Louisiana AFN is a regional chapter of grantmakers who advance equitable wealth building and economic mobility. Members include private, public, corporate, and community foundations, public-sector funders, and financial institutions who want to help Louisianans secure economic stability, for now and for years to come. Louisiana AFN connects funders and their peers in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. Together they share promising programs and smart strategies, gather knowledge to make their grantmaking more effective, and work to increase investments in asset building.
Louisiana AFN was launched in April 2019 as a regional affiliate of national AFN. Membership is open to funders who invest in a range of initiatives that build assets for Louisiana, from early childhood education, college access, or workforce development to health, financial capacity, or micro-enterprise. Grantmakers investing in Louisiana should contact Abby Hughes Holsclaw or Kara Wilkins if interested in joining this chapter.
How We Work
- Connect: Louisiana AFN members support peer-to-peer learning and cross-sector collaboration. Members identify and leverage replicable and scalable high-impact strategies and innovative approaches to connect and inform influential funders of actionable investments. Members provide an insightful voice to inform both regional and national conversations.
- Build: Louisiana AFN works to increase the number of grantmakers and resources focused on strategies that help low and moderate income people build and protect assets. Members leverage one another’s interests and investments and actively look for additional funders willing to co-invest in Louisiana.
- Inform: Louisiana AFN members learn from one another and other stakeholders as they seek solutions to local challenges. The chapter hosts issue-based programming and calls-to-action that reflect research and philanthropic thought leadership that highlights actionable roles for philanthropy. While focusing on a variety of topics, the chapter gathers local leaders and national experts together to share data and ideas, promote innovative approaches, and help establish common language to build collaboration.
- Influence: Louisiana AFN is working to raise the visibility of asset-building strategies within the broader community of foundations, public-sector funders, and financial institutions. Members seek opportunities to accelerate economic prosperity while also reducing racial, ethnic, and gender wealth gaps in areas such as improved savings for low to moderate income families and increased Fintech opportunities.
Regional Focus Areas
- Financial technology
- Emergency savings
- Financial access
Chapter Highlights
Fintech in the Nonprofit Financial Health Sector
As a follow up to the release of 2021’s Philanthropy and Fintech: Identifying Opportunities for Engagement, LA AFN launched a series of webinars designed to increase understanding around potential fintech solutions among philanthropy and practitioners across the state. The May 10th, 2022 session highlighted local and national examples of fintech integration within the nonprofit sector and from the Philanthropy and Fintech brief. WATCH THE WEBINAR
Upcoming Events
Contact
Are you a Louisiana grantmaker interested in joining this chapter? Contact us to learn more.
Abby Hughes Holsclaw, abby@assetfunders.org
Kara Wilkins, kara@assetfunders.org
Steering Committee
United Way of Southeast Louisiana
The Greater New Orleans Foundation
Louisiana Association of United Ways
Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
United Way of Southeast Louisiana
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Foundation for Louisiana
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
United Way of Northwest Louisiana
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Louisiana AFN Building Savings Summit
Missed the Summit? Learn more!
Session 1 Financial Coaching in Action: Roundtable
Session 2 Leveraging Fintech to Promote Financial Health
Session 3 Leveraging Policy for Change: Where We Are and Where We Are Going
Philanthropy and Fintech: Identifying Opportunities for Engagement
NEW REPORT!
LA AFN and the Financial Health Network is pleased to share our new brief created in response to growing interest in fintech across the state. Designed as a guide for funders, it provides a brief overview of fintech and its application in the financial health field, examines possible applications to Louisianans’ financial health challenges, and seeks to encourage funders to engage with fintech to support their grantmaking goals.
