Kemper and Leila Williams Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $19,781,317 (FY 2024)
Total Assets: $509,012,066
Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
Decision Time: Not applicable (no public application process)
Grant Range: $1,000 - $5,000 for external grants; $4,000 for fellowships; $1,500 for prizes
Geographic Focus: Louisiana, primarily New Orleans and St. Mary Parish

Contact Details

Phone: 504-566-7659
Address: 410 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70130-2179
EIN: 23-7336090

The foundation operates primarily through the Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC). For fellowship and prize inquiries, contact HNOC directly.

Overview

The Kemper and Leila Williams Foundation was established in 1974 following the deaths of Leila Williams (1966) and Kemper Williams (1971). The foundation is a private operating foundation with total assets exceeding $509 million and annual charitable disbursements of approximately $19.8 million. The foundation's primary mission is to operate the Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC), which spans 13 historical buildings on three campuses in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The foundation was created through Leila Williams' will to preserve historic material about Louisiana and the Gulf South region and share it with the public. Beyond operating HNOC, the foundation makes limited external grants to support Kemper Williams Park in St. Mary Parish and awards fellowships and prizes to scholars researching Louisiana history. In 2023, HNOC was named Museum of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Museums.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Dianne Woest Fellowship in the Arts and Humanities

Award Amount: $4,000 stipend
Purpose: Support research on Louisiana and Gulf South history using HNOC's collections
Number of Awards: Three annually
Application Method: Annual competition with November 15 deadline
Eligibility: Graduate students, academic and museum professionals, independent scholars (U.S. citizenship not required)

Kemper and Leila Williams Prize in Louisiana History

Award Amount: $1,500 cash award plus plaque
Purpose: Best published work on Louisiana history
Application Method: Annual competition; deadline January 9 for works published in the prior calendar year
Selection: Prize jury appointed by Louisiana Historical Association with HNOC chairperson

Kemper Williams Park Support

Recipient: St. Mary Parish Police Jury
Purpose: Operating support for Kemper Williams Park in Patterson, Louisiana
Method: Semi-annual payments established through 1978 Act of Donation

Priority Areas

The foundation focuses exclusively on:

Louisiana history preservation and research - Supporting scholarly work that utilizes HNOC's collections
Historic New Orleans Collection operations - The vast majority of foundation resources support HNOC's mission to preserve and share Louisiana and Gulf South history
Kemper Williams Park maintenance - Continuing support established by the founders' wills
Inclusive history - Building collections that represent diverse voices and perspectives, particularly those historically underrepresented

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not fund:

General operating support for external nonprofits
Capital campaigns outside of HNOC
Programs unrelated to Louisiana history or culture
Organizations without established relationships to the foundation
Projects outside Louisiana and the Gulf South region

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

Bonnie Boyd – Chair
John Kallenborn – Vice Chair
G. Charles Lapeyre
Mayra Pineda
Tod Smith
E. Alexandra Stafford
Lisa H. Wilson
Hilton S. Bell – Emeritus
Drew Jardine – Emeritus

Executive Leadership

Daniel Hammer – President and Chief Executive Officer

Joined HNOC in 2005; previously served as head of reader services and deputy director of Williams Research Center
Education: B.A. in German Literature (Reed College); M.A. in Historic Preservation (Tulane University School of Architecture)
Additional leadership roles: Chair of French Quarter Museum Association; Board member of Vieux Carré Commission Foundation, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation Advisory Council, and NOCCA Foundation

Key Quotes from Daniel Hammer:

On HNOC's mission: "The material of history must be made meaningful. In this way, preservation is progress."

On inclusive history: "The history and culture have to be about everybody in a place. It has to be inclusive and expansive... We are committed to making our collections available to all who seek to find, in history, a path towards a better society and committed, moreover, to building our collections in a purposeful way, cognizant that the historic record is scarred by the absence of the voices of the oppressed."

On preservation's active role: "I think preservation means understanding the past, preventing it from disappearing, and proactively using it now. I think that last one gets left out of the definition sometimes, but it is of utmost importance."

Other Senior Staff:

Erin M. Greenwald, PhD – Deputy Director
Michael Cohn – Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer
Rebecca Smith – Director of the Williams Research Center
Jason Wiese – Chief Curator
Heather L. Hodges – Director of Institutional Advancement

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Most Grants: This foundation does not have a public application process for general grants. The foundation only supports pre-selected organizations and does not accept unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. According to Inside Philanthropy, this is "not an accessible grantmaker for local nonprofits because it sticks to the same affiliated causes and organizations."

For Fellowships (Dianne Woest Fellowship):

Applications open each August and are due November 15 annually
Submit online application form plus required materials
Required materials: (1) completed application form; (2) current vita; (3) 100-word abstract; (4) research proposal (maximum six double-spaced pages) outlining project scope, relevance of HNOC materials, and anticipated product (book, dissertation, exhibition, etc.)
Two letters of recommendation from scholars familiar with your work (may be sent separately)
No application fee
Prospective applicants should familiarize themselves with HNOC's collections through the online catalog and may contact reference staff at reference@hnoc.org

For Book Prize (Williams Prize):

Submission deadline: January 9 annually for works published in the prior calendar year
Submit online form once and mail five physical copies to Williams Prize Committee Chair at HNOC

Decision Timeline

Woest Fellowship: Decision timeline not publicly specified. Fellows may schedule residencies between April 1 and March 31 of the award year. Most fellows spend at least two weeks in residence at HNOC.

