Rosamary Foundation

The RosaMary Foundation is one of the oldest private philanthropic institutions in New Orleans, established in 1939 by Alfred B. Freeman as a Louisiana charitable trust — making it one of the earliest family foundations in the United States. Today it is governed by descendants of the Freeman family alongside the Zervigon and Wisdom families: trustees include Louis M. Freeman Jr., Carlos, Luis, and Mary Zervigon, and Andrew and Matthew Wisdom, with Andrew Wisdom serving as Chairman. This multigenerational family governance model shapes everything about how the foundation operates: it is formal in process but deeply local in instinct, favoring organizations that are embedded in the fabric of Greater New Orleans over national or regional programs with a local chapter.

The foundation favors established, proven organizations. Capital grants require "a history of operating stability," and the overall tone of their materials signals that newer organizations face an uphill case. First-time applicants are best positioned if they can demonstrate at least three to five years of sustained operations, a track record of program effectiveness, and a clear connection to the foundation's five priority areas: education, human services, arts (performing and applied), community development, and governmental oversight.

The typical relationship progression is: Stage 1 online application (due by January 15 or July 15 at midnight) → invitation decision communicated by February 7 or August 7 → Stage 2 full proposal due by February 22 or August 22 → trustee meeting review → award notification. There is no traditional LOI stage; Stage 1 functions as the substantive preliminary screen. The process is entirely online — hard copy submissions are explicitly rejected — and the foundation does not invite unsolicited in-person presentations. Critically, the foundation states "your proposal must speak for itself," meaning written clarity and persuasion are the applicant's only tools.

First-time applicants should internalize two structural constraints above all others. First, only one application per organization per calendar year is permitted regardless of outcome — a missed or rejected January application means waiting until the following January. Second, no follow-up relationship-building through calls or meetings is expected or welcomed; the process is arms-length by design.

The civic-vitality framing in the mission — supporting projects that contribute to "a successful and vibrant city" — is the right rhetorical register for proposals. Organizations that can articulate how their work builds New Orleans' long-term civic health, cultural richness, workforce capacity, or accountability infrastructure will resonate with this board. Governmental oversight as an explicit funding category is a meaningful signal: accountability and civic watchdog organizations have a real path here that they may not find at most peer foundations.

The RosaMary Foundation has maintained remarkably consistent annual giving across more than a decade despite significant asset erosion. Total giving by year: $3,247,419 (2011), $2,850,085 (2012), $3,487,649 (2013), $3,485,648 (2014), $3,045,905 (2015), $2,927,702 (2019), $3,026,285 (2020), $2,931,551 (2021), $3,376,213 (2022), and approximately $2,965,592 in 2023 — a ten-year average of roughly $3.1M per year. The foundation has not allowed asset decline to translate into giving decline, which means it is drawing down principal to sustain its grantmaking pace.

Individual grant sizes range from $5,000 to $125,000, with typical awards clustering between $92,000 and $100,000 based on public aggregators. At ~$3M annually and a median grant of approximately $95,000, the foundation likely makes 30-35 grants per year spread across two cycles — roughly 15-18 grants per cycle. This is a meaningful signal: it is not a small check-writing operation, but it is also not making transformational $500,000 gifts. Mid-size nonprofits with credible $75,000-$125,000 asks are well-positioned.

Asset trends deserve close attention. Total assets peaked at approximately $50.9M in 2014, declined to $46.8M by 2019, and have settled at $37.5-37.7M through 2022-2024 — a 26% reduction from peak. The foundation's investment income has fluctuated sharply: net investment income was $8.7M in 2014 but only $1.2M in 2022, and 2020 showed negative total revenue of -$4.7M. Despite this volatility, grants paid held steady between $2.5M and $3.1M each year, confirming a commitment to maintaining grantmaking levels through market cycles.

The foundation does not publicly disclose a categorical breakdown of giving, and IRS 990 filings list grantees under "See Attached Statement" rather than itemized recipients. Based on stated priorities — education being highest, followed by human services, arts, community development, and governmental oversight — the rough distribution is estimated at: education 40-50%, human services 20-25%, arts and culture 15-20%, community development 10-15%, and governmental oversight/civic affairs 5-10%. Both capital and program support are funded; general operating support is described as "rare but occasional" with preference for short-term multi-year commitments rather than open-ended annual renewals.

