Tagged News

• Planning Commission approves proposed Plan Baton Rouge III that aims to invest billions into downtown Play Video

  May 19, 2026 8:08 AM

  BATON ROUGE — A major revitalization plan designed to triple downtown Baton Rouge's residential population has been approved by the city's planning commission. The planning commission approved the Baton Rouge Area Foundation-authored Plan Baton Rouge III at its Monday meeting, marking a key milestone for the plan, which calls... more »

• BRAF: $1.1 million available for families accessing early childhood education across EBR Parish Play Video

  March 31, 2026 8:46 AM

  BATON ROUGE — The Baton Rouge Area Foundation said Tuesday that more than $1.1 million will be available for families accessing early childhood education across East Baton Rouge Parish during the 2026-27 school year. The funding will be made available via stipends to help families afford the cost of... more »

• BRAF awards 19 nonprofits with $300,000 in grant money aimed to improve education, safety Play Video

  December 2, 2025 12:46 PM

  BATON ROUGE — The Baton Rouge Area Foundation on Tuesday said that it has issued $300,000 in grants to 19 local nonprofits working to improve early childhood education and community safety. BRAF said the funding was issued following findings from its Opportunity Data Project. "These Impact Grants represent... more »

• BRAF: Higher rate of heart disease, homicide leads to Baton Rouge's lower-than-average life expectancy Play Video

  August 25, 2025 7:28 AM

  BATON ROUGE — East Baton Rouge Parish residents live, on average, four years shorter than the national average, a new study commissioned by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation shows. Baton Rougeians live an average of 74 years, which is also significantly lower than in other Louisiana parishes. The... more »

• Downtown Development District shows downtown revitalization plan Play Video

  April 30, 2025 11:16 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is unveiling the next phase of the master plan to revitalize the downtown area Wednesday night. The Downtown Development District presented the plan at an open house at the Louisiana Art and Science Museum. more »

• Local restaurants, industry leaders team up to provide meals to healthcare workers Play Video

  April 13, 2020 10:34 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Local restaurants delivered meals to hospitals Monday night, kick-starting a campaign to feed healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each day a collection of 70 restaurants will rotate, feeding 500 total hospital staff at four locations in the capital city, Baton Rouge... more »

• BRAF offers free service to clear property titles for flooded homes

  November 30, 2016 5:40 PM

  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge Area Foundation, with support from a W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant, is offering a free program to help people clear property titles for residents in flood-damaged homes. According to BRAF, FEMA has denied funding to more than 2,500 people in disaster-impacted parishes who could... more »

• BRAF starts employee assistance fund for LSU employees affected by flood

  August 23, 2016 11:48 AM

  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has established the LSU Employee Assistance Fund to help LSU employees who have been affected by the recent flood. The fund was started at the request of LSU President, F. King Alexander. "While the LSU campus was relatively untouched, many... more »

• Vendors to hold fundraiser for flood victims under Perkins Road overpass on Saturday

  August 18, 2016 12:20 PM

  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge community is coming together to host a fundraiser to benefit victims of the recent severe weather and flooding. Several food and drink vendors are hosting an event called the "Fundraiser Under The Overpass" on Saturday at 6 p.m. under the Perkins Road overpass.... more »

• CityStats 2016 report analyzes EBR economics, other factors

  August 4, 2016 10:59 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has released its CityStats 2016 report complete with indicators for tracking quality of life in the Capital Area. CityStats tracks the quality of life in East Baton Rouge Parish with more than 70 indicators. Its total 2016 sample included more than... more »

• BRAF recruits leader for new crisis intervention center

  August 3, 2016 12:13 PM

  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has recruited a new leader to organize and establish a crisis intervention center in partnership with East Baton Rouge Parish leaders. Rob Reardon is the first executive director of The Bridge Center, a non-profit organization created by BRAF to assist those... more »

• More than $185,000 raised in Unite for Our Heroes Telethon Play Video

  July 28, 2016 7:50 PM

  BATON ROUGE – The Baton Rouge community donated more than $185,000 between Thursday and Friday for WBRZ Channel 2's Unite for Our Heroes Telethon. Although the final amount is still being calculated, donations have already exceeded $185,000 since Thursday evening. There are still ways to donate, and we hope... more »

• Eight-year-old boy makes $2.2K donation to first responders fund Play Video

  July 26, 2016 8:03 PM

  BATON ROUGE – Restaurants, corporations and individuals have been donating money to help Baton Rouge Area Foundation's First Responders Fund, but one tremendous donation came from an unlikely source. One donator, eight-year-old Benjamin Chiasson, gave to the fund after he opened his own lemonade stand to raise money. "I just... more »

• Dozens of area restaurants participate in #25onthe25th Play Video

  July 25, 2016 3:27 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Restaurants throughout the Capital Area are donating 25 percent of their sales on July 25th with the cash going to help support the families of recently fallen Baton Rouge officers. Dozens of restaurants in the Baton Rouge area have connected with the effort, which propagated largely... more »

• Iconic Coca-Cola sign lights back up Friday

  April 15, 2016 8:46 AM

  BATON ROUGE- An iconic sign is coming back to Baton Rouge. A lighting ceremony will be held for the massive Coca-Cola sign downtown. The sign has been dark for more than 20 months due to a dispute over who owned it. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation took control of the... more »

• BRAF to side-step Metro Council in setting up health district in south Baton Rouge

  February 23, 2016 7:36 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has apparently decided to go around the Metro Council with its plans to build a health district in Baton Rouge. Councilwoman and Planning Commissioner Tara Wicker told WBRZ News 2 that BRAF pulled the item from the Metro Council's agenda. This comes... more »

• BRAF to release plans for new mental health facility

  February 22, 2016 9:10 AM

  BATON ROUGE- The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is expected to release more details about its plan to deal with the mental health crisis in the capital city. Last year, jail officials said that people with mental health issues are being housed in jails because there's not enough space at local... more »