Greater New Orleans Foundation Service and Hospitality Family Assistance Program Supported by Mrs. Gayle Benson and the McIlhenny Company, maker of Tabasco®

*** The Greater New Orleans Foundation would like to thank everyone for their interest in the Greater New Orleans Foundation Service and Hospitality Family Assistance Program. We have reached our capacity at this time. Please visit our website and social media channels for updates on future opportunities. ***

Our Commitment

In good times the people of New Orleans reap the benefits of a robust tourism industry fueled by the hard work of tens of thousands of front line workers in our restaurants, bars, and hotels. During this COVID-19 pandemic crisis, these same workers and their families are some of the hardest hit. Restaurants and bars are closed, hotels are vacant, and workers have been sent home without enough to provide for their families. Ours is a region that eats together, dances together and, when tragedy strikes, lifts each other up. The Greater New Orleans Foundation is committed to reducing these burdens. With generous support from Mrs. Gayle Benson and the McIlhenny Company, maker of Tabasco® brand pepper sauce, the Greater New Orleans Foundation is launching the Service and Hospitality Family Assistance Program in partnership with the Louisiana Restaurant Association. This program will provide grants of up to $1,000 for service and hospitality workers whose families are experiencing financial crisis in the Greater New Orleans region. By working together, we will help each other survive until we can once again thrive.

How to Apply

Who is eligible?

Service and hospitality workers with children and/or qualified dependents

Worked more than 32 hours per week in restaurants, bars, or hotels in the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s 13-parish region prior to March 9, 2020

Household income was at or below 80 percent of the parish’s area median income (AMI), which is $53,900 for family of four in Orleans Parish

GNOF’s 13-parish region includes Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Washington parishes.

To learn your parish’s AMI, please click here.

Documentation you must submit with your application:

To complete the application, you will need to submit:

Electronic copy of your driver’s license or other government-issued ID

Pay stubs for most recent 30 days

Copy of your most recent 2018 or 2019 federal tax form

Application Process:

*** The Greater New Orleans Foundation would like to thank everyone for their interest in the Greater New Orleans Foundation Service and Hospitality Family Assistance Program. We have reached our capacity at this time. Please visit our website and social media channels for updates on future opportunities. ***

Applications will be available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese – only online.

The Greater New Orleans Foundation’s technology partner, Foundant, has created a brief tutorial for applicants that may be viewed here

Review Process:

Applicants who have previously received funding are ineligible.

We will accept the first 2000 applications we receive and then review them by lottery order. Applications will be reviewed within ten days and awards will be transmitted within 14 days. Due to limited funds, we will not be able to provide awards to all eligible applicants; however, we are working to raise additional funds to serve more families.

As more donations are made to the program, grants will be made to eligible applicants who have submitted fully completed applications.

Have a question? Please email assistance@gnof.org.

Our Funders

This program would not be possible without the generosity and commitment to this community of Mrs. Gayle Benson and the McIlhenny Company, maker of Tabasco® brand pepper sauce.

How We Can Help More Families

Support this program’s expansion:

Please help more service and hospitality families by contributing! The money will go directly into the hands of the service and hospitality industry’s vulnerable families who have been hardest hit by this pandemic crisis.

External Resources

Displaced Gig Workers:

The New Orleans Business Alliance has developed a grants program for displaced gig workers. More information can be found here.

Smoothie King Center Employees:

For employees of the New Orleans Pelicans or ASM Global, which operates the Smoothie King Center, interested in the Arena Assistance Fund, we have been advised that your employers will contact you about this fund. It is not being administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

Additional Resources for Individuals: