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Baton Rouge Area Foundation

Annual Giving
$37.3M
Grant Range
$1K - $0.1M
Decision Time
3mo

Baton Rouge Area Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $37.3 million (2023)
  • Total Assets: $748 million (2023)
  • Success Rate: Data not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: 2-3 months (varies by program)
  • Grant Range: $500 - $50,000
  • Geographic Focus: Greater Baton Rouge and South Louisiana (eight parishes), with some funds supporting areas in Louisiana, Texas, and Alabama

Contact Details

Website: www.braf.org

Phone: 225-387-6126

Email:

Address: 402 N. 4th St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Grant Application Portal: www.iphiview.com/braf

Overview

Established in 1964 by civic leaders, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF) is among the largest community foundations in the United States, managing over $748 million in assets across 300+ charitable funds. Since its inception, the foundation has distributed over $650 million in grants and scholarships to nonprofits throughout south Louisiana. In 2023 alone, BRAF made 381 grant awards totaling $37.3 million. The foundation serves eight parishes in South Central Louisiana comprising the greater Baton Rouge area. In 2022, BRAF launched its Opportunity Agenda, a strategic framework identifying six focus areas: Economic Prosperity, Excellent Education, Healthy Families, Quality of Life, Safer Neighborhoods, and Regional Resilience. Under the leadership of President and CEO Chris Meyer (appointed 2022), BRAF emphasizes systemic, data-driven solutions to address community challenges rather than piecemeal approaches. The foundation conducts extensive research through its Opportunity Data Project to guide grantmaking decisions.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

BRAF Impact Grants (Pilot Program)

  • Amount: $5,000 - $25,000 (one-time awards)
  • Focus: Early childhood education (birth to five) and community safety
  • Application: Letter of Intent window opens periodically
  • Eligibility: Nonprofits working in early childhood programs/services for children, parents, families, and caregivers OR violence intervention/prevention programs
  • Timeline: LOI submission → Full application invitation (June) → Applications due (July) → Recipients chosen (August) → Funds distributed (September/October)

E.J. and Marjory B. Ourso Family Foundation

  • Amount: Varies (not publicly specified)
  • Focus: Education, healthcare, human services, and religion in South Louisiana
  • Application: Quarterly deadlines (March 31, June 30, Sept. 30, Dec. 27)
  • Timeline: Notification dates are May 15, August 15, November 15, and February 15

Cox Charities Fund (Administered through Cox Charities portal)

  • Community Investment Grants: Up to $5,000 for nonprofit programs in youth, education, social issues, and arts
  • Education Grants: Up to $2,500 for pre-K–12 public and private schools within Cox Communications residential service areas
  • Application: Rolling applications with two windows: Sept. 1–Oct. 1 (educators); April 1–May 1 (nonprofits)

Turner Industries Fund

  • Amount: $500 - $5,000
  • Focus: Workforce development, health, and education
  • Geographic Focus: Greater Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, New Iberia, Shreveport, and New Orleans (Louisiana); Port Arthur, Houston, Corpus Christi, Paris, El Paso, Victoria, and Gregory (Texas); Decatur (Alabama)
  • Status: Program opens and closes periodically

Credit Bureau of Baton Rouge Foundation

  • Amount: $2,500 - $50,000
  • Application: Invitation-only

Priority Areas

BRAF's Opportunity Agenda guides funding through six strategic focus areas:

  1. Economic Prosperity - Workforce development, employment opportunities, economic empowerment
  2. Excellent Education - Early childhood education, K-12 education quality, reducing achievement gaps
  3. Healthy Families - Health services, family support programs
  4. Quality of Life - Arts, culture, community amenities
  5. Safer Neighborhoods - Youth violence intervention and prevention, mental health services, reentry support
  6. Regional Resilience - Community development, infrastructure, downtown revitalization

Specific Areas of Interest:

  • Programs addressing systemic barriers to opportunity
  • Early childhood education access and quality
  • Violence intervention and prevention
  • Reducing chronic school absenteeism
  • Literacy and third-grade reading proficiency
  • Mixed-income educational environments
  • Mentorship and youth development programs

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not explicitly listed on BRAF's website. Eligibility is limited to nonprofit organizations in good standing with the IRS and secretary of state for competitive grant programs.

Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

Christopher J. Meyer - President and CEO (joined February 2022)

  • Previously CEO and founder of New Schools for Baton Rouge
  • Meyer's strategic vision emphasizes systemic solutions: "We can help so many more people if we just fix the underlying system—whether that's around youth violence prevention, youth opportunity, early learning, downtown investment."
  • On community approach: "Our families don't come in parts and pieces, and our communities don't either."
  • Priorities include measurable outcomes tracked over one-year, five-year, and ten-year periods with clear indicators at each milestone

Brenna Benson Lamb - Chief Strategy and Operations Officer

  • Former Chief Operating Officer of New Schools for Baton Rouge and Chief Information Officer for KIPP New Orleans Schools

Edmund J. Giering IV - General Counsel

Lauren Crapanzano Jumonville - Vice President

Board of Directors

Executive Committee:

  • Thomas J. Adamek (Chair) - Founder and president of Stonehenge Capital
  • Helena R. Cunningham (Vice Chair) - CEO and founder of National Housing Consultant Services
  • Linda O. Posner (Secretary) - Retired attorney; serves on boards of Baton Rouge Youth Coalition and The Shaw Center for the Arts
  • Daniel A. Gardiner Jr. (Treasurer) - Managing director and CEO of P&N
  • Annette D. Barton (At Large) - Retired from Bank One's trust department

Board Members:

  • Tim Barfield - Principal and President of CSRS
  • Anita M. Byrne - Partner at SSA Consultants
  • J. Wesley Daniels, Jr. - CEO of East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority and Partners Southeast
  • Rhoman J. Hardy - Founder of HardLine Consulting LLC
  • Beverly M. Haydel - President and CEO of Sequitur Consulting
  • Scott N. Hensgens - Managing partner of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson
  • Erin Monroe - Market vice president for Cox Communications Greater Louisiana
  • Tatiana Saavedra Patel, M.D. - Infectious diseases specialist
  • Dianna R. Payton - CEO of YWCA Greater Baton Rouge
  • Milford "Mike" Wampold, III - Founder and CEO of Wampold Companies
  • Karen R. Williams, M.D. - Retired pediatrician

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

BRAF awards competitive grants through two methods:

  1. Direct Application: Nonprofits apply directly for competitive grant programs with published guidelines and deadlines
  2. Donor-Advised Grants: Philanthropists and advisors recommend grants from their charitable funds (organizations cannot directly apply for these opportunities)

Application Requirements:

  • Organizations must be nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in good standing with the IRS and secretary of state
  • Registration Required: All applicants must register their nonprofit in BRAF's online application system at www.iphiview.com/braf
  • Registration requests must be submitted no later than 7 days before the application deadline
  • BRAF utilizes an online system to receive and track all application materials

Application Process:

  1. Visit www.braf.org/grants to explore current grant opportunities
  2. Register organization in online portal (if not already registered)
  3. Review specific guidelines for each grant program
  4. Submit application materials by program deadline
  5. For multi-phase programs (like Impact Grants): Submit Letter of Intent first, then await invitation for full application

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines vary by program:

  • BRAF Impact Grants: LOI submission → Full application invitation (June) → Applications due (July) → Recipients chosen (August) → Funds distributed (September/October) - approximately 3-5 months total
  • E.J. and Marjory B. Ourso Family Foundation: Quarterly review cycles with notification approximately 6-7 weeks after deadline
  • Cox Charities Fund: Typical review period of 2-3 months from application deadline
  • General Timeline: Most programs have a 2-3 month review period from application deadline to notification

Success Rates

BRAF made 381 grant awards in 2023. Specific success rate percentages (ratio of applications received to grants awarded) are not publicly disclosed.

