Women of Color-led Nonprofits Leading in Equitable Disaster Recovery for Womxn and Families in Louisiana
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, the Women’s Foundation of the South calls for support of vetted nonprofits led by BIPOC womxn
Women’s Foundation of the South (WFS) knows that women of color are often expected to do more with less. This also rings true for our nonprofits led by women of color. According to a recent report from the Ms Foundation, philanthropic giving is approximately $5.48 for each woman or girl of color in the United States. However, for womxn and girls of color in the South, philanthropic giving is a mere $2.36, and half that amount for nonprofits led by Black womxn. Womxn of color always do the most with the least amount of philanthropic investment, and often they must tackle multiple hurdles to receive funding at all.
Some of these organizations are working to reopen, bring back staff, and stand back up to continue to provide essential services to communities across Southeast Louisiana that were devastated by Hurricane Ida. With the help of womxn across our region, WFS has compiled a list of vetted nonprofit organization led by womxn of color who are on the frontlines of Hurricane Ida response. Equitable disaster recovery must include a gender lens. When exploring avenues for giving in the aftermath of this catastrophic event, WFS encourages you to consider supporting the following vetted nonprofit organization with gifts of volunteer time, supplies, donations, and corporate sponsorships for supplies.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center
The mission of the Ashé Cultural Arts Center is to use art and culture to support human, community, and economic development. Its innovative programming is designed to utilize culture in fostering human development and civic engagement. Ashé maintains 10,000 square feet of gallery space and 20,000 square feet of performance space to create and preserve opportunities for the curation, exhibition, and commission of fine, folk, and fine-folk art. As ecosystem builders, it delivers programming and direct services that support, leverage, and celebrate the people, places, and philosophies of the African Diaspora. As an institution, Ashé is committed to economic justice in the African American community. Its ultimate goal is to help create the conditions which make it possible for artists and culture-bearers to have a sufficient material foundation upon which to build a dignified, productive, and creative life.
In the aftermath of the storm, Ashe is providing disaster relief supplies and organizing cleanup and recovery efforts for its partners in the river parishes and throughout Southeast Louisiana. Additionally, Ashe’ has a cohort of community health workers who are providing neighborhood-based relief in Tremé, 7th Ward, Algiers, 9th Ward, Gertown, and New Orleans East. The organization is supporting indigenous artists in collecting and interpreting the stories of ancestral wisdom for addressing climate disaster. Its art and climate series, Losing Louisiana, will focus on the experience of Hurricane Ida.
Click here to Donate: Donate to Ashé
Executive Director: Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes
Learn More: https://www.ashenola.org/
Birthmark Doula Collective & New Orleans Breastfeeding Center
A birth justice organization dedicated to supporting, informing, and advocating for pregnant and parenting people and their families in New Orleans. Birthmark Doula Collective recently merged with New Orleans Breastfeeding Center, sharing clinic space to provide infant feeding drop-in clinics, virtual, in-clinic and in-home lactation services, support groups as well as education programs.
In response to Hurricane Ida, Birthmark Doula established the Mutual Aid Fund for Black and Undocumented Pregnant and Postpartum Families. The Fund is providing mutual aid to Birthworkers and Birthing and Postpartum families impacted by the hurricane. Within hours of opening the application to non-clients, the Fund received nearly 100 applications. Birth Doula is a small organization and is working to continue fundraising efforts to reopen the mutual aid fund again soon.
In partnership with CORE, Birthmark Doula is hosting diaper drives and providing infant ready bags that contain materials needed by breast and chest feeding parents during an emergency. The New Orleans Breastfeeding Center has partnered with several organizations to staff a free 24-hour Parent-Infant Hotline. Louisiana residents can call for support with breast/chest-feeding, pumping, supplements, solids, and other needs.
Program Director: Latona Giwa
Donate: Paypal: birthmarkdoulas@gmail.com; Venmo: @birthmarkdoulacollective Cash App: $Birthmarkdoulas
Learn More: https://www.birthmarkdoulas.com https://www.nolabreastfeedingcenter.org
Crescent City Family Services
Crescent City Family Services is dedicated to providing health and nutrition services, referrals and education to women, babies and families in Jefferson Parish. The nonprofit aims to improve maternal child health, and family health and wellness through its programs and supportive services and resources.
