Media Contacts:
Courtney Thomas Barnes
Vice President for Communications & Public Affairs
Greater New Orleans Foundation
504.236.7096
courtney@gnof.org
Sam Shannon
Corporate Communications Manager
New Orleans Saints and Pelicans
434.284.0451
Sam.shannon@saints.nfl.com
Foundation Announces $45,000 in Grants from the Gayle and Tom Benson Disaster Relief Fund to Six Local Nonprofits
NEW ORLEANS – (January 8, 2025) Today, in the aftermath of the New Year’s Day terrorist attack on Bourbon Street, the Greater New Orleans Foundation (Foundation) is awarding grants to six local nonprofits through the endowed Gayle and Tom Benson Disaster Relief Fund, which was established in summer 2024 by the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation to give the Greater New Orleans Foundation capacity to provide rapid financial support to our region’s most effective first-responding nonprofits in advance of or in response to an event like the New Year’s Day tragedy.
A total of $45,000 will be distributed to the following nonprofit organizations:
- Children’s Bureau – The Children’s Bureau is providing crisis intervention services for children affected by the attack.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness Southeast Louisiana (NAMI SELA) – NAMI SELA’s team is doing in-person outreach to responders, has shared a robust resource guide, and coordinated the deployment of emotional support K9 crisis response teams in the city.
- New Orleans Family Justice Center – NOFJC is providing direct support to victims and their families for immediate expenses resulting from the tragedy as well as crisis counseling and family reunification support in multiple languages.
- Red Cross of America, Louisiana– The Red Cross is managing the Victim Assistance Center at University Medical Center.
- Silence is Violence – Silence is Violence is providing direct victim support at the Victim Assistance Center at University Medical Center.
- Wake – Wake is providing support for families and the funeral homes who are helping victims, particularly with state-to-state transport.
While the Foundation is deploying these funds from the Gayle and Tom Benson Disaster Relief Fund directly to nonprofits on the frontlines serving those affected, the Foundation continues to fundraise through our New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund, which we activated on January 1 at the request of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. Funds deployed from the New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund will go directly to the victims and families of those whose lives were taken and those seriously injured or impacted by this event. Supported by donations, the victims’ assistance fund will serve as a resource fund to help those affected by the incident.
Donations can be made to the New Orleans New Year’s Tragedy Fund by visiting www.gnof.org. To learn more about this Fund, click here.
“In June 2024, we created the Gayle and Tom Benson Disaster Relief Fund at the Greater New Orleans Foundation giving the Foundation the capacity to quickly deploy funds to nonprofit organizations on the frontlines of disasters impacting our area,” said Gayle Benson. “Today, we are proud to see that money being activated. It was created for events that needed immediate response. We are also very proud to have contributed $500,000 additionally towards the New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund, which will impact victims and victim’s families directly.”
Mrs. Benson and the Saints, along with the NFL Foundation, also announced a $1 million donation to support efforts that will directly assist victims. Additionally, Ochsner Health announced yesterday that they are also contributing $500,000 to the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund.
“Through this victims’ assistance fund, we are raising raise money to help the families of the victims and survivors start to heal and recover from this heartbreaking tragedy. We are utilizing the tried-and-true avenues we use when responding to other disasters in our region,” said Andy Kopplin, President & CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. “Thanks to the generosity of Mrs. Gayle Benson, the Foundation has been positioned to play an immediate role in helping the nonprofits on the front lines of this tragedy with these grants. Everyone has a job in times of disaster, and ours is raising money and deploying it to the most effective nonprofits working to help our neighbors. Our nonprofit partners are experts in responding to both immediate and long-term needs of our community following disaster. As always, we are proud to support these trusted organizations and remain committed to quickly responding to the needs of our region.”
“Our community has experienced an unimaginable tragedy and our collective hearts are broken as we mourn for the victims and survivors on the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans,” said Gayle Benson, New Orleans Saints Owner and Governor of the New Orleans Pelicans. “As a league, our cities and teams compete at the highest levels of competition and share spirited rivalries. Our staffs and players work tirelessly towards achieving our goals and we share in victories and defeats. However, through football we are also united and we stand arm-in-arm against all forms of hatred. We will vanquish terror and fear with an unwavering resolve and purpose rooted in love, compassion and kindness. Our focus has always been on providing aid quickly and effectively, and we are grateful for the collaboration with both the Greater New Orleans Foundation and United Way to ensure that these funds reach those who need them most.”
“The American Red Cross, in its role of supporting the FBI, is honored and humbled to assist with the establishment and operation of the Family Assistance Center,” said Dr. Kenneth St. Charles, Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross in Louisiana. “Together, we are working to assist the victims, their families, and others who were impacted by this horrific tragedy. Over the next days, weeks, and months, the American Red Cross remains committed to ensuring our local citizens receive the necessary counseling and emotional support as they heal and recover.”
