Alta and John Franks Foundation

About Alta and John Franks Foundation

A $1,000,000 unrestricted gift to the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation stands out in the foundation’s recent record and points to a grantmaker willing to make large, flexible commitments in biomedical research. The Alta and John Franks Foundation also pairs that kind of national-scale support with sustained giving to Shreveport and North Louisiana institutions, from the National World War II Museum’s $525,000 grant to local civic and cultural recipients that recur across years. Their grants often arrive as unrestricted gifts, which places emphasis on organizational flexibility rather than tightly defined project funding. The recent pattern also shows a mix of policy, legal, media, economic-development, and community institutions, suggesting a portfolio that crosses public-policy advocacy and place-based civic support. Among the repeated recipients, State Policy Network received multiple six-figure awards, while North Louisiana Economic Partnership and Greater Shreveport Chamber Foundation appear more than once in the recent grant list. That combination of major national policy grants and durable local commitments gives the foundation a clear profile: a regional funder with notable reach beyond Louisiana, but a strong and persistent investment in the Shreveport area.

What Alta and John Franks Foundation Funds

Policy-oriented grantmaking is a major part of the foundation’s recent activity. In 2025, it gave $500,000 each to Public Interest Legal Foundation, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, and State Policy Network, all as unrestricted gifts. The foundation also supports legal and civil-liberties work, including a $250,000 unrestricted grant to New Civil Liberties Alliance in 2025. Local economic and civic institutions are another clear thread. North Louisiana Economic Partnership received $500,000 in 2025 and $150,000 in 2023, while Greater Shreveport Chamber Foundation received $257,000 in both 2024 and 2025. The recent list also includes a $147,520 grant to Downtown Shreveport Unlimited and a $172,000 gift to Shreveport Green. Cultural and community organizations are present as well. The National World War II Museum received $525,000 in 2025, and The Strand Theater received $280,000 in 2024. Shreveport Symphony Orchestra also appears in the recent grants list with a $132,000 grant in 2025.

How Alta and John Franks Foundation Gives