The Greater Good: News From The Greater New Orleans Foundation- Edition 88

June 3, 2026

Celebrating Our Most Successful GiveNOLA Day!

Video Courtesy of Moore Productions 

View the wrap-up video celebrating our record-breaking GiveNOLA Day by clicking on the above image.

Almost one month ago on May 5, the Greater New Orleans Foundation celebrated our 13th GiveNOLA Day by raising a record-breaking over $8.2 million with over 1,000 participating nonprofits and nearly 50,000 donations made. GiveNOLA Day 2026 was hosted by Baptist Community Ministries (BCM), powered by Entergy, with major support from Delta Utilities and Ochsner Health, and sponsorships from three dozen other generous corporations and philanthropists. GiveNOLA Day has become a cornerstone of community spirit and giving, drawing widespread participation and support from individuals, businesses, and civic leaders from across the region and the country and even from around the world!

GiveNOLA Day provides vital financial support for over 1,000 nonprofits in the thirteen-parish region (Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes). These participating nonprofits work on a broad range of issues, including arts & culture, animal welfare, community improvement, education, environment, health, housing, human services, public safety & crime prevention, and youth development.

Since its inception and including this year, GiveNOLA Day has raised more than $79.5 million for regional nonprofits. The majority of gifts are $100 or less, which shows that even small gifts add up to a huge impact.

Every dollar donated on GiveNOLA Day 2026 was stretched with additional “Lagniappe Fund” dollars and prizes provided by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, its generous GiveNOLA Day sponsors, and donors. To view the complete list of sponsors, the full list of prize winners, or learn more about GiveNOLA Day 2026, click here.

Grant Opportunity: Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Pratt-Stanton Manor Fund

Courtesy of Kathy Anderson Photography 

Recently, staff and members of the Foundation’s Pratt-Stanton Manor Fund Committee visited Rebuilding Together New Orleans to learn more about their work and view a recently completed project. The Pratt-Stanton Manor Fund supports organizations that help older adults in our community lead dignified, meaningful, and independent lives. Rebuilding Together New Orleans, a current grantee of the Fund, does just that by helping low-income older adults age in place through their Safe at Home program. The group visited a recently completed Safe at Home project in the Upper Ninth Ward, where a long-time resident had been facing tough choices about what to fix in her home and was questioning whether she could afford to remain in it at all. Through the program, Rebuilding Together New Orleans was able to renovate the home with a new FORTIFIED roof, stairs, railings,  Americans with Disabilities (ADA) accessible bathroom, exterior paint, and HVAC, all at no cost to the homeowner, ensuring a long-time resident remains in her home and community for many years to come. These repairs not only help her age in place but also provide added protection from hurricane impacts and help lower insurance costs. Each year, Rebuilding Together New Orleans completes hundreds of projects like this across the Greater New Orleans region, preserving the fabric of the community, preventing displacement, and supporting residents to age with dignity.

Through partnerships like this, the Pratt-Stanton Manor Fund helps ensure that older adults across our community can continue to lead safe, independent, and connected lives. The Pratt-Stanton Manor Fund is accepting grantee applications now through July 7.

Appy Here!

Foundation and the Tulane ByWater Institute Hold Southeast Louisiana Adaptation Forum Member Meet-Up in Houma

The Foundation and the Tulane ByWater Institute invited practitioners from across sectors working to accelerate equitable implementation of green infrastructure and climate adaptation to the Southeast Louisiana Adaptation Forum Spring 2026 Bayou Member Meet-Up on May 28 in Houma, following its first Member Meet-Up in New Orleans in April.

This gathering at the Bayou Terrebonne Water Life Museum provided an opportunity to build new relationships across sectors and parishes, learn more about Forum Membership and programming, understand an emerging data science and community knowledge project, and celebrate the growing regional collaboration that drives our collective impact. The Southeast Louisiana Adaptation Forum is led by a broad-based and diverse Organizing Committee and administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation and Tulane ByWater Institute.

Sign Up for Updates about the Forum Here!

Join Emerging Philanthropists of New Orleans Today!

Emerging Philanthropists of New Orleans (EPNO), a program of the Greater New Orleans Foundation created to inspire and engage our region’s next generation of philanthropists, kicked off recruitment for its 2026 cohort at the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Center for Philanthropy with a summer social on May 20.
EPNO alumni and prospective cohort members mingled and participated in activities facilitated by past grantees, Whole Village Art Therapy (2018) and Youth Run NOLA (2017 and 2024.)