The Impact Grants program uses a two-phase process with an initial Letter of Intent followed by full application invitations for selected applicants, though acceptance rates at each stage are not published.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants are not publicly disclosed and may vary by individual grant program. Interested organizations should contact the grants team at grants@braf.org for program-specific guidance on reapplication.

Application Success Factors

Data-Driven, Measurable Approaches

BRAF places strong emphasis on evidence-based strategies and measurable outcomes. CEO Chris Meyer emphasizes accountability through "concrete metrics" with success tracked over one-year, five-year, and ten-year periods with clear indicators at each milestone. The foundation conducts extensive research through its Opportunity Data Project to identify community needs and guide grantmaking.

What This Means for Applicants:

  • Demonstrate how your program addresses findings from BRAF's Opportunity Data Project
  • Include specific, measurable outcomes in your proposal
  • Show how you track and evaluate program effectiveness
  • Present evidence-based strategies backed by research

Systemic Solutions Over Piecemeal Fixes

Meyer's philosophy centers on addressing root causes: "We can help so many more people if we just fix the underlying system—whether that's around youth violence prevention, youth opportunity, early learning, downtown investment."

What This Means for Applicants:

  • Frame your work in terms of systemic change, not just immediate service delivery
  • Show how your program addresses underlying barriers to opportunity
  • Demonstrate alignment with broader community goals
  • Explain how your work connects to BRAF's six Opportunity Agenda focus areas

Alignment with Opportunity Data Project Findings

BRAF's Impact Grants are explicitly "issued in response to recent findings from their Opportunity Data Project." Recent findings emphasize:

  • Early childhood education access and quality
  • Violence intervention and prevention
  • School performance disparities and the need for A-rated school expansion
  • Third-grade reading proficiency support
  • Chronic absenteeism reduction
  • Mixed-income school environments

What This Means for Applicants:

  • Review BRAF's published research reports on education and community safety
  • Directly reference how your program responds to specific findings
  • Use similar data and terminology in your application
  • Show awareness of local context and challenges

Holistic, Integrated Approach

Meyer emphasizes that "our families don't come in parts and pieces, and our communities don't either," indicating BRAF values programs that recognize interconnected community challenges.

What This Means for Applicants:

  • Demonstrate how your program considers multiple dimensions of client needs
  • Show partnerships or coordination with other service providers
  • Explain how your work fits into the broader ecosystem of community support

Strong Nonprofit Capacity

BRAF invests significantly in nonprofit capacity-building through its Center for Nonprofit Excellence, offering strategic consulting, fundraising assistance, and educational fellowships.

What This Means for Applicants:

  • Demonstrate organizational capacity and sustainability
  • Show strong governance and financial management
  • Consider engaging with BRAF's nonprofit support services before applying
  • Highlight your organization's track record and expertise

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Study the Opportunity Data Project: BRAF's grantmaking is explicitly tied to research findings. Review their published reports on education, safety, and community needs to align your proposal with their evidence-based priorities.

  • Emphasize measurable outcomes: Include specific metrics with clear evaluation plans. BRAF's leadership expects concrete indicators tracked over one, five, and ten-year periods.

  • Frame your work systemically: Show how your program addresses root causes and systemic barriers, not just symptoms. Connect your work to broader community transformation.

  • Align with the six Opportunity Agenda focus areas: Explicitly connect your program to Economic Prosperity, Excellent Education, Healthy Families, Quality of Life, Safer Neighborhoods, and/or Regional Resilience.

  • Register early: The online system requires registration at least 7 days before deadlines. Plan accordingly and don't wait until the last minute.

  • Build relationships before applying: BRAF emphasizes partnership and offers nonprofit consulting services through its Center for Nonprofit Excellence. Engage with these resources to strengthen your organization and understand BRAF's approach.

  • For multi-phase programs, invest in a strong Letter of Intent: Impact Grants and similar programs use LOIs to screen applicants. Make your LOI compelling and data-driven to secure a full application invitation.

References

Accessed December 24, 2025

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