New Orleans Preservation Coalition

The New Orleans Preservation Coalition and Alliance for Response (NOPC-AfR) is a network of art and cultural heritage institutions, individuals, and agencies dedicated to sustaining and protecting Louisiana’s cultural heritage in the aftermath of major disasters. Our mission is to support preparedness and provide rapid response to catastrophic weather events and other emergencies that threaten the physical safety of collections.

We serve as a coordinated response network during crises, connecting affected cultural heritage and arts organizations with local emergency response partners and providing materials to support post-disaster mitigation. In addition, we aspire to offer regular workshops focused on emergency preparedness for cultural heritage organizations of all sizes. These workshops have covered topics such as proper care and salvage of collections and business records, as well as the development of disaster response and continuity of operations plans.

For GiveNOLA Day, our goal is to raise $2,000 to support essential operating costs, including maintaining a business account and paying for software subscriptions that allow us to effectively coordinate our volunteer network. NOPC is run by a small, dedicated team of volunteers from various institutions who provide disaster response support while also organizing annual gatherings, communications, and workshops outside of their regular jobs. Funds raised will enable us to continue responding to emergencies at small institutions and historic sites throughout New Orleans and the greater New Orleans area. These emergencies can range from pipe leaks and small fires to major hurricane events. When called upon, we quickly coordinate volunteers to arrive on site and provide guidance on immediate response actions.

Through federal funding, we have built an emergency supply cache that institutions can access for recovery and mitigation efforts. However, we now need support to cover the everyday operational costs that keep our organization ready to respond. We hope that generous donors will consider contributing small amounts to help sustain our work for another year, ensuring we remain prepared to support cultural heritage and arts organizations whenever they need assistance.