Bayou Community Foundation awarded grants totaling $102,700 to eight local nonprofit organizations from the Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Francine Relief September 17 – 27, 2024.

The grants from BCF’s Bayou Recovery Fund support food distribution at food banks, repair of nonprofit facilities serving residents in our most impacted communities, and housing and utility assistance for under-resourced neighbors who suffered losses from the storm.

We are grateful to all donors to our Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Francine who make these grants possible, including Woodside Energy, Callais Family Fund, Humana, Louisiana Blue, and many other generous and compassionate individuals!

THANK YOU ALL!

BAYOU RECOVERY FUND FOR HURRICANE FRANCINE RELIEF NONPROFIT GRANTS:

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux – $25,000 for Individual/Family Assistance Program to provide help to 50 families for housing repairs, temporary housing, utility and rent payments

Second Harvest Food Bank – $25,000 for food and supplies to restock partner food banks and pantries in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle

TCU Food Bank – $25,000 for food to restock food bank for community distributions

Faith Ministries, International – $5,000 for distribution of emergency food and cleaning supplies

Fletcher Technical Community College Foundation – $7,000 for Student, Faculty and Staff Emergency Assistance Fund

Foundation for Terrebonne General Health System – $10,000 for Employee Recovery Assistance Program

Wallace Community Center – $2,500 for food distribution, and to repair and secure the Beyond the Bell Resource Hub facility in Alidore

Women’s Restoration – $3,200 to repair damages caused by Hurricane Francine at the group home facility

Together, We Have Rebuilt Homes, Lives and Our Community!

Read the Full Report HERE

Since Hurricane Ida made landfall here three years ago, Bayou Community Foundation has worked swiftly and strategically to help local residents and nonprofits recover from the Category 4 storm’s devastation and to rebuild lives and our communities.

Our Bayou Recovery Fund has truly served as the philanthropic engine in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle, with $12 million in charitable gifts invested or committed to date to fund critical relief and recovery services and welcome our people back home.

BCF Responds Quickly To Fund Critical Nonprofit Relief Services

As Category 4 Hurricane Ida approached our coast, Bayou Community Foundation opened its Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Ida Relief and, within hours of her landfall when the extent of the devastation emerged, the Foundation was accepting generous donations from around the country.

Within one week, with power still out through most of our region, BCF launched a massive gasoline distribution program in Golden Meadow, Grand Caillou and Montegut to help the most impacted residents fuel generators and automobiles; many had only their cars for shelter for weeks.

BCF funded disaster relief grants to local organizations who had boots on the ground, distributing food, water and emergency supplies. We also funded grants for campers and other temporary housing for those left homeless, roof repairs and demolitions, classroom supplies and classroom equipment to help students and teachers return to school, and repairs and equipment for nonprofit facilities to help them resume critical work.

Today, BCF continues to fund nonprofit programs that serve ongoing hurricane recovery needs such as food insecurity, homelessness and behavioral health with through our Annual Nonprofit Grants Program.

Hearts, Hands and Hammers: Housing Recovery Programs Bring People Home

Building houses may not be common work for a community foundation, but Bayou Community Foundation values its ability to respond, pivot and act boldly to address the needs of our community. BCF leaders recognized the tremendous need for housing weeks after the storm as we saw hundreds of families living in tents, in cars and in severely damaged buildings with nowhere to turn. Housing was also identified as the most urgent need in our Recovery Needs Assessment.

Blessed with donors, partners and amazing volunteers from across the country, BCF simply did what needed to be done. We embraced the tremendous opportunities and resources available to us to repair and build storm-tough homes for residents of limited means, successfully launching and managing Rebuild Dulac, Rebuild South Lafourche and Rebuild Grand Isle, and rebuilding lives one home at a time through the power of volunteers and philanthropy.

Our people deserved nothing less!

Read the Full Report HERE

We are grateful to each and every individual, family, corporation and foundation who generously contributed your compassionate and impactful gifts of all sizes to Bayou Community Foundation’s Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Ida Relief!

July 18, 2024

The Bayou Community Foundation (BCF) awarded grants totaling $358,000 to 30 nonprofit organizations today to fill critical needs like hunger, homelessness and mental health care in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle. This year’s total is the largest ever awarded by the Foundation in its 12-year history of the Annual Nonprofit Grants Program, and brings BCF’s total investment in critical community programs and hurricane recovery efforts to more than $12 million since 2013. 2024 List of grantees

“Today we celebrate our local nonprofits who work tirelessly to help the neediest among us and demonstrate the compassion and resiliency of our unique Bayou community,” said President Henry Lafont. “Thanks to the amazing generosity of our donors, Bayou Community Foundation is thrilled to present impactful grants to these 30 organizations for a total of $358,000, our largest grants program to date.”

