The recipient entity's physical address:
           938 Lafayette Street, Suite 300
New Orleans, Louisiana 70113

The recipient entity's mailing address (if different):
           938 Lafayette Street, Suite 300
New Orleans, Louisiana 70113

Type of Entity (for instance, a nonprofit corporation):  Non-Profit Corporation

If the entity is a corporation, list the names of the incorporators:
          Miranda Restovic
Willie Landry Mount
Randy Haynie
Elizabeth Ary

The last four digits of the entity's taxpayer ID number:  5568

What is the dollar amount of the request?  $7,274,554

What type of request is this?  Both

Is this entity in good standing with the Secretary of State?  Yes

Provide the name of each member of the recipient entity's governing board and officers:
           Linda Holyfield, Chair
1704 Island Drive
Monroe, LA 71201

Kellen Mathews, Vice Chair
2929 Lepage Street
New Orleans, LA 70119

Mark Gremillion, Treasurer
226 Beverly Drive
Lafayette, LA 70503

Marie Moyse Schlesinger, Secretary
1112 Falcon Road
Metairie, LA 70005

Scott Bazenet-Tilton
906 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70116

Samantha Bonnette
1324 Virginia Avenue
Natchitoches, LA 71457

Ty Bromell
532 Spanish Town Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Dr. Christopher Cenac
210 New Orleans Boulevard
Houma, LA 70360

Leigh Chambers
2116 Kayden Jay Dr
Bossier City, LA 71112-5036

Rebecca Collins
503 Allen Street
New Iberia, LA 70563

Stewart Ewing
1511 Frenchmen’s Bend Road
Monroe, LA 71203

Becky Gottsegen
865 Dubois Dr
Baton Rouge, LA 70808-5038

Sherry Guarisco
266 Seyburn Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Stephanie Halphen
114 Huttingtower Lane
Lafayette, LA 70508-5424

Lauren Jardell
3443 Esplanade Avenue, Apt. 645
New Orleans, LA 70119

John Kay
10622 Hillbrook Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70810

Dr. Andrew Liles
8115 Hickory Street
New Orleans, LA 70118

Mary Katherine Loos
6225 Riverbrook Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70820

Ethan Melancon
736 Maximillian Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Jody Montelaro
9585 Pecue Lane
Baton Rouge, LA 70810

Nathan Ponder, Ph.D.
138 Myrtlewood Drive
Pineville, LA 71360

Laura Prisco
265 Empress Court
Madisonville, LA 70447-3133

Wendell Riley
9000 W Wilderness Way, #55
Shreveport, LA 71106

David Rockett
574 Boardwalk Boulevard
Bossier City, LA 71111

Arman Sadeghpour
3512 8th Street
Metairie, LA 70002-1628

Amal Shamieh
707 Doctor Michael Debakey Dr.
Lake Charles, LA 70601

Sharlene Sinegal-DeCuir
1165 Sharynwood Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Emily Stine
1200 Inverness Drive
Lake Charles, LA 70605

Drew Tessier
412 N. 4th Street, STE 210
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Kathy Victorian
1639 Cobblestone Ct
Baton Rouge, LA 70806-8303

Holly Wilson, Ph.D.
3400 Parkway Dr.
Alexandria, LA 71301

Miranda Restovic, President & Chief Executive Officer
938 Lafayette Street, Suite 300
New Orleans, LA 70113

Patrick Carrier, Chief Operating Officer
938 Lafayette Street, Suite 300
New Orleans, LA 70113

Provide a summary of the project or program:
           Since 1971 the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH) has partnered with communities, institutions, and individuals to explore Louisiana's past, reflect on our present, and imagine our future. At LEH, we serve all Louisianians across 64 parishes and support local organizations and initiatives that our citizens care about, including sustained focus on literacy, social studies and civics, and preservation of local culture and traditions. We are also the publisher of our state’s award-winning chronicle of history and culture, 64 Parishes magazine, and its companion digital encyclopedia, 64parishes.org. With global readership, our content reaches Louisiana enthusiasts and readers from 222 countries and 6 continents.

Proposed Project: Anchor the LEH as the statewide education and heritage support agency. The LEH has a 55+-year history of supporting local communities and the schools, museums, historic sites, archives, media groups, festivals, cultural centers, libraries, indigenous tribes, and cultural content producers, all of whom make up the diverse and delicate network of a broad education and heritage landscape. Our network includes over 1400 partner entities across all 64 parishes. Our plan acknowledges that sustained support is needed for innovation and continued growth.

Total appropriation request: $3,000,000

As a leading statewide agency, the LEH will:
1. Implement a coordinated effort to ensure technical assistance and capacity building is made available to the sector through our effective and efficient grants program.
2. Facilitate disaster and emergency planning, technical training, and rapid response mitigation support for all critical cultural organizations for when disaster strikes.
3. Provide services and programming that supports teachers, students, and families in all 64 parishes in boosting cultural literacy, civics education, and family literacy.
4. Document local histories and expand access and public engagement in meaningful digital, print and community-based modalities and experiences.

Anticipated Results: The LEH will work to ensure that our education and heritage infrastructure—its institutions and people—is preserved and supported in delivering impact driven services and programming.
The LEH is a trusted steward of public funds and longtime partner of Louisiana’s diverse education and heritage sectors and communities in all 64 parishes. Our expertise lies in grantmaking, disaster mitigation funding, facilitation of innovative solutions, and public education and engagement.

Specifically, we expect the following results:
1. Economic impact-Creation and preservation of cultural sector jobs and assets across the state.
2. Preservation impact- Documentation of local histories in digital, print, and in-person modalities, and sector wide engagement in emergency readiness.
3. Education Impact-Coordinated education support programming for educators, students and families focused on literacy and social studies in communities across all 64 parishes.

Total capital outlay request: $4,274,554.00

Project Scope: The LEH seeks State Capital Outlay funds for Critical Repairs and Restoration of Historic Turners’ Hall. Built in 1868 for the Society of Turners, this historically significant building is on the Register of Historic Buildings and serves the people of Louisiana as the home of Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.

This project has secured partial State funding and has 100% of match secured. This request is being submitted to seek additional funds needed due to the December 14th, 2024 partial building collapse of Turner Hall. The stabilization costs are not included in this request and are funded with non-public sources and will be completed in spring of 2027. The new Capital Outlay request incorporates a more extensive
interior renovation of the building after stabilization.

What is the budget relative to the project for which funding is requested?:
          Salaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,287,135
          Professional Services. . . $0
          Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . $170,000
          Acquisitions . . . . . . . . . $0
          Major Repairs . . . . . . . $4,274,554
          Operating Services. . . . $342,865
          Other Charges. . . . . . . $1,200,000

Does your organization have any outstanding audit issues or findings?  No

If 'Yes' is your organization working with the appropriate governmental agencies to resolve those issues or findings?
          

What is the entity's public purpose, sought to be achieved through the use of state monies?
          As a leading statewide provider of humanities programs and training across all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, the LEH sees a great need for its services to be expanded. Leveraging state funds with federal and other funding available, the LEH will work to ensure that our heritage and educational support infrastructure is supported in planning for a more sustainable and vibrant future.
At LEH, we serve all Louisianians across 64 parishes and support local organizations and initiatives that our citizens care about. Recent accomplishments include:
¿ Economic impact: Created and preserved 827 cultural sector jobs.
¿ Preservation impact: Awarded over 650 grants in support of emergency readiness and cultural programming to local organizations.
¿ Education impact: Provided more than 200,000 students with free Freedom Framework Social Studies Standards-aligned Louisiana history resources, trained 280 social studies teachers. Supported nearly 6,000 families with award-winning literacy programming, reaching all 64 Parishes.
As a leading provider of humanities education initiatives around the state, the LEH believes that access to high quality education is a right. Through initiatives such as Prime Time Family Reading and the Institute for Louisiana Culture and History, LEH provides critical support to our schools, teachers, students and their families. For example, Prime Time Family Reading provides research-based, and outcomes driven family engagement and literacy supports to Louisiana’s families, and the Institute for Louisiana Culture and History is a statewide educational hub providing reliable, accessible Louisiana social studies resources to K–12 students and teachers.

Louisiana has seen significant education improvements, ranking first nationally in reading growth and recovering strongly from pandemic learning loss, with students in some areas even surpassing pre-pandemic math and reading levels. Key achievements include substantial jumps in rankings on The Nation's Report Card (NAEP), top-five national placement for math growth, and recognition as a national leader in reading recovery. These gains are attributed to focused efforts on early literacy, evidence-based practices, and strong teacher support. This means we must continue to advance the strategies that are showing results!

The LEH is a trusted steward of public funds and longtime partner of Louisiana’s diverse heritage and education sectors and communities in all 64 parishes. Our expertise lies in grantmaking, emergency preparedness and disaster mitigation funding for cultural institutions, facilitation of innovative solutions, and public education and engagement. With this program LEH seeks to advance its public purpose in meaningful and quantifiably ways.

