FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 7, 2025
Media Contact:
Courtney Thomas
Vice President for Communications & Public Affairs
Greater New Orleans Foundation
504.236.7096
courtney@gnof.org
Greater New Orleans Foundation Holds Sixth Annual Celebration of Black Philanthropy, Honors Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré, and Announces the 2025 Greater Together Fund for Racial Equity Grantees
Courtesy of VPJR | Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré responds to a question from Norman Robinson during their fireside chat at the 2025 Celebration of Black Philanthropy.
To view all photos from the 2025 Celebration of Black Philanthropy, click here.
NEW ORLEANS – (August 7, 2025) On Tuesday, August 5, kicking off Black Philanthropy Month, the Greater New Orleans Foundation (Foundation) hosted its sixth annual Celebration of Black Philanthropy at the National WWII Museum. This year’s event honored Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré, a decorated 37-year army veteran, leader of Joint Task Force Katrina, a global authority on leadership, and an expert on homeland security and disaster response. Among a crowd of over 200 people, the celebration concluded with fireside chat between legendary, veteran journalist Norman Robinson and Lt. General Honoré. At the event, the Foundation announced this year’s Greater Together Fund for Racial Equity (Fund) grantees. The Celebration of Black Philanthropy recognizes past and present Black philanthropists in the region who give generously to uplift and bring impact to causes that improve all of our community. Studies regularly show Black Americans to be the most generous Americans, and we’ve seen reports that show Black New Orleanians are among the most generous of all people in our country. That’s the kind of generosity the Foundation pays tribute to with its Celebration of Black Philanthropy. This year’s Celebration of Black Philanthropy is supported by Dale Mason Cochran Family Fund, First Horizon Bank, and Hancock Whitney Bank.
Courtesy of Justen Williams | The crowd looks on as Andy Kopplin, President and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, gives remarks at the Celebration of Black Philanthropy 2025.
Andy Kopplin, President and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, said, “When we started planning this year’s event, knowing we would be just a few weeks away from marking 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, we knew immediately that General Honoré was the man we wanted to honor for his leadership of Joint Task Force Katrina. When Katrina hit, I was serving as the late Governor Kathleen Blanco’s chief of staff, so I got something of an up close and personal opportunity to work with General Honoré. What I remember most about General Honoré is the compassion he had for the people of our City—he saw New Orleanians as brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, babies and grandparents who had been through hell and high water. We needed help, no doubt, but more than anything, General Honoré knew that we needed to be treated with dignity and respect—and he made sure that every soldier, every Red Cross volunteer, every FEMA employee, understood that.”
Kopplin continued, “As with Black History Month, we celebrate Black Philanthropy Month to lift up the stories that deserve to be told so that all Americans can celebrate them—not to divide people—but because for too long the stories of Black philanthropists, like that of SW Green of New Orleans who led the fraternal organization the Colored Knights of Pythias a century ago, didn’t get told outside of the Black community, not because he wasn’t great or deserving, but simply because he was Black. We are still in a battle to make sure that we tell all of our country’s stories—the ones that inspire us and make us proud and the ones that remind us of the shameful parts of our history that we cannot allow to be forgotten. That is why I’m proud that we are continuing to do our part to advance equity and opportunity by announcing our 2025 Racial Equity Fund grants. We recognize these grants won’t solve all the challenges we face, but they do allow us to be part of the solution.”
Courtesy of VPJR | Andy Kopplin, President and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, addresses the crowd at the 2025 Celebration of Black Philanthropy.
In November 2020, the Foundation launched Greater Together Fund for Racial Equity and has since distributed over $3.3 million to nonprofits leading the fight for racial justice in our region and working to build wealth in the African American community. In line with the purpose of the Celebration of Black Philanthropy and since launching the fund, the Foundation has made large, sustained investments in a number of nonprofits leading on racial equity whose work has scalable local, regional, and even statewide impact. The 2020 founding of the fund was supported by investments of over $500,000 from the Foundation.
At the 2024 Celebration of Black Philanthropy, the Foundation announced it would make racial equity work a permanent priority with the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity with a goal to raise $2.5 million, which would ensure that the Foundation can increase its grantmaking by $100,000 or more annually to the nonprofits on the front lines, doing the work to create a more just and equitable world for us all in the name of one of the most visionary leaders in New Orleans history, Dr. Francis. Since the Foundation announced this endowment last year, it has raised more than $750,000. The Foundation would like to acknowledge our lead donors, First Horizon and Hancock Whitney Banks—who both generously gave $250,000 in 2024 each to get this campaign started—along with more recent additions, including the Ford Foundation, David & Stephanie Barksdale, Cathy & Walter Isaacson, and other generous donors.