Crescent City Family Services ensured a continuation of services post-hurricane, holding its Diaper Drive in Terrytown/Gretna, LA just a week after Hurricane Ida when widespread power outages still plagued large segments of the region. The nonprofit provides free diapers on the first Monday and Tuesday of every month.
Click here to Donate: Crescent City Family Services Paypal
Executive Director: Mary Schultheis
Learn More: www.ccfamilyservices.info
Coastal Community Consulting
Coastal Community Consulting serves Southeast Louisiana’s fishermen, fishing-dependent small businesses, and their families. At our Gretna office, we provide business technical assistance, social support services, economic development, and continued disaster assistance in Vietnamese, Khmer (Cambodian), Spanish, English, and Croatian.
Following a natural disaster, Coastal Community Consulting helps clients to sustain their business, determine eligibility for federal aid, and apply for SBA loans and other available supports for small business owner within storm impacted communities. Staff also works to connect clients to mental health supports as their clients financial health is closely connected to their mental well being.
Donate: To learn how to donate to CCC, email info@ccc-nola.org
Executive Director: Sandy Ngyuen
Learn More: ccc-nola.org
El Pueblo NOLA
El Pueblo NOLA — NOLA Village is a grassroots community organization in the Village de l’Est neighborhood of New Orleans East. It serves the Black and brown communities of New Orleans, with specific programs for the underserved Latinx community, in four key areas: Health, Education, Civic and Cultural. El Pueblo’s services include, but are not limited to, free HIV testing, health education, student advocacy, cultural programming, language rights and access, legal resources and know-your-rights trainings.
El Pueblo is providing individualize assistance and translation support for completing FEMA applications. The organization is also coordinating basic needs distributions for residents.
Click here to Donate: Support — El Pueblo NOLA — NOLA Village
Executive Director: Cristi Rosales-Fajardo
Learn More: www.elpueblonola.org
Familias Unidas en Accion
Familias Unidas is an organization of impacted immigrant families based in New Orleans and is dedicated to empowering immigrants, their children, and their communities.
Familias Unidas is helping residents with translation services and will be providing undocumented families with cash donations for food and essential resources as many undocumented families are unable to qualify for FEMA assistance.
Click here to donate: Donar — Familias Unidas En Acción (familiasunidasla.org)
Executive Director: Leticia Casildo
Learn More: https://familiasunidasla.org
House of Tulip
A nonprofit collective creating housing solutions for transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people in Louisiana.
In response to Hurricane Ida, House of Tulip established the Hurricane Ida Rapid Response Relief Fund. House of Tulip is distributing mutual aid to TGNC community members impacted by the hurricane. In the midst of widespread power outages, the nonprofit has raised over $40,000 for immediate distribution.
Click here to donate: Make a Donation — House of Tulip. House of Tulip also accepts donations through: Cashapp: $HouseofTulip; Venmo: @HouseofTulip; Paypal: paypal.me/HouseOfTulip
Executive Director: Mariah Moore
Learn More: www.houseoftulip.org
HousingNOLA
HousingNOLA represents a decade-long partnership between the community leaders and dozens of public, private, and nonprofit organizations working to solve New Orleans’ affordable housing crisis. Since 2015, HousingNOLA has grown into a platform to link community members and neighbors with policymakers, developers, and others who are shaping the face of New Orleans. As a result of this effort, HousingNOLA crafted the city’s first-ever 10-Year Strategy and Implementation Plan.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, HousingNOLA is advocating for rental assistance for the housing insecure who continue to face increased financially challenges due to the storm, the recent COVID surge, and the end of unemployment benefits. Additionally, HousingNOLA’s executive director is lifting up the need for a city-wide rental registry to keep track of renters, where they live, and their housing status.