What are the goals and objectives for achieving such purpose?
          The goal of the program is to ensure that local heritage and educational infrastructure across all 64 parishes—its institutions and people—is preserved and supported in planning for a more sustainable future. Specifically, we expect the following results:

Objective 1: Preservation of cultural sector jobs and assets across the state.
• Key Performance Indicator: 120 sector jobs preserved.
• Key Performance Indicator: 75 organizations sustainability of operations and programming.

Objective 2: Sector wide engagement in disaster mitigation planning and training.
• Key Performance Indicator: 35 organizations complete emergency plans.
• Key Performance Indicator: 35 organizations complete emergency training.

Objective 3: Rapid response grants support in response to emergencies and disasters.
• Key Performance Indicator: Increase LEH capacity for responsive emergency response.
• Key Performance Indicator: Establish emergency response fund for rapid deployment.

Objective 4: Documentation of local histories and building communities through public engagements.
• Key Performance Indicator: Publish 4 issues 64 Parishes Magazine documenting local history and culture.
• Key Performance Indicator: Facilitate the Poet Laureate program for enhanced public engagement statewide.

Objective 5: Coordinated education and outreach programming in all 64 parishes.
• Key Performance Indicator: Deliver 30 family literacy support programs reaching 1,000 families.
• Key Performance Indicator: Train 100 educators in Freedom Framework Social Studies standards.
• Key Performance Indicator: Expand access to high quality, free Louisiana history content tied to Freedom Framework Social Studies standards online.

What is the proposed length of time estimated by the entity to accomplish the purpose?
           12 months

If any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official is an officer, director, trustee, or employee of the recipient entity who receives compensation or holds any ownership interest therein:
     (a) If an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of the official and the office held by such person:
                
    
     (b) If an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of such person; the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related; and the nature of the relationship:
                 Emily Stine (LEH Board Member)
1200 Inverness Drive
Lake Charles, LA 70605

Senator Jeremy P. Stine (Spouse of LEH Board Member)
127 Broad Street
Suite 700
Lake Charles, LA 70601

     (c) The percentage of the official's or immediate family member's ownership interest in the recipient entity, if any:
                

     (d) The position, if any, held by the official or immediate family member in the recipient entity:
                  Board Member (not compensated, volunteer position))

If the recipient entity has a contract with any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official or with the state or any political subdivision of the state:
(a) If the contract is with an elected or appointed state official, provide the name and address of the official and the office held by such person: 
               

(b) If the contract is with an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official:
          Provide the name and address of such person:
              

          Provide the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related:
               

          What is the nature of the relationship? 

(c) If the contract is with the state or a political subdivision of the state, provide the name and address of the state entity or political subdivision of the state:
                 Office of the Lieutenant Governor/Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, 1051 N 3rd St, Baton Rouge, LA, 70804

(d) The nature of the contract, including a description of the goods or services provided or to be provided pursuant to the contract:
               The Louisiana Legislature created the America 250 Louisiana State Commission ("Commission") and has appropriated funds to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor to support the purposes and programs of the Commission. The Commission was created to work jointly with the federal America 250 commission and to help plan and coordinate the celebration of the semiquincentennial anniversary of the United States of America (“Semiquincentennial”). The Commission is further directed to advise the Lieutenant Governor of its activities, and the Lieutenant Governor is directed to provide support to the Commission (HCR 96 of the 2022 Regular Session, HCR 50 of the 2023 Regular Session, HCR 59 of the 2025 Regular Session).

The Commission, the State, and the Contractor (LEH) have determined that the creation and administration of a statewide “mini-grant program” (“Program”) to support participation of all 64 of Louisiana’s parishes in the Semiquincentennial will support and enhance the work and public purposes of the OLG and the Commission in their efforts to plan and execute a successful Semiquincentennial in Louisiana, in accordance with its legislative mandate.

In cooperation with the Commission and the State, the Contractor (LEH) shall develop, market, and administer a statewide mini-grant program ("Program") designed to reach all 64 parishes and support local participation in the Semiquincentennial.

Through the Program, the LEH shall award individual grants of up to $1,500 each to eligible applicants whose proposed projects comply with Program guidelines and whose applications are approved by a grant selection committee. The cumulative total amount of grants awarded through the Program shall not exceed $105,000.00. Total Agreement amount: $115,600.00

This Agreement shall begin on February 1, 2026, and shall terminate on September 1, 2027.


Contact Information
name:  Miranda Restovic 
                                       address:  938 LAFAYETTE ST STE 300 NA
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70113-1027
                                       phone:  5046202486
                                       fax: 
                                       e-mail:  restovic@leh.org
                                       relationship to entity:  President and CEO