Overview

Homes are the key building blocks of every community. Hurricane Katrina demolished many of these building blocks and we’re now trying to put them back together. The Unified New Orleans Plan—shepherded and supported by the Greater New Orleans Foundation—identified the lack of quality, affordable housing as the primary obstacle to recovery in the city. In response, the Foundation brought together 20 local and national foundations to create a five-year, $25 million initiative designated for community revitalization.

The Community Revitalization Fund has three main goals: 1) to increase housing production, 2) strengthen the affordable housing sector as a whole (including public policy and human capital), and 3) promote smart growth development principles. Over the course of five years, the Foundation will award grants to local nonprofits, sector-serving organizations, government, and advocacy groups that are working to promote equitable and effective housing development.

To download a copy of our latest progress report, Learning in Two Directions: The Community Revitalization Fund - August 2009, click here.

Guidelines

Requests for funding from the Community Revitalization Fund must do one or more of the following:

• Address a specific need or barrier to housing development.
• Increase expertise and/or capacity within the housing development industry.
• Contribute to the capacity of government, nonprofit and/or for-profit developers to produce equitable, high-quality, mixed-income housing at scale (at least 50 units per year).
• Deliver important information and/or technical expertise on best practices in housing and community development.
• Collaborate across the public and private sectors to create innovative financing programs or housing policies that will increase the pace of the city’s repopulation.

For more information on how to apply for a grant from the Community Revitalization Program, click here.

Beyond Grantmaking

Here are just some of the ways that Greater New Orleans Foundation staff members add value to the Foundation’s grantmaking work:

• Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) staff members have organized several meetings to help provide more extensive community input to the City of New Orleans Master Plan process.  GNOF convened a group of housing and community development advocates as well as a group of business and local government officials to meet with the Master Plan consultants and provide feedback on the Plan.
• With support from the Surdna Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation convened a group of stakeholders in the fall of 2008 to explore employer-assisted housing initiatives and opportunities in the New Orleans region.
• The Housing Resource Center Network is a Foundation-led initiative provide funding and technical assistance to neighborhood-based organizations helping NOLA property owners rebuild after Katrina.  The Foundation serves on the advisory committee along with the City of New Orleans and other foundation partners.  Funds are held at the Greater New Orleans Foundation.  Enterprise Corporation of the Delta/Hope Credit Union will serve as the implementation body with counsel from Neighborworks America.
• Along with other foundation partners, the Greater New Orleans Foundation has been exploring ways to preserve housing affordability and grow community equity through shared equity models of real estate development. Consultants from the National Community Land Trust Network are currently providing technical assistance to New Orleans neighborhoods vital to the City’s recovery.

Give Us Your Feedback

Visit the Goals, Objectives & Rationales section of our website to give us feedback on our community revitalization work. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Community Revitalization Staff

For more information about the Community Revitalization Fund at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, please contact:

Ellen Lee
Sr. Vice President, Programs, Community Revitalization Program Director

Liza Cowan
Program Officer for Community Revitalization