Philanthropic foundation doles out more grants

A local philanthropic foundation that last year doled out more than $100,000 has begun accepting applications for its second round of grants, to be issued for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Organizations that serve Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, as well as Grand Isle, in education, workforce development, coastal preservation and human services can apply for grant funding through the local Bayou Community Foundation through Feb. 21.

“The Bayou Community Foundation is committed to building a sustainable community for our current and future residents, and our grants program is the cornerstone of this commitment,” said Alexis Duval, the foundation’s 2013 chair. “We were very pleased with the grant requests we were able to fill this year in our first grants program, and are anxious to do what we can to support more innovative, impactful programs in 2014.”

Specifically, the organization seeks programs to address needs it identified during a 2013 assessment of the region: mental health and substance abuse treatment/counseling, primary and secondary education, workforce development, early childhood programs, coastal preservation, services for at-risk youth, rural access to affordable health care and education, food and transportation for the elderly.

BCF, a donor-advised fund of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, awarded $115,000 last June to agencies that address education, workforce training, coastal awareness and mental health counseling and treatment. More than half went to mental-health issues, which BCF’s community assessment deemed the “most critical need” facing the Bayou Region.

Grant recipients last year were: the Nicholls State University Foundation, Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, Lafourche Parish School Board, Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence, South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, South Central Industrial Association, Fletcher Foundation, South Central Louisiana Human Services Authority and Options for Independence.

BCF was founded in 2012 by local business leaders Charlotte Bollinger, J.J. Buquet, Arlen “Benny” Cenac Jr., and Berwick and Alexis Duval. That group contributed roughly $90,000 to the foundation, which additionally received a five-year, $500,000 grant from the Gheens Foundation to seed its grant-making efforts. 

BCF is in the process of raising $1 million in matching dollars, as stipulated by the Gheens Foundation agreement, to infuse more money toward its causes. Further donations, from local and national sources, are sought.