Our Journey

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the levees protecting the region unleashed an unprecedented disaster upon one of America’s most charismatic regions. Hurricane Rita quickly followed, with Hurricanes Ike, Gustav, and Isaac causing additional extensive damage in subsequent years. Punctuating the damage wrought by these storms was the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which killed 11 workers and caused immense additional injury to the natural systems and communities in coastal Louisiana and beyond.

This series of disasters catapulted the region into the national spotlight, prompting questions about whether and how the region could - or even should - rebuild. But, as has been demonstrated repeatedly over the city’s history, the communities of the Greater New Orleans region have shown a deep commitment to building back better than before.

Working as a partner to community members and policy-makers, philanthropy plays a positive role in that path forward. Our network thinks about the region in terms of both the people and the place. We want to ensure that large investments in the region result in a more sustainable and resilient place, as well as afford the people who live here a chance to participate in the decision-making and benefit from its improvements.