The table below compares the RosaMary Foundation to key peers in the Greater New Orleans philanthropic ecosystem. Asset and giving figures for peer foundations are drawn from available public IRS and grant database records; estimates are noted where exact figures are unavailable.

The RosaMary Foundation occupies a distinctive mid-tier position among New Orleans private funders: large enough to make meaningful $75,000-$125,000 grants, yet governed with the intimacy of a multigenerational family trust. Its closest sister organization is the Ella West Freeman Foundation, established through the same Freeman family lineage, with overlapping focus areas but smaller grant amounts and a more invitation-driven process — making RosaMary the more accessible of the two for open applicants. Compared to the Community Foundation of Greater New Orleans, which operates at roughly five times the giving volume, RosaMary is more targeted and relationship-aware, offering mid-size nonprofits a more legible path to funding than a broad community foundation competitive pool. RosaMary's explicit inclusion of governmental oversight as a funding priority remains a genuine regional differentiator.

No major leadership changes or new program announcements were identified in public sources for 2025-2026. The trustee roster reflected in the most recent available filings remains consistent with prior years: Andrew Wisdom serves as Chairman-Trustee, Luis Zervigon as Secretary-Trustee, with seven additional trustees — Louis M. Freeman Jr., Carlos Zervigon, Mary Zervigon, Matthew Wisdom, Ann Leith Hill, Olivia Woollam, and Adair Parr — all serving without compensation. This stability is characteristic of family-governed private foundations of this type.

The most operationally significant recent development was the migration to a new online application portal, effective August 31, 2025. The foundation transitioned away from its prior platform, and applicants were instructed to preserve any previously saved application materials before that date. Portal transitions of this type occasionally accompany process refinements; applicants should treat current instructions at rosamary.org/application.html as authoritative and not rely on guidance cached from prior cycles.

IRS filings were submitted in November 2025 and February 2025, confirming uninterrupted operations. Annual giving in 2023 was approximately $2,965,592, consistent with the foundation's long-run average of ~$3.1M per year. As of the 2024 filing, total assets stand at $37.65M — reflecting the continuing gradual decline from the 2014 peak of approximately $50.9M but showing no signs of accelerated drawdown. The foundation has not publicized press releases or major program announcements through public channels, which is typical of family-governed private foundations that communicate primarily through their website and direct applicant outreach.

The RosaMary Foundation's two-stage process rewards organizations that invest heavily in Stage 1 clarity rather than holding back for Stage 2. Stage 1 is a substantive screen — not a mere eligibility check — and since no attachments are uploaded at that stage, the narrative must stand entirely on its own. Concisely articulate the organization's mission alignment with foundation priorities, the specific program or project, the population served, the issue being addressed, and the amount requested. Securing a Stage 2 invitation (communicated by February 7 or August 7) is the critical gate; most applicants who reach Stage 2 are seriously considered.

Timing is both a literal and strategic variable. The midnight deadline on January 15 or July 15 is absolute — the system closes at the stroke of midnight and there are no grace periods. Given the August 2025 portal migration, applicants should verify their account, test submission functions, and finalize materials at least 48-72 hours before the deadline. The July cycle is strategically underutilized: many nonprofits do not plan grant calendars around summer deadlines, meaning the July pool is likely smaller and competition potentially lower for organizations that can meet that window.

Alignment language should reflect the foundation's civic-vitality framing. The stated mission is supporting projects that contribute to "a successful and vibrant city" — proposals that frame their work as building New Orleans' long-term capacity (educational attainment, cultural institutions, community accountability, human services infrastructure) will resonate more than program-centric language divorced from citywide impact.

For capital requests: the foundation requires "evidence of broad support from the private sector" and a demonstrated history of operating stability. This is not suggestive language — it is a stated prerequisite. Enter capital cycles only after you have letters and co-investment documentation from corporate, business, or other foundation partners already secured. Underprepared capital applications will not advance.

Critical mistakes to avoid: (1) Applying in January and planning to reapply in July if declined — the one-application-per-year rule is per calendar year, not per cycle, so a January application of any outcome forecloses the July cycle in the same year. (2) Following up with phone calls or meeting requests after submission — the board explicitly values self-contained proposals and does not welcome unsolicited outreach. (3) Presenting operating support as open-ended annual renewal — frame it as a defined 2-3 year bridge with a clear rationale and endpoint.