The Greater New Orleans Foundation is proud to be the steward of more than 800 donor-advised and donor-designated funds. Our donors make more than $26 million in grants to diverse nonprofits of all sizes throughout the region, according to their specific areas of interest.
IMPACT is the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s discretionary grants program. Its goal is to promote a resilient, vibrant, and equitable region in which the special character of New Orleans and its people is preserved, celebrated, and given the means to thrive. Funding for IMPACT comes from a portion of our assets, field of interest funds, and unrestricted funds. We are committed to increasing the dollars we have available for IMPACT through our fundraising efforts; however, at this time our IMPACT funding remains limited.
Through IMPACT 2016, the Greater New Orleans Foundation will award up to $700,000 in grants to organizations serving the Greater New Orleans region. The average grant size will be $20,000, although individual grants may be larger or smaller.
Grants will be awarded in five priority areas: Arts & Culture, Youth Development, Education, Health, and Social Services. In addition, a limited number of grants are available in the following special funding categories: Gulf States Eye Surgery Fund, the Harold W. Newman Jr. Charitable Trust, and the Kahn-Oppenheim Trust.
IMPACT 2016 – Guidelines for LOIs
Budget Template (.xlsx)
Sample Budget (.xlsx)
Opens: Friday, April 1, 2016
Deadline: Friday, April 22, 2016 at 11:59 PM
Submitting a Letter of Intent
Please remember that we will only accept letters of intent electronically through our online portal.
Our technology partner, Foundant, has created a brief tutorial for applicants that may be viewed here. It is highly recommended that all applicants review this video before beginning a new application in order to better understand the process.
Proposals that are not submitted electronically will not be considered for funding. Foundation staff will review online submissions and recommend which organizations to invite to participate in a site visit. The site visit will determine if an organization will be invited to submit a full proposal for funding.
Grant recommendations made by staff will be reviewed by the Foundation’s president and Grants Committee, and final approval for funding will come from the Foundation’s board of directors.
Webinars to answer questions about the IMPACT 2016 guidelines and online application process are scheduled for Monday, April 4, Tuesday, April 5, and Wednesday, April 6 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. Each webinar is limited to 100 participants. Please register in order to attend. Participation in a webinar is not mandatory for IMPACT 2016 applicants. To register, click on your preferred date above.