Click here to Donate: HousingNOLA :: Building Community prosperity in the Crescent City
Executive Director: Andreanecia M. Morris
Learn More: https://www.housingnola.org
Institute for Women and Ethnic Studies
IWES was founded in 1993 and is a national non-profit health organization domiciled in New Orleans. Many people of color and their families in the Greater New Orleans area do not have access to programs that address their full mental, emotional and physical health. This prevents people in our city from living fully healthy lives and weakens our communities. Because of this, IWES works with communities, schools, individuals, and organizations to provide tailored health and wellness services that address this lack of health options and access. It combines advocacy, health education, research and direct services to improve wellness in local communities. IWES envisions a world wherein all people can live and create environments and communities where health and wellness are valued and promoted so as to enhance quality of life.
Throughout the pandemic, IWES partnered with schools to provide universal mental health screenings to young people as they came back to the classroom and worked with educators and essential workers to provide support for social and emotional learning. IWES also hosted a series of webinars on grief and loss for students and teachers in New Orleans. With the uncertainty, grief, and loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, IWES staff hosted Get Your Mind Right, a public mental health support group that met virtually three times a week. The group continues to meet every first and third Wednesday of the month. IWES is committed to maintaining the support group after Hurricane Ida to provide a safe place for residents to reflect, process, and cope with the aftermath of this catastrophic storm.
Click here to Donate: Donate — Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies (iwesnola.org)
Executive Director: Dr. Denese Shervington
Learn More: https://www.iwesnola.org
Labor and Love
Labor and Love was developed to ensure a supportive, health professional-led community before, during, and after pregnancy. It offers professional birth doula services and childbirth education for all expectant families, and postpartum doula support to help your family adjust to life with a newborn.
Pregnant women or those who have given birth just before, during, or soon after a disaster run the risk of having their special needs go unaddressed. It is important that services provided by Labor and Love are readily available after a disaster as an interruptions of service can cause further stress to prenatal women during a time of crisis.
Executive Director: Shanika LeDuff
Donate: For more information about how to donate email info@laborandlove.com
Learn More: https://www.laborandlove.org
Level Up Campaign
The Level Up Campaign encourages healthy lifestyles, provides enrichment programs, workforce training, and employment opportunities. Targeting youth with difficulties advancing to the next level. Utilizing common interest activities as a tool to assist youth in reaching their fullest potential.
The Level Up Campaign has been distributing food, water, and essential resources to impacted communities across New Orleans and has partnered with local restaurants to serve the Lower Ninth community post hurricane.
Click here to Donate: Level Up PayPal
Executive Director: Eyshana “Shana” Webster
Learn More: www.thelevelupcamp.org
Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center
A nonprofit civil rights organization established in 1995 to eradicate housing discrimination. LaFHAC’s work throughout Louisiana includes educational offerings, free legal services for victims of housing discrimination, policy advocacy, and foreclosure prevention counseling. LaFHAC is dedicated to fighting discrimination because it is an illegal and divisive force that perpetuates poverty and segregation, and limits access to opportunity.
Following Hurricane Ida, housing advocates at the LaFHAC and Loyola University Law School asked Governor John Bel Edwards to halt evictions throughout the state for at least 30 days, giving families who evacuated time to return home to parishes affected by the storm. During blue skies and times of crisis, LaFHAC works to keep landlords and state and local officials accountable to protecting tenant rights around the state.
Executive Director: Cashauna Hill
Click here to Donate: Donate (lafairhousing.org)
Learn More: https://www.lafairhousing.org
Louisiana Public Health Institute
LPHI is a public health institute that champions health for people,
within systems, and throughout communities. Its mission is to align action for health. LPHI’s vision is a world where everyone has the opportunity to be healthy.
LPHI coordinates mental health resources after disasters. Additionally, LPHI is an essential resource in providing up-to-date public messaging for residents who are in need of services.
Click here to Donate: Paypal
Executive Director: Shelina Davis
Learn More: www.lphi.org
NewCorp, Inc
A private non-profit 501(C)(3) Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides financial products and services, technical assistance, training, counseling and advisory services to small/medium, minority and women owned businesses.
NewCorp will continue to provide supports to minority and women owned businesses and is well positioned to support small business owners reopen and sustain their business after Hurricane Ida.
