Like so many others across the nation, the stories and images of the devastation wrought by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the subsequent levee failures in New Orleans profoundly impacted Surdna Foundation board and staff.  As a result, in 2007 we began to take a careful look at whether and how the Foundation might deepen its engagement in New Orleans in support of the city's long-term rebuilding and resiliency efforts.  After a series of learning sessions and visits to the region over the course of almost a year, board and staff agreed that the moment was ripe for Surdna to join the work there in a fuller way than we had prior to the storms.  In 2008, after much deliberation and consultation, the New Orleans Fund was established with a budget of $5 million, $1 million per year over five years.

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