Impact 100 Finalists Pitch for $100,000 Transformative Grant
Leaders from the four nonprofits selected as finalists of Impact 100 2026 pose for a picture at the Impact 100 Pitch Luncheon on November 10. | Courtesy of VPJR
The Greater New Orleans Foundation’s women’s giving circle, Impact 100, hosted its Pitch Luncheon at The Wein Center at the Jazz and Heritage Foundation on November 10. At the Luncheon, four local nonprofit finalists shared with Impact 100 members how they would use a $100,000 grant. The four nonprofit finalists were Bureau of Governmental Research, College Beyond, Home is Here NOLA, and Luke’s House Clinic.
We extend our thanks to the four nonprofit leaders who pitched on behalf of their organizations: Rebecca Mowbray, President & CEO, Samuel Zemurray Chair for Bureau of Governmental Research; Clara Baron-Hyppolite, Executive Director of College Beyond; Lilian J. Alvarez, Executive Director of Home is Here NOLA; and Saegan Swanson, Executive Director of Luke’s House Clinic.
Celebrating its 14th year of grantmaking, Impact 100 is a group of local women who each commit to giving $1,100, collectively funding one transformational grant and 15 smaller grants to local nonprofits. Recipient nonprofits use the grants to increase their impact and grow their network of supporters. Since its inaugural year, Impact 100, sponsored by Villere & Co., has granted more than $1.725 million to nonprofits across our region, demonstrating the collective power of women investing in our community.
To prepare for the Pitch Luncheon, all participating nonprofits received pitch training from Abbey Lovett, CEO/Coach of Pathos Coaching, and an evergreen profile video created by Comfy Stone, a local video production company committed to nonprofit storytelling.
While there is only one winner of the $100,000 grant, the three runners-up will each receive at least $35,000, the largest finalist prizes in Impact 100’s 14-year history. This milestone was made possible thanks to the collective generosity of our 220 members. In addition, the 12 local nonprofits who did not advance to the finalist round will each receive a $1,000 mini-grant in recognition for their participation and service to the community. This year marks the introduction of these mini-grants, ensuring that every organization benefits from the process.
Now that they have heard pitches from the four finalists, Impact 100 members will vote to select the winner of this year’s $100,000 grant, which will be announced on November 16. Impact 100 also extends special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, Villere & Co., as well as The Wein Center at the Jazz and Heritage Foundation for their support with this event.
André Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice Acquires Historic Bayou Road Campus for $1.9 Million
Courtesy of André Cailloux Center for Performing Arts & Cultural Justice
The André Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice (ACC) announced on October 29 that it has purchased its permanent home, the historic former St. Rose de Lima Church (2541 Bayou Road), for $1.9 million, making it the only Black-owned performing arts center in the state of Louisiana.
This follows the ACC’s landmark acquisition of the campus on August 25, the 201st birthday of its namesake Captain André Cailloux, a Civil War hero who was born in Plaquemines Parish and raised in New Orleans and whose death during the war became a national symbol of Black citizenship and resistance. In 1863 at the former St. Rose de Lima Church, Father Claude Maistre partnered with Cailloux’s widow, Felice Coulon Cailloux, to organize the historic funeral procession for Captain Cailloux.
The ACC was established with support from the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Strategic Restructuring and Mergers Fund, which helps nonprofits strengthen operations, scale their impact, and pursue transformative opportunities through technical assistance, training, and “Mission Accelerator” grants.
Kellie Chavez Green, Vice President for Programs, Greater New Orleans Foundation, said, “The acquisition of St. Rose de Lima Church by the André Cailloux Center is a major investment in preserving the living legacy of Black New Orleanians. This ensures an irreplaceable historic space will continue to inspire, protect, and serve future generations.”
Since opening in March 2023, the ACC has welcomed more than 8,000 guests and features a 125-seat main stage theater, a flexible 75-seat Lagniappe stage, rehearsal studios, and administrative offices.
The acquisition also anchors the emerging Cailloux Community Equity Fund, an innovative effort designed to help neighborhood residents, artists, and culture bearers become long-term stakeholders in the cultural assets they help sustain. To learn more, click here.
Blog: Planning for Holt Cemetery’s Future Through Community-Led Green Infrastructure
Planning efforts are underway to address flooding and preservation challenges at the historic Holt Cemetery in Mid-City. The project is supported by the Community-Led Green Infrastructure Grantmaking Program of the Greater New Orleans Foundation and its subsidiary, the New Orleans Community Support Foundation. Last year, the Foundation launched the grantmaking program, supported by federal funding, to improve water quality, support community-driven solutions that reduce flooding, and strengthen resilience in Southeast Louisiana’s most vulnerable communities. In round 1, the Foundation awarded $1.025 million in grants to 12 organizations across four parishes. In round 2, the Foundation will be granting up to $725,000 overall.
