Greater New Orleans Foundation Announces Distribution of Over $3M in New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund Grants

NEW ORLEANS – (June 6, 2025) Today, the Greater New Orleans Foundation (Foundation) and the New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund Steering Committee (Steering Committee) announced that they had awarded and completed the distribution of $3.05 million in compensation grants to the families who lost loved ones as well as to individuals who were severely injured or impacted by the New Year’s Day tragedy in early May.

Working with the Mass Violence Survivors Fund, the Foundation and Steering Committee received 77 applications and approved 66. The Mass Violence Survivors Fund indicated that the completion of Foundation’s grantmaking and distribution process was done at a faster pace than any of the thirty similar funds they have administered. To respect the privacy of those who have received funds and consistent with best practices for similar efforts, the Foundation will not be publishing the names and the amounts distributed other than the overall total awarded.

“We hope our community’s generous donations and our steering committee’s thoughtful work to determine how to best allocate these funds provides some solace and help and honors those we have lost and who were harmed,” said Andy Kopplin, President and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to Jeff Dion, Executive Director of the Mass Violence Survivors Fund, and volunteer members of our Steering Committee, especially co-chairs David Barksdale and Kim Boyle, for their time, insight, and expertise to ensure a fair and transparent process.”

“What I will remember most about this process is the strength and courage of the victims of this tragedy and the genuine outpouring of support and sympathy by volunteers and donors to help them get a little bit further through this enormously difficult time,” said David Barksdale, 2023-2025 Chairman of the Greater New Orleans Foundation Board and Co-Chair of the Steering Committee. 

“We had an extraordinarily thoughtful steering committee—all of whom listened carefully to the stories we heard,” said Kim Boyle, Co-Chair of the Steering Committee.  “Although the resources provided cannot come close to addressing the loss the victims and their families have suffered, we were always amazed by their expressions of thanks to all of the donors who have made these grants possible.”

“In the immediate aftermath of the immeasurable tragedy that happened in early hours of New Year’s Day, I asked the Greater New Orleans Foundation to be the City’s official partner and take the lead on fundraising efforts for victims and families devastated by this senseless tragedy,” said New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to the people around the world who found it in their hearts to give to this fund, to the Steering Committee who worked together to help heal our community during this challenging time, and to the Foundation for always serving as a steadfast community partner for both our city and region.”

“Our community experienced an unimaginable tragedy, and our collective hearts are broken as we continue to mourn for the victims and survivors of the New Year’s Day terror attack. Our focus has always been on providing aid quickly and effectively. Following this tragedy, we were proud that the Greater New Orleans Foundation awarded grants to six local nonprofits through the endowed Gayle and Tom Benson Disaster Relief Fund, which was established by Gayle Benson in summer 2024 for the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation to do just that. We are also very proud to have contributed $500,000 additionally towards the New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund,” said Gayle Benson, New Orleans Saints Owner and Governor of the New Orleans Pelicans. “As our community heals from the tragedy, we stand arm-in-arm, together, with an unwavering resolve and purpose rooted in love, compassion, and kindness. We are grateful for the collaboration with Greater New Orleans Foundation to ensure that these funds reach those who need them most.”

“As our community moves forward, we will always remember those whose families will never be the same because of the unthinkable tragedy on January 1,” said Pete November, Ochsner Health CEO. “In honor of the victims, the first responders and the caregivers, Ochsner Health was proud to match the gift of $500,000 made by both Gayle Benson and the NFL Foundation to the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Tragedy Fund. We are honored to partner with the Foundation in this work and support and uplift our neighbors and communities when they needed it most.”

“For more than 90 years, the Allstate Sugar Bowl has taken great pride in being a good corporate citizen in the city it calls home. The Sugar Bowl Committee was honored to make a $500,000 donation to the Greater New Orleans Foundation in response to this tragedy,” said Allstate Sugar Bowl Committee President, Dorothy “Dottie” Reese. “We are proud that our efforts will directly assist the victims and their families and play a role in keeping our neighbors and visitors safe by preventing future acts like this.”

On January 21, the Foundation and the Steering Committee published a draft protocol for how the funds would be distributed to families who lost loved ones as well as others who were severely injured or impacted by the tragedy. The Foundation and Steering Committee hosted a town hall to collect feedback from the community. After collecting feedback, the categories of applicants were determined and separated into four tiers. The tiers and the number of grants awarded in each tier are listed below:

• Category A: Legal heirs of those who were killed as a direct result of the attack – This category of applicants received the highest amount of distribution under the scope of the Final Protocol. People in this category received the same payment regardless of circumstances. 14 payments were distributed.

• Category B: Those who were physically injured in the attack and hospitalized overnight – This category represents the people who were physically present within the area of eligibility at the time of the attack and were admitted to the hospital due to physical injuries resulting from the tragedy. Payments may be grouped based on length of hospital stay regardless of their specific injury or circumstances. 25 payments were distributed.

