Lorio Foundation

The Lorio Foundation is one of Louisiana's most focused hyper-local grantmakers, built entirely around a single community: Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1996 through the estate of Mrs. Anna Lorio Richard — who died on March 2, 1996 — the foundation has since distributed over $27.5 million exclusively within Thibodaux city limits. Its governing philosophy is direct: "do the most good for the most people in our community." For grant seekers, geographic alignment is the first and most important filter. Organizations without a clear Thibodaux service mandate will not be funded regardless of how compelling their program is.

The foundation maintains strong ties to established institutions with deep roots in the community. Its largest cumulative grantees include Catholic Schools of Thibodaux ($3.78M), the City of Thibodaux ($2.36M), Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department ($2.11M), Nicholls State University ($1.62M), and Lafourche Parish Schools ($1.43M). These are not one-time grants; they reflect recurring, multi-decade relationships. First-time applicants should understand they are entering an ecosystem where incumbent grantee relationships are well-established and long-standing.

That said, the foundation's breadth across public and private institutions — city government, a state university, fire services, both Catholic and public schools — signals that religious affiliation is a meaningful advantage but not a prerequisite. What consistently matters is whether the organization serves Thibodaux residents at meaningful scale and can document community impact with specificity.

The application process is structured but accessible. New applicants download a PDF form from loriofoundation.org/apply-for-funding and submit it with a documentation package: IRS determination letter, prior year financial statements or tax return, organizational budget, project-specific budget, and vendor quotes for capital items. Applications are reviewed at board meetings chaired by volunteer President Christopher Terracina. Executive Director Camille A. Morvant III ($68,250 in FY2023) manages the process day-to-day with Vice President Rita Dickie ($64,714 in FY2023).

Given the small staff and downtown Thibodaux office culture, first-time applicants should call (985) 449-0380 before submitting a formal application. A brief introductory conversation establishes legitimacy, confirms geographic scope, and allows you to time your submission to the next board review cycle — a relationship-first step that aligns with the foundation's community-centered identity.

The Lorio Foundation has maintained disciplined and consistently growing grantmaking for over a decade. Annual grants paid have risen from $1,015,500 (FY2013) to approximately $1,611,298 (FY2025, per ProPublica data), a 59% increase over twelve years. Total giving — grants plus other charitable expenses — has tracked from $1,175,967 (FY2013) to $1,733,524 (FY2023). The year-by-year grants-paid trajectory shows steady growth with only a brief COVID-era dip:

• FY2013: $1,015,500 | FY2014: $1,091,186 | FY2015: $1,138,228
• FY2019: $1,171,979 | FY2020: $1,122,430 (COVID) | FY2021: $1,328,312
• FY2022: $1,267,750 | FY2023: $1,328,000 | FY2025 est.: $1,611,298

Net assets have grown from $21.14M (2015) to $27.98M (2023) to approximately $29.6M (2025), driven by investment returns that reached $3.77M net in FY2022 and $2.11M net in FY2023. The foundation receives no outside contributions and is entirely self-sustaining. Annual payout runs approximately 4.5–5.5% of assets — slightly above the IRS-required 5% minimum — and has been trending upward as assets have grown.

Cumulative program-area breakdown since 1996 ($27.5M+ total): - Community-related organizations: $16.28M (59%) - Catholic Schools (Thibodaux): $3.78M (14%) - City of Thibodaux: $2.36M (9%) - Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department: $2.11M (8%) - Nicholls State University: $1.62M (6%) - Lafourche Parish Schools: $1.43M (5%)

Individual grant amounts are not itemized in publicly available 990 schedules (listed as "see attached"), but the data strongly implies awards in the $50,000–$250,000 range. The $175,000+ Shaver Gym renovation gift to Nicholls State in 2020 confirms the upper range. Per-recipient annual averages — approximately $73K/year for the fire department, $130K/year for Catholic Schools — suggest a combination of recurring annual support and larger one-time capital grants. Geography is exclusively Thibodaux, Louisiana, with no exceptions observed across any available filing year.

The Lorio Foundation sits in a competitive tier of mid-sized private grantmakers with assets in the $29–30 million range. The five closest asset-size peers identified from the foundation database are all classified under Philanthropy & Grantmaking (NTEE T) but span four different states. Published application data for most peers is limited.

