Bayou Community Foundation envisions a vibrant and diverse Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle, LA community where all can thrive. We work each day to strengthen our community through philanthropic leadership.
To achieve this vision and fulfill our mission, Bayou Community Foundation actively addresses critical needs in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle; inspires generosity and grows charitable resources to make a lasting impact; and leads, convenes and collaborates with donors, partners and nonprofits to enrich our community.
The Bayou Community Foundation (BCF) was created in 2012 by a group of business leaders and philanthropists from Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes. It is the only public community foundation specifically and solely serving Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Grand Isle, Louisiana.
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the 2010 Gulf oil spill, these local leaders recognized the need for a community foundation to strengthen human services, education/workforce development, and coastal preservation efforts in our area, as well as to serve as the philanthropic engine for national and international assistance in the event of a future emergency or natural disaster.
In 2012, the Gheens Foundation awarded BCF a 5-year, $500,000 challenge grant, which, combined with contributions from local donors, provided the seed money for BCF grant-making programs focused on addressing the region’s most critical needs. BCF met the $1 million Gheens Foundation match in April 2015, nearly two years ahead of schedule.
The Gheens Foundation and many other donors continue to support the work of BCF with their gifts, particularly the organization’s annual competitive grants program that awards grants to nonprofits in Lafourche, Terrebonne, and Grand Isle that are meeting critical needs in our community.
BCF also offers free workshops to local nonprofits during the year to strengthen their work as well as an annual Bayou Region Conference. BCF has built a Bayou Recovery Fund to provide help to local residents and attract private donations from around the country and the world when a hurricane, natural disaster or other emergency strikes our community.
BCF founders include Charlotte Bollinger, JJ Buquet, III, Arlen “Benny” Cenac, Jr., Berwick Duval, and Alexis Duval.
2024 Bayou Recovery Fund Impact Report