The Ruth U. Fertel Foundation appears to concentrate philanthropic support in its local metro area, making sizable gifts to strengthen the region’s public higher-education institution. Its single reported $120,000 grant to the UNO Foundation indicates an interest in university-based programs, scholarships, or institutional capacity-building that benefit New Orleans and surrounding communities.
Highly concentrated giving characterized by relatively large, single grants directed to a local flagship university rather than many small or geographically dispersed awards.
A $120,000 unrestricted grant to the UNO Foundation stands out in the Ruth U Fertel Foundation’s recent giving and points to a pattern of backing New Orleans institutions at meaningful scale. The foundation’s grant records show repeated support for universities, schools, youth-serving nonprofits, arts organizations, and other community groups in the New Orleans area, with gifts that are often flexible rather than tightly restricted. Among the larger recent awards are $70,000 to Son Of A Saint and $62,500 to Longue Foundation, both in New Orleans. The same local pattern appears across smaller and mid-sized grants as well, including support for Jesuit High School, St Mary's Dominican High School, and Wwoz. These gifts suggest a funder that favors organizations rooted in Greater New Orleans and uses general operating or unrestricted support as a common tool. The foundation also shows repeated interest in education-related work, including university support, scholarships, and student-focused programs. Across the recent grants list, its giving combines institution-level support with community-facing nonprofits that serve young people, cultural organizations, and local service providers.
Education is a clear thread in the Ruth U Fertel Foundation’s recent grants. It gave $50,000 to Jesuit High School for unrestricted support and another $50,000 to St Mary's Dominican High School for unrestricted support, alongside $20,000 to Isodore Newman School and $20,000 to Youth Empowerment Project, both unrestricted. Higher education appears as well. The foundation awarded $120,000 to the UNO Foundation for unrestricted support and $20,000 more to the same grantee in 2024. It also gave $25,000 to Posse Foundation and $15,000 to Posse Foundation, both unrestricted, indicating continued support for student pathways. Arts and culture are present in the portfolio too. Recent gifts include $60,000 to Wwoz, $32,500 to New Orleans Jazz Museum, $31,250 to Louisiana Museum Foundation, and $25,000 to National Performance Network, all unrestricted.
Typical grants cluster in the low five-figure range, with a p25 of $5,000, a median of $10,000, and a p75 of $21,250. The recent list also includes several larger awards, showing that the foundation will make materially bigger grants when it chooses to do so. Giving is concentrated locally, and the same organizations can appear in multiple years, including repeated support to the same grantees in 2023 and 2024. The foundation gives as a private foundation and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grants shown are unrestricted, pointing to flexible support rather than project-only funding.
$790K
$13.3M
$1.9M
$976K
Most grants fall between $5K and $21K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$21K
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Notable grantees: UNO Foundation
Giving is heavily concentrated in Louisiana, with 92% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. New Orleans is the main recipient city, appearing across schools, arts groups, youth programs, and university-related entities. Metairie also appears in the recent grants list through St Martin's Episcopal School. Outside Louisiana, the only non-US place named in the top grants list is University, Mississippi, through Southern Foodsway Alliance Barnard Observatory, but the overall recipient-country distribution remains entirely US-based.
Recent grants go to universities, schools, youth-serving nonprofits, and arts or culture organizations. Examples in the record include the UNO Foundation, Jesuit High School, Son Of A Saint, Wwoz, and the New Orleans Jazz Museum, all funded with unrestricted grants.
The grant list shows repeat support to several recipients across 2023 and 2024. The UNO Foundation, Son Of A Saint, Jesuit High School, St Mary's Dominican High School, St Martin's Episcopal School, Isodore Newman School, Youth Empowerment Project, and Posse Foundation each appear more than once.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution centers on modest awards: p25 is $5,000, median grant size is $10,000, and p75 is $21,250. The recent record also includes larger awards such as $70,000 and $120,000.
Louisiana is the top giving state, with 92% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. New Orleans is the dominant city in the grant list, with many awards also going to nearby Metairie.
