Program areas at Bayou Community Foundation
Bayou Community Foundation continued to respond to Hurricane Idas 2021 landfall in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle with grants awarded to nonprofits to deliver hurricane recovery services and an aggressive housing recovery program that capitalized on philanthropy and volunteers to provide new homes and home repairs to under-resourced, income- contrained residents most impacted by the storm. Bayou Community Foundation partnered with volunteer groups to build and repair homes and buildings for Hurricane Ida survivors in the communities of Dulac and Grand Isle in 2023.
In 2023, Bayou Community Foundation conducted a Community Needs Assessment and developed a 5-year Strategic Plan to most effectively fill critical needs in Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Grand Isle, Louisiana. The Foundation also hosted a tour of non-profits for donors, the Bayou Region Nonprofit Conference, the Bayou Region Hunger Summitt and a workshop on legal and financial compliance to strengthen the operational capacity and effectiveness of local non-profits.
In 2023, Bayou Community Foundation awarded grants to 32 nonprofits working in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle as part of the Foundations 2023 Annual Nonprofit Grants Program. The program helps to fill unmet needs in the community related to human services, education, workforce development and coastal awareness.
Bayou Community Foundation hosted the fifth annual Bayou Region Nonprofit Conference on August 10, 2023, at Fletcher Technical Community College in Schriever, LA. Over 100 staff and board members from local nonprofits and foundations attended the conference and participated in sessions focused on building a strong and sustainable nonprofit, cultivating a diverse and engaged governing board, etc.