Meet GNOFN Member Emilia Aguinaga, who serves as a Climate Justice program officer at the Foundation for Louisiana. 

On March 29, 2025, elections in Louisiana marked a significant moment for the state's democratic process. 

Voters statewide considered and rejected four constitutional amendments addressing key legal and tax reforms. These elections demonstrated the impact of sustained community organizing and investment in democratic participation. Flozell Daniels Jr., Board Co-Chair of GNOFN and CEO of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, emphasized the importance of long-term efforts in building democratic power in the following statement.

Dive into this GNOFN Member Q&A with GNOFN board member Carmen Randolph, who serves as the Founding President and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of the South. 

This article is co-authored by Todd A. Battiste, United Way of Southeast Louisiana and Mike Woodward, Schott Foundation for Public Education, who serve as the GNOFN Youth & Education Action Table Co-chairs

On May 2, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion to end Louisiana’s last remaining federal school desegregation order.

While this action may represent the formal close of a chapter in the state’s legal history, it does not mark the achievement of educational equity. In fact, it underscores the urgency of continuing and expanding the work to ensure every child in Louisiana has access to a high-quality, just, and inclusive public education.

Get insights from GNOFN member and Education Action Table Co-Chair Mike Woodward, who serves as Regional Program Officer (U.S. South) at the Schott Foundation for Public Education. 

The Greater New Orleans Funders Network’s (GNOFN) Equitable Development Action Table recently held the second in a series of  learning sessions focused on innovative models of community ownership as tools for wealth-building, economic mobility  and anti-displacement in New Orleans. This session, part of a larger series that will continue in 2025, brought together both local and national leaders to explore how low-wealth communities of color and marginalized populations can benefit from inclusive economic strategies and sustainable development.