Mary Claire Landry, Founder & Consultant of New Orleans Family Justice Center, said, “The New Orleans Family Justice Center in partnership with our Hope Community Health center, the New Orleans Police Department’s Special Victim’s Units and the Crime Victims Compensation team from the Orleans Parish Sherriff’s Office has been providing emergency crisis response to victims of the 1/1/25 incident. We are providing access to Crime Victims compensation, immediate financial assistance with gift cards, crisis counseling and information on the going resources that they will be eligible. Our efforts are to continue providing immediate response and meets the needs of very traumatized victims of a tragic event in our city.”
Nick Richard, executive director of NAMI SELA, said, “Our first responders are not only processing the devastating attack and its aftermath, but also the impact on the victims, community, and in their own personal lives. They carry burdens most of us will never know. Our goal is to show them their mental health matters and that we support them and their efforts.”
The endowment earnings from the Gayle and Tom Benson Disaster Relief Fund are deployed to provide financial support to our region’s most effective first-responding agencies in the aftermath of a disaster or in anticipation of its arrival, be it a hurricane, tornado, or some other catastrophic event impacting our neighbors who need support. These first dollars hitting the ground are crucial to helping our region’s families when they are most vulnerable, and these grants will be announced each time the Greater New Orleans Foundation kicks off its fundraising efforts following a disaster, helping demonstrate to others what is possible.
Over the years, the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation has pledged or donated over $4 million to the Greater New Orleans Foundation. In addition to today’s announcement, Mrs. Benson has supported the Foundation’s disaster response efforts following the COVID-19 pandemic by helping us create and raise funds for The Gayle Benson Community Assistance Fund, which ultimately distributed $1.9 million in thousand-dollar grants to help workers adversely affected by pandemic shutdowns who were responsible for supporting their families.
She and Mr. Benson also supported the Foundation’s disaster response to Hurricane Ida and the St. Bernard tornadoes in 2022, as well as the capital campaign that raised funds to build the Foundation’s home, the Center for Philanthropy.
Since 2005, the Greater New Orleans Foundation has built a track record of making impactful grants after a disaster. The Foundation has responded to every disaster since Hurricane Katrina when it led the Unified Community Planning effort and raised a $23 million affordable housing fund. The Foundation invested approximately $10 million in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has distributed roughly $8 million in response to Hurricane Ida. In May 2022, the Foundation announced one of its major long-term community recovery grants from Hurricane Ida disaster response funds, which was a $1 million leadership grant to launch the Community Lighthouse Project. The Community Lighthouse Project, an initiative of Together New Orleans, aims to provide commercial-scale solar power and back-up battery capacity to congregations and nonprofits throughout Louisiana.
Gayle Benson provides leadership for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans. She succeeded her husband, Tom Benson, who passed away on March 15, 2018, after serving as Owner of the Saints since 1985 and the Pelicans since 2012. A New Orleans native, Mrs. Benson is an accomplished business professional and philanthropist with strong ties to the local community and is dedicated to contributing to the growth and enhancement of the Gulf South region. Mr. and Mrs. Benson worked together to build model NFL and NBA organizations, housed in state-of-the-art facilities at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center, Caesars Superdome and Smoothie King Center, while making a positive impact in the community.
Community investment and giving back have been hallmarks of Mr. and Mrs. Benson’s ownership of the Saints and Pelicans. This tradition continues under Mrs. Benson’s stewardship, sharing her late husband’s vision and passion for helping others. She has further enriched the New Orleans community through her support to causes in the health and wellness, cancer care, education, arts and faith-based sectors. As dedicated corporate citizens, the Saints and Pelicans annually put millions of dollars back into the community in financial support, in-kind donations, charitable appearances and donations of goods and services. Mrs. Benson’s philanthropic leadership has been recognized far and wide since becoming Owner.
During times of crisis, having swift access to liquidity is critical. This Fund enables donors, such as Mrs. Benson, to proactively offer the essential support our region requires in anticipation of future disasters.
With the capability to get dollars where they are most needed within 48 hours, the Foundation expedite grants to pre-vetted, trusted organizations in the region that are verified disaster responders.
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About the Greater New Orleans Foundation:
With roots extending over 100 years, the Greater New Orleans Foundation connects generous people to the causes that spark their passion. As one of the most trusted philanthropic organizations in the region, we work every day to drive positive impact by championing charitable giving, strengthening nonprofits, and leading civic projects in our thirteen-parish region. In addition to grantmaking, we convene people, resources, and ideas to create intelligent strategies and solutions to meet our region’s greatest challenges. We are proud to serve as a vocal civic leader with our partners to ensure an economically and culturally vibrant, sustainable, and just region for all. Learn more at www.gnof.org.