Wake, a nonprofit organization focused on affordable and environmentally sustainable deathcare, was selected in round 1 to develop solutions that improve stormwater management while protecting Holt Cemetery’s cultural and historic significance. Wake is collaborating in this effort with Our Mammy’s History and Genealogy, Save Our Cemeteries, the City of New Orleans Division of Cemeteries, and New Orleans Parks and Parkways.
Established in 1879 as a potter’s field, Holt Cemetery has served generations of New Orleans families seeking affordable burial options. Decades of overuse have created significant challenges, like soil compaction, flooding, and inadequate drainage. Project partners are currently evaluating potential green infrastructure solutions, like improving existing drainage and culverts, installing French drains to better manage stormwater, and the addition of rain gardens that would incorporate native plants in areas where water frequently collects. These interventions could help reduce flooding, improve drainage, and protect burial areas from further deterioration. To read the full blog post, click here.
New Orleans Startup Wins BioInnovation Center (NOBIC)’s 2026 BioChallenge Pitch Competition
Courtesy of Frank Aymami Photography | Provided by New Orleans BioInnovation Center
The New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC) announced New Orleans startup, Cleaved Diagnostics, as both the first place and the crowd-favorite winners of the 2026 BioChallenge pitch competition on October 29. NOBIC’s downtown facility is located in the BioDistrict, and the BioDistrict is a lead sponsor of this year’s challenge. The competition, presented by Sid O’Bryant, Ph.D., and the Institute for Translational Research at UNT Health Fort Worth, attracted 240 applicants from 35 countries and 31 U.S. states, bringing emerging biotechnology and neurotechnology companies to New Orleans to showcase innovations aimed at improving brain health.
Founded in New Orleans in 2024 on research developed at Tulane University, Cleaved Diagnostics is repurposing CRISPR gene-editing technology to develop rapid, highly sensitive and affordable diagnostic tools. Its first product, CLEVR, targets cytomegalovirus (CMV), the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss in children and a common cause of developmental disability. The company’s technology aims to improve early detection and expand access to critical diagnostic testing.
Boston-based PathMaker Neurosystems earned second place for its development of MyoRegulator, a noninvasive investigational device being studied as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Third place went to Moleculera Biosciences, an Oklahoma City-based, commercial-stage precision neuroimmunology company focused on identifying immune-driven causes of treatment-resistant neuropsychiatric conditions. Previous BioChallenge winners and finalists have gone on to raise millions of dollars in private investment and federal grant funding. To learn more, click here.
Executive Director Intensive Cohort Begins Training
In partnership with Kresge Foundation and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation launched the 2026- 2027 Executive Director Intensive (EDI), a comprehensive, six-month leadership program exclusively for nonprofit executive directors, CEOs, and presidents on October 20. EDI combines experienced trainers and peer learning to support leaders as they develop critical technical and leadership skills; inspire their staff, board members, and other stakeholders to deeper impact and greater responsiveness; and envision organizations that simultaneously meet community needs and successfully navigate changes in the nonprofit sector.
It’s Community Foundation Week!
| Courtesy of Council on Foundations
Today kicks off Community Foundation Week across the country. Created in 1989 by former President George H.W. Bush, Community Foundation Week recognizes the important work of community foundations throughout America and their collaborative and innovative approaches to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sector. Annually, Community Foundation Week coincides with National Philanthropy Day on November 15, and this year, it wraps up on November 18. At the Greater New Orleans Foundation, we connect 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. This year we are proud to celebrate our Nonprofit Leadership & Effectiveness program’s 15th year. The program works directly with organizations to strengthen their operations, maximize their impact, and plan sustainably for the future. We know that an effective and well-managed nonprofit sector is essential to the long-term prosperity of Greater New Orleans. Last year alone, we served more than 1,000 nonprofit leaders, staff, and board members through 41 leadership and skill-development workshops, and nearly 100 nonprofit professionals graduated from our Emerging Leaders and Executive Director Intensive cohorts. In addition to strengthening our nonprofit leadership in the region, 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. To support the Foundation’s annual Partners in Philanthropy campaign, please click here. |
This Veterans Day, the Greater New Orleans Foundation extends our deepest gratitude to veterans across the Greater New Orleans region and beyond.
Your dedication and commitment to service continue to inspire us and strengthen the communities we call home.
💙 To all who have served, we thank you.