On August 29th, Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Louisiana, devastating both coastal and inland communities. Ida destroyed countless homes, businesses, and cultural hubs in its path, and has displaced thousands of Louisianans. Additionally, thousands more are trying to evacuate and get their basic needs met in the meanwhile.
As a Black-led, social justice philanthropy founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Foundation for Louisiana realizes that disasters have outsized effects on marginalized communities. Our hearts are with those affected by this disaster as we mobilize to aid in Hurricane Ida relief. With nearly 16 years of devoted experience, we stand ready to support Louisiana communities facing the impacts of Hurricane Ida - and the many Louisianans still dealing with the ravages of COVID-19 and ongoing recovery efforts from last year’s storms. Your support helps us to deliver on the promise of a more just and equitable response while responding to both immediate and long term Ida recovery efforts in Louisiana.
Our short term strategy will center the coastal parishes (LaFourche, Plaquemines, Terrebonne), river parishes (St. John the Baptist, St. James, St. Charles, Ascension), and the greater New Orleans area. We will prioritize Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ led projects, and focus on supporting efforts that can quickly get funds and resources to community members. Our mid-term response will focus on housing, wage replacement, clean up, legal aid, case management, and healing justice. Our long term response will focus on policy efforts, action, mobilization, and fighting for protections.
About FFL: Foundation for Louisiana unites philanthropists, committed organizations, and caring residents to address the most critical needs facing Louisiana and our entire country. FFL is a social justice philanthropic intermediary founded in 2005 to invest in the immediate recovery of Louisiana’s communities after Hurricane Katrina. While FFL was founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, our founders recognized the need to address the longstanding inequities that have shaped life outcomes for the most marginalized of Louisianans. FFL grew in response to these needs, and today, we focus on racial justice, climate justice, criminal justice reform, economic justice, gender justice, and support for Louisiana's vibrant arts and culture via re-granting, leadership development programs, coalition building, and systems change work. FFL’s programmatic and policy work has demonstrated broad regional impact through dismantling the structural barriers that impact the lives of Louisianans. As a trusted partner in philanthropy, FFL facilitates the change necessary to build a more just Louisiana.