Rex Foundation Awards 2024 Grants

Continuing its ongoing investments in New Orleans public schools and high-quality public education, today, the Pro Bono Publico Foundation (PBPF) announced that, for the ninth consecutive year, it has awarded grants and fulfilment of installments of multi-year strategic commitments in excess of $1 million.

This $1.3 million investment, in the Foundation’s 17th grant cycle, represents the sustained commitment of Rex members in support of Greater New Orleans students and educators. Since its founding in 2006, the Pro Bono Publico Foundation’s giving exceeds $14 million, making the Foundation one of the key local funders of efforts to support and improve our public schools. Today’s annual Foundation announcement at the Rex Den on South Claiborne Avenue included representatives from the PBPF’s board, schools and organizations receiving grants, and members of the Rex Organization.

Most of the Foundation’s giving has been focused on operational grants that serve to support the important work being done in our schools. These grants provide school leaders additional funds to do what they would not otherwise be able to do, allowing them to further enrich their students’ experience.

More recently, the Foundation created a Strategic Innovation Fund designed to make larger strategic investments aimed at addressing some of our more pressing challenges and high- leverage opportunities. Examples of the Foundation’s larger, strategic, three-year commitments include a grant to New Schools for New Orleans to assure our city’s charter schools attract and retain excellent leaders and teachers and a grant to the Greater New Orleans Foundation to support charter board training and development. Multi-year commitments are reviewed annually for performance, and the Foundation anticipates a shift to making more strategic investments in the coming years to help New Orleans’ school children reach their full educational potential.

An impactful and exciting addition for this year is a new strategic grant to New Schools for New Orleans to sponsor a two-day event for local and national funders and educators to be held here in New Orleans. This event will provide an opportunity to update all stakeholders on the progress of our all-charter public school system in assuring an excellent education for every student in New Orleans, to celebrate our successes, and to demonstrate a path to continued progress. National and local funders have made significant and generous investments in New Orleans public charter schools; this event will be an opportunity to show the return on their investment and encourage their continued support.

Further information on the awarded grants can be found in the Pro Bono Publico Foundation 2024 Grant Announcement press release.