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Looking to Strengthen Your Volunteer Program?

Join us for an insightful workshop on Volunteer Management, hosted by the Bayou Community Foundation and conducted by Lori Pilley, Director of Volunteer Services with Volunteer Louisiana, an Office of the Lt. Governor.

While this workshop is FREE, registration is required.

REGISTER NOW: bit.ly/BCFworkshop

In this FREE workshop, Lori Pilley will guide you through the 5 Core Actions necessary for building and maintaining a robust volunteer program. You’ll learn about:

• Planning: Setting the foundation for your volunteer program.

• Recruiting: Attracting and engaging the right volunteers.

• Training: Equipping volunteers with the skills they need.

• Managing: Effectively overseeing and supporting your volunteers.

• Evaluating: Assessing your program’s success and areas for improvement.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your volunteer management skills and connect with other community leaders. REGISTER NOW to secure your spot and take your volunteer program to the next level!

• Date: Thursday, July 11
• Time: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
• Location: Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma – D.E. Room (Second Floor)

For more information, contact Community Impact Officer Kati Callais – Kati@BayouCF.org or 985-219-0046

Mental Health Care, Hunger and Housing are identified as the most critical needs in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle.

Bayou Community Foundation is strategically working with donors and community partners to fill these and other critical needs through grants to nonprofits, advocacy and our new Working Groups on Behavioral Health and Hunger.

Read the Full Report:  2023 BCF Community Needs Assessment

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January 18, 2024

 Bayou Community Foundation (BCF), donors, partners, volunteers and Lafourche Parish leaders welcomed Eloise Vizier to her new home in Cut Off today, the first storm-resilient home built here for Hurricane Ida survivors like Vizier through the Foundation’s “Rebuild South Lafourche” Housing Recovery Program.

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Bayou Community Foundation 2024 Nonprofit Grants Program Webinar Registration

This informational webinar is intended to guide potential applicants through the process of applying for BCF’s 2024 Nonprofit Grants Program Process. The webinar will cover topics such as program description and eligibility requirements, program guidelines and evaluation procedures, accessing and navigating the grant portal, and how the BCF 2023 Community Needs Assessment will be taken into consideration throughout this year’s grant’s process.

The live webinar will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, January 24 at 2:00 p.m. and all registered participants will be emailed the webinar link on Monday, January 22. Can’t make it? Don’t worry! The webinar will be recorded and sent out to all registered participants.

Register for BCF’s Nonprofit Grants Program Webinar HERE.

Bayou Community Foundation is now accepting initial grant requests through 5:00 p.m. CST on Friday, March 1, in the first phase of our 2023 Annual Competitive Grants Program.

Since 2013, BCF has awarded 274 annual grants totaling over $2.3 million to qualified nonprofits serving Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle as part of the Foundation’s annual competitive Grants Program. View a list of BCF competitive grant award recipients HERE.

In 2024, BCF’s Grants Program will continue to fund impactful nonprofit programs that fill critical unmet needs in our service area, with special consideration of needs identified in our 2023 Community Needs Assessment.

All grant requests must be submitted on BCF’s online grant portal.  We encourage you to read the full 2024 Nonprofit Grants Program Guidelines before applying.

Questions? Contact Community Impact Officer Kati Callais at (985) 219-0046 or Kati@BayouCF.org

Bayou Community Foundation and Second Harvest Bring Local Nonprofits Together to Develop Partnerships to Feed Lafourche and Terrebonne Residents in Need

Over 30,000 men, women and children in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle – an alarming 15 percent of residents – lack consistent access to affordable, nutritious food on a daily basis, and the number of local residents, especially children, battling food insecurity continues to grow with inflation and homelessness. This grim statistic, along with current and potential solutions to the local hunger crisis, was the focus of discussion at the Bayou Region Hunger Summit October 12, 2023, at the Larose Civic Center.

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The Bayou Community Foundation is expanding  “Rebuild South Lafourche,” the Foundation’s successful Hurricane Ida housing recovery program in southern Lafourche Parish, committing $2 million build up to 20 new homes and repair more than 30 for Hurricane Ida survivors in Larose, Cut Off, Galliano and Golden Meadow. Continue Reading