• Category C: Those who were physically injured in the attack and treated on an outpatient basis – This category covers applicants who were physically present within the area of eligibility at the time of the attack, were physically injured as a result of the tragedy, and were treated and released at a hospital or treated by a private physician or licensed clinician and received medical treatment no later than Wednesday, January 8. 10 payments were distributed.

• Category D: Friends and companions of victims who were killed and seriously injured who were in close physical proximity to the victim at the time of the attack – Survivors who fall into this category met the above qualifications and suffered psychological trauma. This category also covers bystanders who rendered direct hands-on assistance. Any family member or companion of a victim in Category A or B, who was both physically present within the area of eligibility, and who was in close proximity to the victim at the time of the attack, and who experienced psychological trauma, was eligible for this category. Additionally, any bystander who meets EACH of the following four requirements was eligible for this category: The bystander was 1) within the area of eligibility; and 2) rendered direct, hands-on assistance to a victim in Category A or B; and 3) whose assistance and presence can be validated; and 4) who experienced psychological trauma. 17 payments were distributed.

On January 1, following the news of the mass casualty incident that took place on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, at the request of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and in partnership with other community leaders, the Foundation launched the New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund. One hundred percent of donations to the New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund go directly to the families of those whose lives were taken or to those who were severely injured or impacted in the attack on Bourbon Street on January 1.

The Fund received nearly 3,000 individual donations including major gifts from Ochsner Health, Mrs. Gayle Benson and the New Orleans Saints, the NFL, the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Raising Cane’s, Zion Williamson, Bar & Restaurant Members of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, Baptist Community Ministries, Antonio Brown, Coca Cola United Bottling Company, Cox Communications, The J.M. Smucker Co., Entergy Corporation, Cam Jordan, the NBA, The Helis Foundation, Physician’s Group Laboratories, LLC, Wasserman Family Foundation, the Hawai’i Community Foundation, LeBlanc + Smith, Ruby Slipper Cafes, the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region, Wheless Foundation, PJ Morton, Positive Vibrations Foundation, and the Dew Drop Inn.

On January 15, the Foundation announced the establishment of a volunteer steering committee to oversee the grantmaking process and disbursement of the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund. The Foundation also announced a partnership with the Mass Violence Survivors Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to distributing contributions following mass casualty crimes. The Mass Violence Survivors Fund is led by its executive director Jeffrey R. Dion, an attorney, homicide-survivor, and nationally-recognized victim advocate who has previously administered 31 similar funds, including: the Las Vegas Harvest Festival Shooting; the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting; Walmart shooting in El Paso, TX; Top’s Supermarket in Buffalo, NY, and the Robb Elementary Shooting in Uvalde, TX. Most recently, Mr. Dion administered the relief fund for the victims of the Fordyce, Arkansas shooting in partnership with the Arkansas Community Foundation.

Funds to cover the Mass Violence Survivors Fund’s administrative costs were paid for by personal contributions from the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Board of Directors and did not come from donations received to the New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund.

Members of the Steering Committee include:

• Co-Chair David Barksdale | Principal of Alluvian Capital LLC and 2023-2025 Chair, Greater News Orleans Foundation Board of Trustees

• Co-Chair Kim Boyle | Managing Partner at Phelps Dunbar and Former Greater New Orleans Foundation Board Member

• Dr. Jennifer Avegno | Director of the New Orleans Health Department

• Rabbi Katie Bauman | Senior Rabbi, Touro Synagogue

• Dr. Regina Benjamin | 18th Surgeon General of the United States and Endowed Chair in Public Health Sciences, Xavier University of Louisiana

• Lynne Burkart, CPA | Partner, EisnerAmpner and Board Secretary and Audit Chair, Greater New Orleans Foundation

• James Dabney, PhD. | Executive Director of the New Orleans Youth Alliance and former Director and Regional Vice President of the Posse Foundation

• David F. Edwards | Partner, Jones Walker LLP and Former Greater New Orleans Foundation Board Member

• Cynthia Hayes | President and CEO of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of New Orleans

• Taryn Horton | Victim Advocate, survivor of a mass casualty crime

• Cam Jordan | Defensive End for the New Orleans Saints, 2025 Bart Starr Award Winner

• Pastor Fred Luter, Jr. | Senior Pastor, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and first African American President of the Southern Baptist Convention

• Ronald P. McClain JD, LCSW | Executive Director, Institute of Mental Hygiene

• Alden J. McDonald Jr. | Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Bank

• Melanie A. Talia, J.D. | President & CEO, New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation

• Ret. Judge Dennis Waldron | Retired Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge

To read more about the steering committee, click here.

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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 a thriving, sustainable, and just region for all. Learn more at www.gnof.org.

About the Mass Violence Survivors Fund:  
The Mass Violence Survivors Fund is a 501(c)(3) created by the families of dozens of mass casualty crimes, and dedicated to ensuring that 100% of donations go to survivors. The staff of the Mass Violence Survivors Fund have worked on 31 relief funds which have collected and distributed over $150 million for victims of mass violence.  Learn more at www.massviolencesurvivorsfund.org.