Over 150 people attended the event, which was held to recognize past and present Black New Orleanians who give generously to uplift and bring impact to causes that improve our community. To view photos from the event, click here.
The Celebration of Black Philanthropy kicked off with remarks from Andy Kopplin, President & CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. “The Celebration of Black Philanthropy exceeded all expectations in terms of the diversity of attendees, relevance of the message, and thought-provoking content that was so eloquently shared by our keynote speaker, Michelle Singletary”, stated Dr. Kenneth St. Charles who serves as Vice President for Philanthropy at the Greater New Orleans Foundation. “We are fortunate at the Foundation to be in a position where we regularly assist our fundholders, donors, and civic leaders with opportunities and experiences that ultimately lead to stronger communities while honoring the philanthropic intentions of our generous partners.”
This year, the Foundation brought on Michelle Singletary, personal finance columnist for The Washington Post, as keynote speaker. Singletary led a fascinating discussion and Q&A session on the significance of Black philanthropy and how to best build generational wealth for Black families. She drew attention to the fact that, according to a joint study from the W.K Kellogg Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, “two thirds of Black households donate to community-based organizations and causes to the tune of $11 billion each year”.
This year’s Celebration of Black Philanthropy honored the philanthropic legacy of Cheryl Teamer, Board member at the Foundation from 2005 – 2019, and Board Chair from 2015 – 2017. Cheryl served as the Foundation’s first Black female chair, and her leadership came during a time of great impact. Not only did she chair nearly every committee the Foundation had during her tenure as a trustee, but she gave her heart and soul and generous spirit to everything we did. From GiveNOLA Day to Impact 100 to leading bus tours visiting grantees, she did it all with a joyful and infectious smile. Attendees watched a tribute video, below, to get a glimpse into just how special Cheryl was to her family, her community, the Foundation, and many others.
As a community foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation works to establish and maintain funds that enable long-term support for organizations focused on particular sectors. In line with the purpose of the Celebration of Black Philanthropy, the Greater Together Fund for Racial Equity, established in 2020, makes large, sustained investments in a number of nonprofits leading on racial equity whose work has scalable local, regional, and even statewide impact. In addition, the Greater Together Fund for Racial Equity provides critical sustaining support to nonprofits working tirelessly on the community level in the following areas:
- Provide leadership in ending institutional racism: engaging speakers and using our convening power to host conversations and advance dialogue promoting systems change in our region.
- Bolster the work of black-led nonprofits leading on racial equity: making investments to sustain the work of local nonprofits that are having an impact in eliminating inequitable systems.
- And close the racial wealth gap by investing in initiatives to help small, minority businesses grow their share of gross receipts in our region beyond the current level of two percent, as well as investing in housing and other strategies that can build wealth for black families.
Donors interested in contributing to the fund should email kenneth@gnof.org.
At the end of the event, Mark Romig, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for New Orleans & Company and Dottie Beletto, President & CEO of NOCCI, presented a check of $5,000 on behalf of the Norma Jane Sabiston Legacy Fund to the newly established Cheryl R. Teamer Impact Fund managed by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, as well as a $5,000 match from Warren Reuther to the Cheryl R. Teamer Impact Fund.
The event was hosted at the Historic Carver Theater in New Orleans and lunch was provided by the renowned Black-owned and operated Dooky Chase’s Restaurant.
GNOF: Celebration of Black Philanthropy Sizzle (Full) from Elephant Quilt Productions on Vimeo.
Want to Know More?
To learn more about the Celebration of Black Philanthropy event, and/or learn about Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) and other charitable tools, please contact Kenneth St. Charles, Vice President for Philanthropy at the Greater New Orleans Foundation at kenneth@gnof.org.