EPNO’s mission is to inspire and educate community members across the Greater New Orleans region to become effective, strategic, and lifelong philanthropists. During this high-engagement, six-month, cohort-based program, participants work collaboratively and collectively to make changes in our communities by learning and giving together. Since 2011, over 600 alumni have gone through the EPNO program.

Applications are now open for the 2026–2027 EPNO cohort!

Appy Here!

Blog: Navigating Uncertainty by Centering Nonprofit Financial Resilience: Three Strategies for Board Members

In this three-part nonprofit blog series and complementary training program, presented in partnership with JPMorganChase, the Greater New Orleans Foundation explores the role of board governance during uncertain times. In this second installment, our partners at BDO offer strategic guidance on how board members can fully embrace their financial leadership roles.   

By Hilda Polanco and Kate Piatt-Eckert, BDO Nonprofit & Grantmaking Advisory

Board members play a critical role in steering the organizations they serve through stormy seas and calm waters alike. For boards that are navigating significant uncertainty or see major changes on the horizon, focusing on financial resilience is essential. The work of stewarding an organization is a partnership between boards and leadership, and the strategies outlined here can help board members take proactive steps to be effective partners.

Three Dimensions of Nonprofit Revenue | © 2026 BDO USA, P.C. All rights reserved. 

Financially resilient organizations are able to stay focused on the long-term while continually assessing and responding to current circumstances. Maintaining this balance between the future vision and the present need requires board members to fully understand their organization’s business model and focus on leveraging its strengths to adapt to change. Read the rest of the blog post here to learn about the three strategies that can help board members embrace their financial leadership roles.

Applications Are Open for the 2026-2027 Emerging Leaders Cohort

Emerging Leaders provides an opportunity for passionate nonprofit leaders to elevate their skills, perspectives, and networks to become our region’s next nonprofit executive directors and senior leaders.

This seven-month (September 2026 – March 2027) intensive training program equips participants with the technical and relationship-building skills, as well as the critical systems-level thinking, necessary to lead strong, healthy, and impactful nonprofits. In response to the Foundation’s survey identifying a racial leadership gap among greater New Orleans area nonprofits, the Foundation is especially encouraging Black and Indigenous leaders and other leaders of color to apply to join this learning community  which affirms their strengths, experiences, and the unique challenges they face. Those who work in youth-serving organizations are also encouraged to apply. Space is limited. Applications are due on July 7.

Apply Here!

Check Out Our Summer NLE Offerings For Nonprofit and Charter School Board Members!

This summer, the Foundation’s Paulette and Frank Stewart Board Governance Institute, part of our Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Effectiveness, is offering several workshops and webinars! Check out the list of opportunities below:

  • Thursday, June 4 | 10 am – 12 pm – Board Governance Fundamentals (A part of Stronger Boards Means Stronger Nonprofits: A Governance Webinar Series in partnership with JPMorganChase)

Courtesy of Sankofa Community Development Corporation 

Greater New Orleans Foundation grantee Sankofa Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit that focuses on rebuilding the Lower Ninth Ward, is hosting its STEM Second Saturday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm on June 13. This STEM Second Saturday features bird watching, hiking, family fishing, kayaking, STEM activities, and more! The event will be held at Sankofa Wetland Park & Nature Trail (6401 Florida Ave., New Orleans, LA 70117.) To reserve your spot, click here.

The Greater New Orleans Foundation’s women’s giving circle, Impact 100, will join Sankofa for a Summer Site Visit during the STEM Second Saturday. Impact 100 is a group of over 100 local women who commit to giving $1,100 each and together making a single transformative grant to a local nonprofit and awards smaller grants to finalists. Sankofa was an Impact 100 finalist in 2025.

Since its inaugural year, Impact 100 has granted more than $1.725 million to nonprofits across our region. We invite you to join Impact 100 for its 14th year. Members are welcome to pay in monthly installments. To register for Impact 100, click here. If you have any questions, please contact Donor Relations Associate Mary Conly Fakier at maryconly@gnof.org or (504) 620-5275.

Register for Impact 100 Here!