Among this peer set, the Lorio Foundation stands out for its unusual operational transparency. Its website publicly documents cumulative giving by recipient category, hosts a downloadable application form, and actively encourages inquiries via phone. The Mary & Al Danos Family Foundation is the only other Louisiana peer in this asset tier but publishes no website or application materials, making it effectively inaccessible to unsolicited applicants. The out-of-state peers (New York, Texas, California) serve different geographies entirely. Lorio's hyper-local Thibodaux restriction is an unusually tight geographic constraint relative to most foundations in this asset class, which typically operate statewide or regionally. For organizations within that geographic scope, the foundation's openness, growing annual payout, and relationship-oriented culture make it one of the most accessible funders of its size in Louisiana.

The most recent confirmed public activity is the naming of the Lorio Softball Batting Facility at Nicholls State University on March 27, 2024. The formal naming ceremony extended the foundation's multi-decade commitment to Nicholls State, which has now received over $1.62 million cumulatively. The 2024 facility naming followed a November 2020 donation of over $175,000 for Shaver Gym renovations on the same campus — indicating that capital infrastructure gifts with lasting institutional recognition have become a recurring mode of giving.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux recognized the Lorio Foundation for going "above and beyond" in its charitable support. Financial data confirms this: grants paid increased from $1,122,430 (FY2020) to $1,328,312 (FY2021) even as many foundations reduced disbursements. This countercyclical behavior underscores a philosophy of community stability.

No specific leadership changes or new program announcements have been confirmed for 2025 or 2026. The leadership team appears stable: Christopher Terracina continues as President on a volunteer basis; Camille A. Morvant III and Rita Dickie continue in their paid roles at $68,250 and $64,714, respectively. Asset growth from $23.08M (FY2020) to approximately $29.6M (2025) — a 28% increase in five years — has enabled disbursements to expand to approximately $1.61M annually. The foundation's Instagram account has been actively promoting its application eligibility page as recently as mid-2025, suggesting an intentional push to attract new applicants alongside its long-standing core grantee base. No 2025 or 2026 press releases or news articles have appeared in available public sources.

1. Establish geographic eligibility first. The Lorio Foundation funds exclusively within Thibodaux, Louisiana city limits. This is the single hardest constraint. Organizations serving broader Lafourche Parish or the Houma-Thibodaux metro but not specifically Thibodaux should confirm exact service boundaries with foundation staff before investing time in an application.

2. Call before submitting. The foundation's downtown Thibodaux office (985-449-0380) and small professional staff operate with a relationship-based culture. An introductory call to Executive Director Camille A. Morvant III establishes your organization's legitimacy, surfaces any eligibility questions early, and — critically — lets you learn the upcoming board meeting schedule so you can time your submission correctly.

3. Align your narrative with education, community services, or Catholic mission. The foundation's $27.5M+ in cumulative giving centers on educational institutions (combined $6.64M to Catholic and public schools and Nicholls State), civic infrastructure (fire department, city government), and community development. Proposals framed around educational access, student outcomes, public safety, or broadly shared community benefit land most naturally with this funder's historical priorities.

4. Prepare a project-specific budget with vendor quotes. The new-applicant requirements explicitly include a vendor list and itemized cost quotes for project expenditures. This is a hard requirement for capital projects and an implicit expectation for programmatic requests. Applications missing this documentation will be incomplete and may be deferred.

5. Assemble your full documentation package before you start the PDF form. Required for all new applicants: IRS 501(c)(3) or 170(b) determination letter, most recent financial statements or tax return, organizational operating budget, project-specific budget, and vendor quotes. Having these ready before downloading the form avoids delays.

6. Time your submission to board meetings. Applications are reviewed at scheduled board meetings. Submitting at least two weeks before the next meeting maximizes your chance of inclusion in that cycle. A late submission almost certainly pushes you to the following cycle.

7. Avoid framing your impact beyond Thibodaux. The foundation serves one community and funds it deeply. Proposals that emphasize regional, statewide, or national reach, or that involve multi-site partnerships beyond Thibodaux, risk appearing misaligned. Keep the beneficiary narrative focused exclusively on Thibodaux residents and institutions.

8. For Catholic organizations, acknowledge the founder's legacy respectfully. Mrs. Anna Lorio Richard's founding bequest reflects her Catholic faith. Catholic Schools of Thibodaux remain the largest single-category recipient at $3.78M cumulatively. Catholic organizations may reference this spiritual heritage as a point of genuine alignment — not as flattery, but as honest mission alignment.