The Bayou Community Foundation (BCF) is now accepting grant requests from area non-profit organizations for its 2017 competitive grant-making program.

Qualified 501c3 nonprofit organizations serving Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and/or Grand Isle with programs addressing human services, education, workforce development, and coastal preservation are invited to submit a one-page grant request by Monday, March 6, 2017 for consideration in BCF’s grants program. Following review of initial grant requests, selected organizations will be invited to submit a more extensive grant application in the second phase of the program. The competitive grants, expected to average $10,000, will be awarded in June for a 12-month funding period beginning July 1.

Eligibility, grant program description, and grant request submittal instructions can be found at www.BayouCF.org.

“Thanks to our generous donors, BCF is filling what we like to call a ‘philanthropic bucket’ to help local nonprofits address our region’s most critical needs and serve our community in times of crisis. This annual competitive grants program is the cornerstone of our efforts, and BCF is delighted to have awarded nearly $600,000 in grants to local nonprofits since 2014,” says 2017 Chair Dr. James Leonard.

“Gifts to BCF make these grant awards possible and the organization wouldn’t be able to make this impact without our generous donors. They truly are community champions,” he says.

BCF was established in 2012 by residents of Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes who, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the 2010 Gulf oil spill, recognized the need for a community foundation to help local donors address critical needs in our community and to attract donations from around the world if and when another disaster strikes our area.

BCF works to strengthen our community by awarding grants through its annual grants program, building the Bayou Recovery Fund in advance of disasters, offering free workshops for local nonprofits, coordinating the “Give Bayou” online giving campaign, and other efforts.