ERATH, La. — Fifteen Vermilion Parish organizations received a combined $65,475 in grants Wednesday to fund projects ranging from arts education for students to park improvements.
The Vermilion Affiliate Foundation awarded the grants through the Community Foundation of Acadiana’s (CFA) Affiliate Grants Program. The program is supported by charitable funds that individuals, families, and businesses have established at CFA to create lasting local change in their own communities. The Vermilion Affiliate Foundation’s board awards grants from the permanent, endowed Vermilion Fund and reviewed each proposal before approving awards of up to $5,000.
The grant presentation marked the culmination of the 2026 competitive grant cycle for the recipients.
“This is stewardship in action,” CFA President and CEO Missy Bienvenu said. “Resources are growing, but we are using this in a way that we are learning in real time about our community’s biggest opportunities and challenges, making investments accordingly and building our own knowledge about what investments in the future need to look like.”
Kevin Williams of Creative Arts Momentum received a grant during last year’s cycle and was also awarded a grant this year. He said the grants helped to create a space for kids to belong no matter who they are.
“The kids that have self-esteem issues, are not athletic, don’t have a big capacity, don’t show large academic gains, and feel somewhat lost now finally have a program they can be a part of,” Williams said. “You don’t have to be rhythmically in control or good at it. You can just be who you are, and you are fine.”
2026 Vermilion Affiliate Foundation Grant Recipients
- Acadiana Legal Service Corporation: Work Enhancement Project ($5,000): Serves low-income individuals with an eligible criminal record who face barriers to employment, housing, and education.
- Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana: Creative Minds for Brighter Futures ($5,000): Funds the transformation of the current art room at the Vermilion Boys & Girls Club Rodney Simon Unit into a multifunctional creative space designed to inspire imagination and hands-on learning.
- Community Works of Louisiana: Creative Arts Momentum ($5,000): Supports a one-week arts residency at James A. Herod Elementary in Abbeville to inspire children through dance, visual art, and live music.
- CYT@School Project at J.H. Williams Elementary School ($5,000): Provides funding for approximately 30 students to receive high-quality performing arts education for two semesters.
- Faith House: Rural Resilience for Survivors of Domestic Violence ($5,000): Provides emergency financial assistance to survivors of domestic violence in Vermilion Parish.
- Family Missions Company: Stillwater Catholic Retreat Center ($5,000): Supports the completion of the center’s North Guest House.
- Foster the Love: First Night Bags Program ($2,800): Supports the purchase of essential items for “First Night Bags” for children entering foster care.
- Gifting Grace Project: Pack the Backpack Initiative ($5,000). Provides 60 backpacks filled with school and classroom essentials for students experiencing homelessness in Vermilion Parish.
- North Vermilion Youth Athletic Association: Park Improvements ($5,000): Supports the repair of a tractor used for several park repair, expansion, and installation projects.
- Operation Warm: New Shoes for Vermilion Parish Students ($5,000): Supports the purchase of brand-new shoes and two pairs of socks for 200 under-resourced children.
- The Extra Mile: Mobile Crisis Response ($5,000): Supports the marketing, technology, and trauma training to expand crisis response services to more than 1,000 Vermilion Parish community members.
- Vermilion Reach Group: Fine Arts Summer Camp ($2,500): Supports professional teaching artists, instructional supplies, and materials for a free two-week multidisciplinary summer arts camp.
- LA/MS Blinded Veterans Association Regional Group: Braille American Flag Exhibit ($2,675): Supports the exhibit being placed at the Abbeville Main Library, with acrylic flags and plaques going to five library branches in Vermilion Parish.
- Place Adoption Education Foundation: Adoption Education ($5,000): Funds educational presentations on modern adoption for 500-700 Vermilion Parish high school students to foster empathy and prepare future leaders, parents, and professionals to support vulnerable families.
- Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office: Community Connections Initiative ($2,500): Supports the initiative’s Citizens’ Academy and Sheriff’s Youth Program, which gives young people the opportunity to build leadership skills in a hands-on environment.
About Community Foundation of Acadiana
CFA is one of South Louisiana’s premier philanthropic organizations benefiting our region, with a focus on the parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Vermilion. CFA’s core purpose is to build legacies and improve communities by connecting generous people to the causes they care about. Since its inception in 2000, CFA has realized cumulative gifts exceeding $431 million and has made cumulative grants of more than $256 million. You can learn more at www.cfacadiana.org.