Williams Prize: Winner announced each March.

Success Rates

Woest Fellowship: Three fellows selected annually from the applicant pool. Specific application numbers and success rates are not publicly disclosed.

Williams Prize: One winner selected annually.

Reapplication Policy

Woest Fellowship: Reapplication is permitted. The foundation states that close relatives of board/staff members of the Kemper and Leila Williams Foundation or HNOC are ineligible, but no restrictions are mentioned for reapplication by previous unsuccessful applicants.

Application Success Factors

For applicants to the foundation's competitive fellowship and prize programs, the following factors are critical:

For Woest Fellowship Applicants:

Substantial use of HNOC collections is essential. The selection committee "favors proposals that substantially utilize HNOC's institutional holdings." Your proposal must clearly demonstrate how HNOC's specific collections are central to your research, not merely supplementary.
Do your homework on HNOC's holdings. The foundation explicitly encourages prospective applicants to "familiarize themselves with HNOC's resources" through the online catalog before applying. Contact reference staff at reference@hnoc.org with questions about relevant materials.
Align with HNOC's mission. Reviewers favor proposals that "complement HNOC's institutional mission" of preserving and sharing Louisiana and Gulf South history with emphasis on diverse and inclusive perspectives.
Demonstrate scholarly merit. Your proposal should show "scholarly merit comparable to previous recipients." Review past fellows' projects to understand the caliber of work selected.
Include a clear research plan and product. Your proposal must outline not only the scope of research but also "the anticipated product of your research (book, dissertation, exhibition, etc.)."
Plan adequate residency time. While not required, most fellows opt for at least two weeks in residence. This demonstrates serious commitment to utilizing HNOC's collections.

Recent Woest Fellowship Recipients (2024-25):

Julia Berner – "All on Board: Slavery and Shipping on the Brig Orleans"
Jonathan Lande – "Freest Soldiers of the Civil War: Enslaved Southerners' Emancipation in the Army Camps, Courts, and Prisons"
Ann Ngoc Tran – "Elliptical Passages: Boat Refugee Histories and Narratives of Non-Arrival"

For Williams Prize Applicants:

Publication quality is paramount. Recent winners include works published by prestigious university presses (University of North Carolina Press, University of Chicago Press, Belknap/Harvard University Press).
Contextualization matters. Works "placing Louisiana subjects in regional, national, or international context" are eligible and have been successful, as demonstrated by recent winners examining Louisiana's role in broader patterns of slavery, banking, and urban incarceration.
Meet submission requirements precisely. Submit the online form once and mail exactly five physical copies by the deadline.

Recent Williams Prize Winners:

2024: John K. Bardes for The Carceral City (University of North Carolina Press)
2023: Sharon Ann Murphy for Banking on Slavery (University of Chicago Press)
2022: Kathryn Olivarius for Necropolis (Belknap Press)

For General Grant Seekers:

Organizations seeking grants beyond the fellowship and prize programs should note that the foundation operates on a highly restricted basis. As Inside Philanthropy advises: "Organizations are encouraged to call to determine if their projects align with the foundation's grantmaking vision" (504-566-7659), but expectations should be managed given the foundation's focus on pre-selected beneficiaries.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

This foundation is not accessible for general nonprofit grant applications. The vast majority of resources support HNOC operations, with limited external grants restricted to the Kemper Williams Park and competitive fellowships/prizes.
Scholars have two accessible opportunities: The Dianne Woest Fellowship (three awards of $4,000 annually) and the Williams Prize ($1,500 annually). Both are highly competitive and require substantial engagement with Louisiana history and HNOC's collections.
HNOC's collections must be central to your work. For fellowship applicants, superficial use of HNOC materials will not be competitive. Your proposal must demonstrate that HNOC's holdings are essential to your research project.
Quality and scholarly rigor matter. Review recent fellowship and prize recipients to understand the caliber of work the foundation supports. All recent prize winners were published by major university presses.
Diversity and inclusion are institutional priorities. Under Daniel Hammer's leadership, HNOC is "committed to building our collections in a purposeful way, cognizant that the historic record is scarred by the absence of the voices of the oppressed." Projects that surface underrepresented voices in Louisiana history align with this institutional direction.
Plan ahead for fellowship applications. Familiarize yourself with HNOC's collections well before the November 15 deadline. Contact reference staff with questions and allow time to develop a proposal that demonstrates deep knowledge of relevant holdings.
For book authors, timing is specific. The Williams Prize deadline is January 9 for works published in the immediately preceding calendar year, giving a very narrow submission window.

References

All sources accessed December 2024.