Click here to Donate: NewCorp Inc. :: Funding Entrepreneurs. Building Communities. | Donate
Executive Director: Vaughn Fauria
Learn More: www.newcorpinc.com
New Orleans Women’s and Children’s Shelter
The New Orleans Women’s and Children’s Shelter is the largest organization serving homeless women and children in New Orleans and is dedicated to creating a safe, secure and stable environment where classes, tools and resources build the pathway to success. Its wraparound programs keep families together and empower self-sufficiency — every step of the journey.
Due to the widespread loss of power, the shelter’s operations ceased for one week following the hurricane. Staff is working to upgrade its generators and its greatest need at this time is for financial resources to do so. The organization will also need to restock shelter food supplies. The Women’s and Children Shelter plans to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so and will continue to help families recover and to support those who will undoubtedly face housing insecurity as a result of this disaster. The shelter consists of fourteen bedrooms and has the capacity to house 50 individuals at a time.
Click here to Donate: https://nowcs.org/#donate
Executive Director: Dawn Bradley-Fletcher
Learn More: https://nowcs.org
New Orleans Baby Café
Baby Café is a product of the H.E.R. Institute and provides area families with free, informal, ongoing, high-quality drop-in lactation support by International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant. NOLA Baby Café was established to increase the breastfeeding duration and exclusivity rates in the New Orleans area. Since June 2016 NOLA Baby Café has been a resource for women in the community. The NOLA Baby Café provides a relaxed, non-judgmental safe environment for all women bringing together women from all social-economic and racial backgrounds. With this approach the organization hopes to close the breastfeeding gap between whites and women of color creating a paradigm shift in the culture of breastfeeding.
The Baby Café will be a critical resource has families return to New Orleans and the City begins to reopen.
Click here to Donate: PayPal.me/herinstitute
Founders: Meshawn Tarver Siddiq and Portia Williams
Learn More: https://forherinstitute.org
Operation Restoration
Syrita Steib founded Operation Restoration in 2016 to build a community and support system for women impacted by incarceration through education. The organization is led by formerly incarcerated women. Operation Restoration’s mission is to support women and girls impacted by incarceration to recognize their full potential, restore their lives, and discover new possibilities.
Operation Restoration is one of the only organizations in New Orleans providing wrap-around services and women centered supplies to formerly incarcerated women. The organization will need support reopening and sustaining these services is vital to women and girls impacted by incarceration.
Click here to Donate: https://donorbox.org/operationrestoration
Founding Executive Director: Syrita Steib
Learn More: www.or-nola.org
Our Voice Nuestra Voz
Our Voice Nuestra Voz was founded in 2015 to organize parents to expand quality educational access for students in New Orleans and advocate for a more equitable system and ensure any reforms, recommendations, or campaigns the organization executed were grounded in what parents and communities identified as needs. Our Voice Nuestra Voz focused its initial efforts in the Latinx communities and has since expanded the scope of issues organizing to be cross-cultural and include the voices of both Black and Brown families. In additional to education, the organization has expanded its work to focus on criminal justice and immigration.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Our Voice Nuestra Voz is working to organize the community and resources in order to build the infrastructure of care that is needed to Black and Brown communities today and in the future. Through its Black and Brown Get Down Community Defense Fund, Our Voice Nuestra Voz will give $500 emergency relief grants to 200 Black and Brown community members. It has partnered with Banchalenguas Language Justice Collective, Buddy’s House Foundation, Newtral Groundz, Ida Support Network, and El Pueblo NOLA to give $10,000 each to the Fund.
Click here to Donate: Donate — Our Voice Nuestra Voz (ovnv.org)
Executive Director: Mary Moran
Learn More: https://ovnv.org/
Power Coalition for Equity and Justice
A coalition of community-based organizations who work together to educate and empower voters across Louisiana. Through its voter engagement and community organizing work, Power Coalition seeks to unify our collective voices into a stronger, more cohesive force that can successfully advocate for an agenda of shared values and issues.
The Power Coalition’s work is diverse and includes power mapping, listening sessions, organizing, voter engagement, policy advocacy, and leadership development. It is centered on creating spaces where community can come together to lift up the issues that impact them, and then connect those issues to local, regional, and national resources–including the state voter file–to move our shared agenda.
