Community Development

Ford Foundation Commits $10 Million for Hurricane Katrina Recovery and Rebuilding Efforts

New York, NY, November 3, 2005 — The Ford Foundation has committed $10 million to the region devastated by Hurricane Katrina to address recovery needs of the most disadvantaged communities and to address the longer term rebuilding efforts.

The special allocation of new funds, above the foundation's usual grant making, includes a contribution of $1 million made to the American Red Cross immediately after the hurricane for its relief work throughout the affected areas.

Other grants will focus mainly on longer term efforts in the Gulf region to create affordable housing, job training and access to employment; to foster cultural revitalization and small business development; to revive and strengthen higher education; and to address environmental issues.

Grants made this month are supporting community foundations and other organizations that work directly with the low-income communities particularly hard hit by the hurricane's aftermath. Many of these groups are longstanding Ford grantees that have a deep understanding of the diverse people, conditions and resources of the Gulf states.

Funds will help these organizations, whose work was disrupted by the disaster, to resume, strengthen and reorient their operations so they can meet new demands and play critical roles in revitalization efforts. The goal of these and future grants in the coming months is to ensure that the economic benefits and opportunities of rebuilding are extended to the low-income communities of the Gulf region hardest hit by the devastation.

"Restoring community is an enormous task, but it can also be a hopeful one that brings positive change," said Ford Foundation president Susan V. Berresford. "We believe that local and regional groups committed to helping the most marginalized people can play a pivotal role making sure that these communities have a voice in the region's redevelopment."

Among the organizations receiving the first grants, which will total $2 million, are:

• Enterprise Corporation of the Delta — a leading regional economic development organization that provides financial resources to support homeownership and small business development in low-income communities.

• Foundation for the Mid South — a grant-making foundation that promotes equal opportunities and better living conditions for people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.

• Greater New Orleans Foundation — the major metropolitan community foundation serving southeast Louisiana.

• Ashé Cultural Center — a key promoter of community-based arts and culture in New Orleans, dedicated to supporting and preserving the cultural heritage of Louisiana's African-American artists.

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has been a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, guided by its goals of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation and advancing human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia.