Greater New Orleans Foundation Holds Fifth Annual Celebration of Black Philanthropy

August 29, 2024

Greater New Orleans Foundation Holds Fifth Annual Celebration of Black Philanthropy, Honors Living Legacy of Dr. Norman C. Francis and the Francis Family and Announces Endowment Named in Dr. Francis’s Honor

Dr. Norman C. Francis addresses the crowd at the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s fifth annual Celebration of Black Philanthropy. At the Celebration, the Foundation announced the creation of the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity. (Courtesy of Justen Williams)

To view all photos from the 2024 Celebration of Black Philanthropy, click here.

NEW ORLEANS – (August 29, 2024) Yesterday, rounding out Black Philanthropy Month, the Greater New Orleans Foundation (Foundation) hosted its fifth annual Celebration of Black Philanthropy at Xavier University of Louisiana’s Convocation Center. This year’s event honored the living legacy of the legendary Civil Rights and higher education leader, Dr. Norman C. Francis, and the Francis family. The celebration concluded with remarks from Dr. Francis to the crowd of over 230 people. Remarks from several distinguished guests helped the Foundation honor Dr. Francis’ living legacy, including former New Orleans mayors, Marc H. Morial and Mitchell J. Landrieu—both of whom spent significant amounts of time in the Francis household when they were growing up—and President of Xavier University of Louisiana, Dr. Reynold Verret. The Celebration of Black Philanthropy recognizes past and present Black philanthropists in the region who give generously to uplift and bring impact to causes that improve all of our community. Studies regularly show Black Americans to be the most generous Americans, and we’ve seen reports that show Black Louisianans are among the most generous of all people in our country. That’s the kind of generosity we pay tribute to with the Celebration of Black Philanthropy.

“Dr. Francis has been a friend, mentor, and inspiration to me and so many others at Xavier and across our community. To honor his decades of remarkable trailblazing in the name of racial justice, we are thrilled to announce that we are creating the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity,” said Andy Kopplin, President and CEO, Greater New Orleans Foundation. “After we all experienced the collective horror of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, we decided to turn our anger into action, creating the Greater Together Fund for Racial Equity. Since then, through that fund, we have distributed over $3 million dollars to Black-led nonprofits leading the fight for racial justice in our region and working to build wealth in the African American community—and are distributing another $150,000 in grants this year.”

“We have not lost the fervor that came from what we witnessed in 2020, and we know our work is far from done. So now we are making this work a permanent part of our strategy with the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment, and are thrilled to announce the first two major grants of $250,000 each to the Norman C. Francis Endowment from First Horizon Bank and from Hancock Whitney Bank,” Kopplin said.

The Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity will live in perpetuity, with the goal of raising $2.5 million to ensure that the Foundation can increase its grantmaking by $100,000 or more annually to the nonprofits on the front lines, doing the work to create a more just and equitable world for us all. The Foundation would like to thank both First Horizon Bank and Hancock Whitney Bank for their generous donations of $250,000 each to get this campaign started.

This year’s Celebration of Black Philanthropy was sponsored by the Dale Mason Cochran Family Fund,  and Mrs. Dale Mason Cochran made comments about her family’s long relationship with the Francis family.  Dr. Michael White and the Michael White Quartet provided entertainment at the event.  Dr. White is the 2024 winner of the $10,000 COHN | GNOF | NOLA Arts award.  The 2022 winner, sculptor Ma’Po Kinnord, also a Xavier University of Louisiana faculty member, was also recognized at the event.

In line with the purpose of the Celebration of Black Philanthropy and since launching the Greater Together Fund for Racial Equity in November 2020, the Foundation has made large, sustained investments in a number of nonprofits leading on racial equity whose work has scalable local, regional, and even statewide impact.

At the Celebration, the Foundation announced the 11 Black-led organizations chosen to receive 2024 racial equity grants totaling $150,000.

“When I joined the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Board, I did it with a clear purpose to change the way our organization is viewed, specifically by our community”, said Jeanette Davis-Loeb, Celebration of Black Philanthropy Event Chair and Greater New Orleans Foundation Board Secretary. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve encountered friends at events throughout the city who ask me questions about the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s commitment to the Black community.  Since we are celebrating Black philanthropy during Black Philanthropy Month, it should not go unnoticed that over 50% of the Foundation’s total discretionary grants go to BIPOC-led nonprofits, a proof point that we are honoring our commitment to ensure that equity is the North Star of all decisions we make as a community foundation. At the Foundation, we know that nonprofits are the backbone of our community, and we are honored to play a small role in helping to advance their groundbreaking work.”

The 2024 grant recipients include:

Event sponsor, Dale Mason Cochran Family Fund, is led by Dr. Dale Mason Cochran, a New Orleans native and the founder and owner of Concourse Ventures, an airport concessionaire with locations across the country. Cochran has supported the work of the Greater New Orleans Foundation since 2003, when she established the Louis and Daisy Mason Scholarship Fund in honor of her parents. She has been a consistent and regular supporter of the Foundation ever since, supporting such initiatives as the Rebuild New Orleans Fund, the Response and Restoration Fund, and the Partners in Philanthropy Annual Campaign.

Inaugural funder, First Horizon Bank, with $82.2 billion in assets as of June 30, 2024, is a leading regional financial services company, dedicated to helping our clients, communities and associates unlock their full potential with capital and counsel. Headquartered in Memphis, TN, the banking subsidiary First Horizon Bank operates in 12 states across the southern U.S. The Company and its subsidiaries offer commercial, private banking, consumer, small business, wealth and trust management, retail brokerage, capital markets, fixed income, and mortgage banking services.

“We are incredibly proud to be a part of such an important initiative and extraordinary opportunity to honor of Dr. Francis, a long-term friend of our company and revered agent of change in our community,” said Tony Adams, New Orleans Market President for First Horizon Bank. “He serves as a role model and inspiration for us to continue his work in the communities we serve.”

Hancock Whitney Bank is also an early funder of the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity. Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; and mortgage services. The company also operates combined loan and deposit production offices in the greater metropolitan areas of Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia.

Larry Stephens, Regional President, Hancock Whitney said, “Investing in the Dr. Norman C Francis Endowment for Racial Equity is not just an act of philanthropy; it’s a commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable future. By supporting this initiative, we are fostering opportunities that empower underrepresented voices and drive meaningful change in our communities.”

To contribute to the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity, click here. To learn more about the Celebration of Black Philanthropy, the Dr. Norman C. Francis Endowment for Racial Equity, Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), and other charitable tools, please contact Meg Miles, Vice President for Philanthropy at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, at meg@gnof.org.