of Small Foundations, a group of over 3,100 foundations with few or no staff, representative of the vast majority of foundations in the United States. ASF is planning a conference called Katrina@5 to be held in New Orleans in March.
Katrina@5 is a gathering of representatives from more than 30 philanthropic organizations, with the Association of Small Foundations acting as the organizing partner. Katrina @ 5 is built around the approaching fifth anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and it’s taking place in New Orleans March 22-24, 2010. ASF and its partners—national, regional, and local funders and funder networks—will affirm our support for the Gulf Coast and explore philanthropy’s role as a partner in disaster response, rebuilding, and transformation, We’re expecting close to 300 people to attend Katrina @ 5, and we’ll examine what has worked, what hasn’t, and what remains to be done.
We hope participants will gain information, inspiration, connections, and tools to advance their work. We’ll share best practices and knowledge on key issues—housing and homelessness, economic development, education, civic engagement, and more—brought to the forefront in the Gulf Coast by the impact of the hurricanes. Beyond that, we want to inspire sustained action and funding to address these issues in communities directly impacted by the storms, as well as across the country and even beyond.
New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are full of inspiration, creativity, and fresh approaches to recovery, rebuilding, and transformation. That said, significant work remains in the region, and we want the philanthropic community to see up-close the daily on-the-ground issues, the areas of unmet need, and the opportunities for action.
For more information about Katrina @ 5, visit www.KatrinaAtFive.org.
