ENGAGE

As the needs of our community change, the Foundation is shifting our grant processes to encourage more cooperation and less competition, more focus on outcomes and not outputs, and opportunities for listening, sharing, and moving forward together. The Foundation will build human capital by bringing together knowledge, experience, and expertise in cooperative efforts to support people and places. The Foundation will serve as a champion for collaboration focused on helping meet basic human needs through real-issue, systemic root-cause outcomes, rather than short-term symptoms. 

The Foundation has defined the types of projects we are interested in funding to address each of these goals. Explore more here.

APPLICATIONS

Applications for the Engage portfolio are currently open and due on August 29 at 5 p.m.

The Foundation has a variety of resources to assist nonprofit partners in assembling their application. Please review the guidelines and materials available to answer any questions you may have.

In addition, we have made a limited number of 30-minute Technical Assistance Sessions available on August 7, 13, 19 and 21. These sessions are designed for first-time applicants, applicants with specific questions regarding program alignment, or for those seeking more than $100k per year. Please use the Zoom Scheduler to schedule your appointment. It may take up to one hour to receive a confirmation and calendar appointment from Zoom.

APPLICATION TIMELINE

ALICE FOCUS

ALICE stands for Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed. According to United Way, ALICE earns just above the Federal Poverty Level but less than what it costs to make ends meet. These struggling households are forced to make impossible choices each day. In 2023, 19 percent of Louisiana households were below the Federal Poverty Level, and 30 percent were ALICE; together, 50 percent of Louisiana households struggle to survive in today’s economy. In general, a family of four would need to earn about $88,000 to afford the ALICE survival budget (versus the Federal Poverty Level of about $30,000), and Louisiana’s median household income is $58,000. Learn more at unitedforalice.org. Partners will be asked to demonstrate that clients served through this program have incomes below the ALICE Survival Budget Threshold and/or are formerly incarcerated.

REGIONAL FOCUS

The Engage pillar will support communities throughout the 10-parish Capital Region. The Foundation recognizes that resources and opportunities are not equally dispersed among the 10 parishes. For example, the percentage of families below the ALICE Survival Budget threshold varies from 38 percent in Ascension and West Baton Rouge parishes to 62 percent in St. Helena (meaning nearly two-thirds of the households in the parish struggle to make ends meet).

OUR OPERATING PRINCIPLES

We define ourselves as investors and are interested in creating the highest possible levels of human gain for the grant dollars we have available. Given this focus, the Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation reviews each proposal with respect to available funds and responses to three overarching questions:

1. What will be the results from this project and how will we know when those results have been achieved? Results are defined as the positive changes in behaviors and/or conditions in stakeholders that will be achieved through the project.
2. How likely is it that the results can be achieved? Our assessment will be based on factors such as past result successes of the organization and its programs, validity of the proposed program approach, organizational capability and key personnel leading the project.
3. Is this the best possible use of Foundation funds given other opportunities before us? We consider the cost relative to the gain, looking for projects that increase collaboration, quality and systemic change, and opportunities for replication to other organizations and parishes. When reviewing proposals, we will look at the use of all monies going into a project or program not just dollars contributed by the Foundation, as well as the sustainability of the work.

If you have questions, please contact Tristi Charpentier, VP People-Centered Initiatives.