Community Investment
Originally published on Verite News
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / September 16, 2025 / When the floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina began to recede, neighborhoods were left with more questions than answers. Families wondered how they would rebuild, schools needed resources and small businesses faced uncertain futures. Entergy's response wasn't just about restoring power - it was about helping communities find their footing again.
Entergy's continued investment in its local communities demonstrates its commitment to show up for New Orleans customers, time and time again. Over the years since the storm, that commitment often meant putting resources directly where they matter most - in the hands of both large and small community-driven initiatives to support local economies, strengthen nonprofits, and create opportunities for people to thrive.
Every partnership and project underscores Entergy's dedication to Powering Life: From Recovery to Renewal across the Gulf South.
For Entergy, Katrina wasn't just a one-time challenge. It reaffirmed a century-long legacy of investing in the communities it serves. Choosing New Orleans as the corporate headquarters was intentional, a reflection of the deep roots and responsibility that come with being the only Fortune 500 company in the city.
"We're engrained in New Orleans' past, and we will be part of her bright future," said Marcus Brown, Entergy's Executive Vice President and General Counsel. "When we all came back after Hurricane Katrina, we came back with a real purpose to be better, to be stronger, to be more resilient not just in how we built back the grid but also in how we built back the communities we serve."
"We recognize that the need to invest in the resilience of our communities through education and workforce development, poverty solutions, and environmental programs is just as important as investing in the resilience of our infrastructure," Brown added.
Over the past two decades, Entergy shareholders have contributed nearly $95 million in philanthropic support, while employees have dedicated more than 1.6 million hours of volunteer service across the company's service area.
Entergy doesn't just want to be in New Orleans, it wants to be of New Orleans.
"Entergy is more than power lines; we're the foundation of economic growth and community life," said Elizabeth Adams, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. "From attracting businesses and creating jobs to planting trees and restoring wetlands, our work touches everyday lives. We live here, work here, and invest here because thriving communities are at the heart of what we do."
That focus on lasting impact has positioned Entergy to help drive sustainable change across the region. One of the most visible examples came earlier in 2025 with the city's hosting of Super Bowl LIX. As part of Entergy's partnership with Mrs. Gayle Benson and the New Orleans Saints, the NFL Foundation, and the New Orleans Super Bowl LIX Host Committee, Entergy helped power Impact 59, the official legacy grant program for Super Bowl LIX. The program is already making a measurable difference across Greater New Orleans, well beyond the big game.
Through Impact 59, Entergy and its partners awarded more than $3.5 million in grants to 65 nonprofit organizations across 10 parishes, supporting programs that advance economic development, education, workforce training, youth development, health and wellness, and equity and inclusion.
"The need for our region is great, and the grant selection process was highly competitive, with more than 570 applications totaling $70 million in funding requests received in just one month," Brown said. "These grants support a broad range of community programs, from expanding educational opportunities at Xavier University of Louisiana, to fostering equity through the Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation, to improving food access with the help of Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana."
Workforce training has also been a key priority. Organizations like the New Orleans Career Center are using their funding to prepare residents for high-demand careers. Youth-focused groups such as the Youth Empowerment Project are helping young people build leadership skills and open doors to new opportunities. For Entergy, the Impact 59 legacy grant program is part of a broader mission: investing in and giving back to the communities where they live and serve.
"We're proud to empower local organizations that are dedicated to fostering positive change and strengthening the greater New Orleans area for years to come, well beyond the Super Bowl," Brown said.
Looking ahead, Entergy remains focused on helping the
Gulf South continue to grow and thrive.
"The future excites me because Entergy touches every stage of life," Adams said. "From education to careers to recreation, we're investing to help people thrive at every step. That means attracting new businesses, keeping talent here at home, and ensuring our environments remain sustainable for the next hundred years and beyond."
For Adams, sustainability is personal. She's a native of Cut Off, La., in Lafourche Parish, and sits both in the fishing community of Bayou Lafourche but also on the front lines of coastal erosion and rising sea levels. She chaired the Super Bowl LIX Host Committee's sustainability program, spearheading environmental initiatives including tree planting, beautification and coastal restoration projects. Entergy, in collaboration with partners like the Super Bowl Host Committee and NFL Green helped support these efforts.
For example, Entergy volunteers, alongside partners with Chef's Brigade, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Force Blue and Verizon, installed 59 tons of oyster shells along the shoreline in Leeville, Louisiana. These reclaimed shells, sourced from local restaurants, create a "living shoreline" and serve to prevent coastal erosion and act as natural storm barriers. This event is just one example of Entergy's continued support for local partners, like the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.
"CRCL has been working across Louisiana's coast to implement projects that slow land loss and restore healthy ecosystems. Entergy has helped power this work directly through the might of its volunteers," says Donna Betzer, development director at CRCL. "The company has also provided funding to support projects including our Oyster Shell Recycling Program's reefs that created more than 350 feet of shoreline protection in Bay Adams and at Bayou Pointe-au-Chien, and it was the primary funder of projects to plant more than 2,000 bald cypress, red swamp maple and water tupelo trees in Schriever, Manchac and Chalmette."
Brown concluded, "We remain committed to building a future where our cities, state and region can weather the storm and get back on their feet faster and stronger than before."
For Entergy, powering life has always been about more than electricity. It's about investing in people, supporting communities, and helping the Gulf South move from recovery to renewal together.
All Photo Credits: Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries
View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Entergy Corporation on 3blmedia.com.
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SOURCE: Entergy Corporation
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/utilities/powering-life-recovery-to-renewal-1074071
