Posted on August 27, 2008

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Number of New Nonprofits in Louisiana Plateaus

Hurricane Katrina gave rise to a wave of new charitable organizations eager to address the needs of those impacted by the storm, but three years later many of these groups have either dissolved or adapted to fit the changing needs of the region, New Orleans City Business reports.

According to a report from the National Center for Charitable Statistics, the number of public charities in Louisiana nearly doubled between 1996 and 2006, from 6,377 to 11,485. Over the same period, the number of 501(c)(3) private foundations in the state jumped 81 percent, from 579 to 1,050.

The growth in nonprofits after Katrina was reflected in the increased number of organizations seeking to partner with the United Way, said United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area (UWGNO) president Gary Ostroske. His colleague, Beth Terry, told City Business that she works with thirty to forty groups that had no connection to her organization before 2005; of those, eleven were formed in the past three years. Before the hurricane struck, UWGNO funded its partner organizations for three years and then reassessed the partnership, but since Katrina it has shortened the period to six months to better assess the needs of the community and the services each group can provide.

While the number of new nonprofits has slowed over the past two years, two or three continue to be established each month, said Laura Crochet, capacity building director for the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO), which has seen its membership grow 20 percent since 2005. "I think we've reached a bit of a plateau where people are taking a step back to look at some of the organizations that are here and where they could maybe fit into other organizations," said Crochet. "People are looking for collaborations and looking for how they can intersect with groups that are already here."

Maloney, Stephen. “Nonprofits Reach Plateau After Post-K Groundswell.” New Orleans City Business 8/25/08.

Primary Subject: Community Improvement/Development
Secondary Subject(s): Hurricane Relief
Location(s): Louisiana, New Orleans

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