To aid in Hurricane Ida relief efforts, Power Coalition regranted over $150,000 to more than 11 grassroots organizers and mutual aid groups on the ground in the first week of hurricane recovery. The organization will continue to partner with organizations and community members to rebuild homes, provide food, water, and ice, and to connect communities to vital resources. Additionally, it has established the Hurricane Ida Response Fund and has set a goal of raising $50,000 to assist in relief efforts across the state.
Click here to Donate: Power Coalition — Hurricane Ida Response Fund (networkforgood.com)
Executive Director: Ashley Shelton
Learn More: https://powercoalition.org
Saul’s Light
A New Orleans-based nonprofit that provides support and community to families with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Provide housing assistance and economic assistance for mother and their partner when their baby is in the NICU.
Saul’s Light has set up the Hurricane Ida NICU Family Assistance Fund to help families impacted by the hurricane. Even a brief stay in the NICU can be devastating for parents and their families, both emotionally and financially. Many experience long-term psychological stress and struggle to cover the costs, from expensive medical care to loss of work, travel, meals, and childcare. These costs are further exacerbated by Hurricane Ida.
Donate here: Venmo: Sauls-Light; CashApp: $SaulsLightFoundation; Saulslight.org/donate
Executive Director: Kimberly Novod
Learn More: https://www.saulslight.org
Training Grounds
Training Grounds assists families and professionals throughout the greater New Orleans area with creating rich learning experiences for children and positive adult-child interactions. Founders Melanie Richardson and Christine Neely provide learning experience workshops for parents, professional development training for early childhood educators, and a We PLAY Center where parents and children (3 and under) can grow and learn together by enjoying age appropriate toys and activities while developing social-emotional skills in a safe play space.
The Family First Emergency Fund will assist We PLAY Families who are currently in need of resources due to Hurricane Ida. Donations will allow families to access a one time monetary donation to assist with groceries, diapers, gas or a safe sleep apparatus for their infants.
Click here to Donate: Donate — TrainingGrounds (mytraininggrounds.org)
Executive Director: Melanie Richardson
Learn More: https://www.mytraininggrounds.org
Women with a Vision, Inc
A community-based nonprofit, founded in 1989 by a grassroots collective of African-American women in response to the spread of HIV/AIDS in communities of color. It’s mission is to improve the lives of marginalized women, their families, and communities by addressing the social conditions that hinder their health and well-being. It accomplishes this through relentless advocacy, health education, supportive services, and community-based participatory research.
Women with a Vision will need support to stand back up once staff return to the office. The services Women with a Vision provides are essential to maintaining the health and well-being of marginalized women and their families severely impacted by Hurricane Ida.
Click here to Donate: Donate — Women with a Vision (wwav-no.org)
Executive Director: Deon Haywood
Learn More: https://wwav-no.org
Urban League of Louisiana
The Urban League has served Greater New Orleans since 1938 with a mission to assist underserved communities in securing economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights. In 2016, the Urban League expanded to a statewide entity, becoming the Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA). That expansion began in East Baton Rouge Parish and plans to continue throughout the state.
In response to the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Ida, the Urban League of Louisiana has designed three ways for supporters and partners to join in the recovery efforts.