The recent grants shown are marked unrestricted. That includes awards to the UNO Foundation, Son Of A Saint, Longue Foundation, Wwoz, and Jesuit High School, indicating flexible support rather than narrowly designated project funding.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longue Vue Foundation | New Orleans, LA | $62,500 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| St Martin's Episcopal School | Metairie, LA | $60,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Jesuit High School | New Orleans, LA | $50,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| St Mary's Dominican High School | New Orleans, LA | $50,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| UNO Foundation | New Orleans, LA | $50,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Louisiana Museum Foundation | New Orleans, LA | $31,250 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| St Michael's Special School | New Orleans, LA | $30,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| WWOZ | New Orleans, LA | $30,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Posse Foundation | New Orleans, LA | $25,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Isadore Newman School | New Orleans, LA | $25,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Video Veracity | New Orleans, LA | $22,500 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Pondarosa Stomp | New Orleans, LA | $22,500 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| NOCHI | New Orleans, LA | $20,000 | 2026 | Unreatricted |
| Junior Achievment GNO Inc | New Orleans, LA | $20,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| National Performance Network | New Orleans, LA | $20,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Son Of A Saint | New Orleans, LA | $20,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Good Shepherd School | New Orleans, LA | $20,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Dominican Peace Center | Columbus, OH | $20,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Boys' Hope | New Orleans, LA | $20,000 | 2026 | UnrestrictedUnrerstricted |
| Cafe Reconcile | New Orleans, LA | $15,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Goat In The Road Productions | New Orleans, LA | $15,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| The Lens | New Orleans, LA | $15,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Kenyon Review | Gambier, OH | $12,500 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Music & Culture Coalition of New Orleans | New Orleans, LA | $10,000 | 2026 | UnrestrictedUnrestrictedUnrestricted |
| NOCCA Institute | New Orleans, LA | $10,000 | 2026 | UnrestrictedUnrestricted |
| Historic New Orleans Collection | New Orleans, LA | $10,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Mondo Bizarro Productions | New Orleans, LA | $10,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Jazz At Lincoln Center | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Live Oak Summer Camp | New Orleans, LA | $10,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Edible School NOLA | New Orleans, LA | $10,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| 826 Literacy Program | New Orleans, LA | $10,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| KIDSMART | New Orleans, LA | $5,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Roots Of Music School | New Orleans, LA | $5,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Mercy Family Center | Metairie, LA | $5,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Danny Barker Festival | New Orleans, LA | $5,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Tennessee Williams Festival | New Orleans, LA | $5,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| WWNO | New Orleans, LA | $4,500 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Young Aspirations Young Artists | New Orleans, LA | $3,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Audubon Nature Institute | New Orleans, LA | $2,500 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Ella Project | New Orleans, LA | $2,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Market Umbrella | New Orleans, LA | $2,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| A Studio In The Woods | New Orleans, LA | $2,000 | 2026 | Unreatricted |
| Homer Pless Community Schools | New Orleans, LA | $2,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Bricolage Academy | New Orleans, LA | $2,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Faulkner Society | New Orleans, LA | $2,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Miracle Children's Foundation | Folsom, LA | $2,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Make It Count Math | New Orleans, LA | $1,000 | 2026 | unrestricted |
| CRCL | New Orleans, LA | $1,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Lift Louisiana | New Orleans, LA | $1,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Saul's Light | New Orleans, LA | $1,000 | 2026 | Unresricted |
Longue Vue Foundation
$62,500Unrestricted
St Martin's Episcopal School
$60,000Unrestricted
Jesuit High School
$50,000Unrestricted
St Mary's Dominican High School
$50,000Unrestricted
UNO Foundation
$50,000Unrestricted
Unrestricted
St Michael's Special School
$30,000Unrestricted
Posse Foundation
$25,000Unrestricted
Isadore Newman School
$25,000Unrestricted
Pondarosa Stomp
$22,500Unrestricted
Junior Achievment GNO Inc
$20,000Unrestricted
Good Shepherd School
$20,000Unrestricted
Dominican Peace Center
$20,000Unrestricted
Boys' Hope
$20,000UnrestrictedUnrerstricted
Cafe Reconcile
$15,000Unrestricted
Goat In The Road Productions
$15,000Unrestricted
Kenyon Review
$12,500Unrestricted
Music & Culture Coalition of New Orleans
$10,000UnrestrictedUnrestrictedUnrestricted
NOCCA Institute
$10,000UnrestrictedUnrestricted
Historic New Orleans Collection
$10,000Unrestricted
Jazz At Lincoln Center
$10,000Unrestricted
Live Oak Summer Camp
$10,000Unrestricted
Edible School NOLA
$10,000Unrestricted
826 Literacy Program
$10,000Unrestricted
Mercy Family Center
$5,000Unrestricted
Danny Barker Festival
$5,000Unrestricted
Tennessee Williams Festival
$5,000Unrestricted
WWNO
$4,500Unrestricted
Young Aspirations Young Artists
$3,000Unrestricted
Ella Project
$2,000Unrestricted
Market Umbrella
$2,000Unrestricted
A Studio In The Woods
$2,000Unreatricted
Homer Pless Community Schools
$2,000Unrestricted
Bricolage Academy
$2,000Unrestricted
Faulkner Society
$2,000Unrestricted
Miracle Children's Foundation
$2,000Unrestricted
Make It Count Math
$1,000unrestricted
CRCL
$1,000Unrestricted
Lift Louisiana
$1,000Unrestricted
Saul's Light
$1,000Unresricted