The Nous Foundation is a non-profit organization working to create and nurture the link between Louisiana and the French-speaking world. The foundation’s mission is to nurture the French culture of Louisiana and ensure that the French roots of the state remain in place for generations to come. They hope to make Louisiana French and Creole languages accessible and support innovative projects.
Co-founder and President of Nous Foundation, Scott Tilton was born and raised in New Orleans and spent years in Paris, where he met Rudy Bazenet, who serves as the foundation’s co-founder and Vice President. Together they launched Nous Foundation to create a new generational spin on French heritage and education.
Since launching in June 2020, the foundation has pushed for the revitalization of French and Louisiana Creole culture. They have made freely accessible 80+ bilingual publications, organized 15 community events, and supported innovative projects that promote these languages. The foundation is proud to have co-organized a conference series with the University of Cambridge of Language Revitalization. As a part of Le Lab, Nous Foundation has joined forces with Creole education group, Chinbo, to support their projects and grow their organization. In partnership with Codofil, the foundation will be developing an educational booklet on the Francophonie that will be given to 5,000 students across Louisiana. Francophonie is an institution that organizes relations between countries that have the French language in common.
Nous Foundation is currently raising money to build a cultural center in which they can better serve the French and Creole people of the community, as well as those interested in learning more about French and Creoles. The center has plans for a café, a concept store, which will contain local art, and an exhibition space, which will serve as a concert venue and place where people can socialize and immerse themselves in the French and Creole culture. Networking, talks, and concerts are just a few things that Nous Foundation has planned for the space.
The foundation is set to make a short French film with Louisiana-French band, Sweet Crude, to further the focus on Louisiana’s French roots. Plans also include a conference series set to launch this fall with Global New Orleans. The foundation invites people to share their perspectives on topics that are important to Louisianians.
In a city like New Orleans, where French influence is such a rich part of the heritage, Nous Foundation hopes to be the place where people can learn about the French and Creole world in a friendly and relaxing environment. The foundation already has 10,000 members and has raised $85,000 since December 2020. They have received four grants and are looking forward to launching their brick-and-mortar cultural center next year. The Nous Foundation is also proud to be working with Maison des Francophonies, which connects the organization to 50 partners throughout the world.
To learn more about Nous Foundation, visit www.nous-foundation.org.
