Carmen James, Greater New Orleans Foundation’s vice president of programs, explains how the Foundation will continue to invest in high-performing nonprofit organizations through the redesign of its IMPACT program. Since its launch in 2009, the IMPACT program has awarded over $7 million to over 150 nonprofit organizations in the Greater New Orleans area.
Q: Is the Foundation changing its IMPACT Program?
A: Yes. Like all good grantmaking programs, you sometimes have to stop and ask: can we improve? We’ve continuously improved the model with valuable input from our nonprofit partners, members of the grants committee, and our colleagues in the field. We feel the most recent redesign will allow us to have an even greater impact.
Q: Why the change?
A: In the past, we’ve had significant resources fueling the IMPACT program from earnings from several endowed funds. Those precious dollars, distributed over the past eight years, have allowed us to invest in stellar nonprofit organizations making significant contributions to our community. Organizations working tirelessly to help all people lead healthier and more productive lives; organizations that reflect our values to promote a resilient, vibrant, and just region. Because we invested our dollars mightily in the years following Hurricane Katrina to support our region’s recovery, our resources have steadily declined. The current financial restraints required a different strategy.
Q: How will it change?
A: We’re moving away from one-time grants and adopting a multi-year, renewal-based grantmaking strategy. By providing nonprofit organizations general operating support for multiple years, we’re giving organizations what they need most—time and money. In collaboration with our nonprofit partners, we’ll be able to devote more attention to our community’s most pressing problems.
Q: What if I received an IMPACT grant for general operating support in 2016?
A: The 20 nonprofit organizations that received general support IMPACT grants in 2016 are eligible to renew their grants for an additional two years, beginning in 2018. Current IMPACT grantees will be asked to complete an evaluative report and a renewal application. Grants will not be automatically renewed. The organization will have to demonstrate they are meeting their metrics for progress, which will be carefully reviewed by the Foundation’s programs team and members of the grants committee.
Q: What if I received an IMPACT grant for programmatic work in 2016?
A: The 15 organizations that received IMPACT grants for programmatic work will have to reapply for funding. These grants are not renewable.
Q: If my organization did not receive an IMPACT grant, how can I apply for future funding?
A: This is a year of transition and no grants will be awarded in 2017. Moving forward, however, the Foundation will release an RFP for new organizations to apply for IMPACT funding across the five categories. Organizations receiving future IMPACT grants will be eligible to renew their grants for an additional two years.
Q: What if I received a grant from the Newman Fund or the Gulf States Surgery Foundation Fund?
A: Organizations receiving grants from these funds will be eligible for up two years, beginning in 2018.
Q: What if I received a grant from the Kahn-Openheim Trust?
A: Grants from this fund are not renewable, given its priority to support new and improved programs. The deadline to apply is August 15, 2017.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation would like to thank all the donors whose gifts make the IMPACT program possible. If you want to feel their profound and collective impact, we invite you to peruse the impressive list of nonprofit organizations who have received IMPACT grants.
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