Fund Types

The Greater New Orleans Foundation offers a variety of fund options to help you meet your philanthropic goals and respond to community needs. From donor advised funds (which allow you to engage in active grantmaking) to unrestricted funds (which rely on the foundation’s knowledge of the community for grantmaking decisions), our funds allow you to select the manner in which you want to invest in the community.

Unrestricted
These funds are created for those who care about the community beyond their own lifetimes. They enable the Foundation to respond to the community’s changing needs and emergencies, to support the creation of innovative responses to community problems, and to enhance the quality of community life. They also allow donors to create a living legacy that will grow and change as the community does.

Field of Interest Funds
Donors who select these funds are able to benefit specific programs in the arts, education, or other broad areas of interest. By naming a program area and not a specific organization, flexibility exists to meet the ever-changing needs of the community. The Foundation awards grants to the most appropriate programs or organizations within the specified field of interest.

Donor Advised Funds
Donor advised funds are charitable funds for donors seeking active involvement in grantmaking. Donors recommend grants from their fund to support the nonprofit organizations of their choice. Donors can learn about community needs by working with the foundation’s staff.

Donor Designated Funds
Donor designated funds are set up by donors to support a specific organization or organizations. Distributions from donor designated funds are made annually to the organizations they support.

Agency Endowment Funds
Agency endowment funds are set up by nonprofit organizations and exist in perpetuity to ensure the future vitality of their organization. Individual donors may contribute to these funds if they wish to invest in a specific organization.

Scholarship Funds
Scholarship funds provide financial support for education. Scholarship programs may benefit a specific school, or maybe be customized based on the donor’s preference.

Supporting Organizations
Supporting organizations are separate legal entities that are affiliated with the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Established with their own boards of trustees, grantmaking identities, and governance structures, supporting organizations enjoy public charity status and the professional services of the foundation, including staff and administrative support.

To learn more about how a partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation can meet your needs, please contact Alice B. Parkerson, vice president of development, at (504) 598-1291.