1. Sponsor the Urban League of Louisiana’s Annual Gala
The Urban League of Louisiana will virtually present its annual gala in late October in support of the organization’s programming, policy and advocacy efforts. By sponsoring this event, you will be supporting the organization’s sustainability as well as its Hurricane Ida relief efforts. To become a sponsor, email cwashington@urbanleaguela.org
2. Support the Urban League’s Black Business Workers Fund
In partnership with the Foundation for Louisiana, the Urban League has established the Black Business Works Fund to help businesses stand back up in the aftermath of the storm and be stronger on the other side. questions about the fund jmorse@urbanleaguela.org
3. Hurricane Ida Community Donation Giveaways
The need is great for many Louisiana residents who are incurring unplanned expenses while awaiting the restoration of electricity to their homes and businesses or whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Ida. In order to support families as they recover, the Urban League of Louisiana will host community donation giveaways to connect sponsor products to the community. It will host events in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, staging at community centers in underserved areas. Events will be open to the public. To partner with the Urban League for giveaways, email jmorse@urbanleaguela.org
The Urban League of Louisiana will also provide direct support to residents through:
- Virtual Information Sessions on Hurricane Ida Disaster Assistance Monday, September 13 | 10:30–11:30am CST Click here to register Wednesday, September 15 | 6:00–7:00pm CST Click here to register
- Connecting jobseekers to temporary jobs available through a partnership with the Louisiana Workforce Commission
- Supporting the public with applying for FEMA assistance and unemployment
Click here to Donate: Donorbox
Executive Director: Judy Reese Morse
Learn More: www.urbanleaguela.org
United Houma Nation
The United Houma Nation is a state recognized tribe of approximately 17,000 tribal members residing within a six-parish service area encompassing 4,570 square miles. The six parishes — Terrebonne, Lafourche, Jefferson, St. Mary, St. Bernard and Plaquemines —are located along the southeastern coast of Louisiana. Within this area, distinct tribal communities are situated among the interwoven bayous and canals where Houmas traditionally earned a living. Although by land and road these communities are distant, they were historically very close by water. The Tribe today is presented with the unique challenges of preserving and maintaining its culture and way of life when the land is disappearing from underneath their feet. The United Houma Nation is committed and dedicated to doing exactly that. The Inter-Tribal Council of Louisiana offers employment, training services, and supportive services to American Indian adults and youth throughout the state.
The United Houma Nation serves parishes that were hit hardest by Hurricane Ida, where many residents’ homes are now inhabitable. Despite enduring significant damage to its Houma office, The United Houma Nation mobilized quickly after the hurricane, assessing the damage to tribal members’ homes, distributing essential supplies, and ensuring elders and young children throughout Terrebonne and Lafourche are weathering the sweltering heat safety throughout Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, areas that are projected to remain without power for most of September. Although the executive director of the United Houma Nation is not a women of color, Director Lanor Curole’s dedication and leadership are profound, and she has been instrumental in managing intermediary connections and securing corporate sponsorships from across the nation, bringing resources to a tribe that is in need of food, water, women centered supplies, and resources to rebuild.
For more information on establishing a corporate sponsorship with the tribe or donating supplies, please reach out to Lanor at lanor.curole@unitedhoumanation.org
Director: Lanor Curole
Donate: Donate — The United Houma Nation
Learn More: https://unitedhoumanation.org
Zion Travelers Cooperative Center
A faith-based nonprofit and community development corporation organized immediately after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to serve the predominately African-American southeast east bank of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. The organization serves the communities of lower east Plaquemines parish, including Phoenix, Davant, Pointe-a-la-Hache, Braithwaite, and surrounding communities. Zion Travelers’ vision for the future of this area is a strong, resilient community that prides itself on being connected and standing for what they believe is right and just. Zion provides services that are centered around educating, community organizing and leadership and advocates for healthy, restored wetlands that provides resources and protection for its community and surrounding communities.
Zion Travelers Cooperative Center is at the forefront of disaster response in this coast community. It provides immediate disaster relief to residents, helping to clean up storm related debris and damage and rebuild after catastrophic events. Darilyn Turner, Zion’s executive director, also distributes fresh food to ensure resident have access to healthy meals during a stressful time. At the beginning of the pandemic, Zion partnered with the Top Box Foods, a nonprofit providing fresh food delivery services, to increase access to healthy, whole foods in community that has historically lacked access to fresh foods. Darilyn hopes to secure these types of partnership after Hurricane Ida, emphasizing the importance of maintain a healthy diet during a time that can be physically, emotionally, and mentally daunting.
In addition to monetary donations, Zion is accepting supplies such as: water, roofing material, siding, rakes, nonperishable food, lawn bags for yard debris, wheel barrows, gas, cleaning supplies, and clothing for women and children. To donate items, email drlyn_turner@yahoo.com
Donate to: Venmo: Darilyn-DemolleTurner
Executive Director: Darilyn Demolle Turner
Learn more: Zion’s website is currently down. Please email Darilyn at drlyn_turner@yahoo.com
