The Gert Town Community Fund

The Gert Town Community Fund is a donor-advised fund administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Its primary aim is to enhance the quality of life for residents within the Gert Town neighborhood of New Orleans. Guided by an advisory committee composed of business and civic leaders, the Fund evaluates and awards grants annually to nonprofit organizations that serve this specific geographic area. The committee is responsible for selecting proposals that align with community priorities and needs, using a structured review process. The geographic boundaries for eligible projects are defined roughly from South Carrollton Avenue to College Court, with further detail available from the Foundation upon request. The program supports a diverse set of focus areas that include children and youth services, housing, services for older adults including transportation, adult education, and workforce development. Other eligible program areas include legal services related to housing matters such as taxes and successions, community leadership and capacity building, community beautification efforts like tree planting and greenspace maintenance, and economic development for Gert Town entrepreneurs. This broad but community-targeted scope ensures that a wide variety of nonprofit-led initiatives may qualify, provided they directly impact the Gert Town area. Only one application per organization will be accepted per funding cycle. Applications must be submitted electronically through the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s online platform, developed in partnership with the technology provider Foundant. A tutorial is available to guide applicants through the portal submission process, and applicants are strongly encouraged to watch this tutorial prior to beginning their applications. The Foundation will not consider proposals submitted outside of this electronic system. Application packages must include detailed organization information, including history, mission, current programming, accomplishments, and budget. In addition, the funding request section must describe the program’s purpose, target population, outreach methods, number of individuals served, implementation strategies, and collaboration with other Gert Town-serving organizations. Applicants are also required to include a comprehensive program budget and funding sources. The evaluation section of the proposal must outline how the applicant intends to measure the effectiveness of the program. Applicants are expected to detail success criteria, expected outcomes and outputs, and future funding plans that will sustain the program beyond the initial grant. Attachments required as part of the submission include the current and prior year's operating budgets, program budget with narrative, a list of the organization’s board of directors, and either audited financial statements or IRS Forms 990 or 990EZ. Applications are due in 2026 by 11:59 PM on the specified deadline, which will be published on the Foundation’s website. Notifications to applicants will also be provided in 2026. Recipients of funding must submit both interim and final programmatic and financial reports to document the use and impact of the grant funds. These reports should reflect the extent to which the funded programs have served and positively affected residents in the Gert Town community. For more information, applicants should contact the Greater New Orleans Foundation directly.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Foundant tutorial before submitting their application through the Foundation’s electronic portal.