Baton Rouge Area Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $48.6 million (2023)
Total Assets: $321 million (2023)
Success Rate: Data not publicly disclosed
Decision Time: 2-3 months (varies by programme)
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:

General inquiries: hello@braf.org
Grants team: grants@braf.org

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 $321 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 totalling $48.6 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 Neighbourhoods, and Regional Resilience. Under the leadership of President and CEO Chris Meyer (appointed 2022), BRAF emphasises 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 Programmes

BRAF Impact Grants (Pilot Programme)

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 programmes/services for children, parents, families, and caregivers OR violence intervention/prevention programmes
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 programmes 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: Programme 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:

Economic Prosperity - Workforce development, employment opportunities, economic empowerment
Excellent Education - Early childhood education, K-12 education quality, reducing achievement gaps
Healthy Families - Health services, family support programmes
Quality of Life - Arts, culture, community amenities
Safer Neighbourhoods - Youth violence intervention and prevention, mental health services, reentry support
Regional Resilience - Community development, infrastructure, downtown revitalisation

Specific Areas of Interest:

Programmes 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 programmes

What They Don't Fund

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

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 emphasises 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 paediatrician

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

BRAF awards competitive grants through two methods:

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

Application Requirements:

Organisations must be nonprofit 501(c)(3) organisations 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 utilises an online system to receive and track all application materials

Application Process:

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

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines vary by programme:

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 programmes 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 programme 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 programme. Interested organisations should contact the grants team at grants@braf.org for programme-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 emphasises 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.