Courtesy of VPJR | Jeanette Davis-Loeb, Celebration of Black Philanthropy Event Chair, Greater New Orleans Foundation Board Vice Chair, and Chair of the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment Committee, gives remarks at the 2025 Celebration of Black Philanthropy.
At the Celebration, the Foundation also announced that an anonymous donor has pledged $250,000 to the Fund, putting us over $1 million towards our $2.5 million goal. That donation is a challenge grant, meaning it must be matched by our community and will add half a million dollars to our permanent endowment for racial equity when it’s complete. Jeanette Davis-Loeb, Celebration of Black Philanthropy Event Chair, Greater New Orleans Foundation Board Vice Chair, and Chair of the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment Committee, generously kicked off this challenge with a multi-year pledge of her own, totaling $25,000.
“When I joined the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Board in 2019, I came in with a clear purpose: to ensure our Foundation continued to was not only doing more for our community but doing it with us, in partnership and in trust and to make sure Black New Orleanians know about the good work we are doing—and how to shape it, fund it, and lead it. Last year, we made a powerful commitment: the launch of the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity, with a bold $2.5 million goal. This endowment will ensure that the Foundation can make at least $100,000 in racial equity grants every single year, in perpetuity—in the name of one of the greatest champions our city has ever known. We know that the fight for racial equity is not a moment; it’s a movement, and that’s why the Foundation has made this permanent commitment to support organizations aligned with our equity goals”, said Jeanette Davis-Loeb, Celebration of Black Philanthropy Event Chair, Greater New Orleans Foundation Board Vice Chair, and Chair of the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment Committee. “The Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity honors not only the living legacy of a remarkable leader, but also the countless freedom fighters, organizers, and everyday people who have carried this work forward. This is how we build the future: together with courage, care and an unshakable belief in our people.”
At the Celebration, the Foundation proudly announced the organizations that have been chosen to receive the Greater Together Fund for Racial Equity 2025 grants totaling $175,000. The 2025 grant recipients include:
Event sponsor, Dale Mason Cochran Family Fund, is led by Dr. Dale Mason Cochran, a New Orleans native and the founder and owner of Concourse Ventures, an airport concessionaire with locations across the country. Cochran has supported the work of the Greater New Orleans Foundation since 2003, when she established the Louis and Daisy Mason Scholarship Fund in honor of her parents. She has been a consistent and regular supporter of the Foundation ever since, supporting such initiatives as the Rebuild New Orleans Fund, the Response and Restoration Fund, and the Partners in Philanthropy Annual Campaign.
Event sponsor and inaugural funder, First Horizon Bank, with $82.1 billion in assets as of June 30, 2025, is a leading regional financial services company, dedicated to helping their clients, communities and associates unlock their full potential with capital and counsel. Headquartered in Memphis, TN, the banking subsidiary First Horizon Bank operates in 12 states concentrated in the southern U.S. The Company and its subsidiaries offer commercial, private banking, consumer, small business, wealth and trust management, retail brokerage, capital markets, fixed income, and mortgage banking services. First Horizon has been recognized as one of the nation’s best employers by Fortune and Forbes magazines and a Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. Bank.
“As an inaugural funder of the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowmnet for Racial Equity, we are incredibly proud to be a part of such an important initiative and extraordinary opportunity to honor of Dr. Francis, a long-term friend of our company and revered agent of change in our community,” said Benjamin A. Dupuy, President, First Horizon Community Investment Group. “He serves as a role model and inspiration for us to continue his work in the communities we serve.”
Since the late 1800s, event sponsor and inaugural funder, Hancock Whitney, has embodied core values of honor & integrity, strength & stability, commitment to service, teamwork, and personal responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; and mortgage services. The company also operates combined loan and deposit production offices in the greater metropolitan areas of Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia.
Liz Hefler, Regional Vice President, Hancock Whitney said, “Investing in the Dr. Norman C Francis Endowment for Racial Equity is not just an act of philanthropy; it’s a commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable future. By supporting this initiative and this event, we are fostering opportunities that empower underrepresented voices and drive meaningful change in our communities.”
To contribute to the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity, click here. To learn more about the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity, the Foundation’s annual Celebration of Black Philanthropy, and other charitable programs and tools, please contact Ashley Floyd, Major Gifts Officer, at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, at ashleyf@gnof.org.
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ABOUT THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS FOUNDATION:
With roots extending over 100 years, the Greater New Orleans Foundation connects generous people to the causes that spark their passion. As one of the most trusted philanthropic organizations in the region, we work every day to drive positive impact by championing charitable giving, strengthening nonprofits, and leading civic projects in our thirteen-parish region. In addition to grantmaking, we convene people, resources, and ideas to create intelligent strategies and solutions to meet our region’s greatest challenges. We are proud to serve as a vocal civic leader with our partners to ensure an economically and culturally vibrant, sustainable, and just region for all. Learn more at www.gnof.org.