Your gift stays in New Orleans
Every dollar funds programs in the Ninth Ward, Tremé, and Gentilly — and we publish exactly where it goes each January. 87 cents of every dollar lands directly in programs.
Pick what your gift does
One-time or monthly — monthly donors are how we plan a whole school year with confidence.
Outfit a Mentee
School supplies, a journal, and a Brighter Path tee for one new Pathfinders kid — small things that make a match feel official from day one.
Feed a Compass Crew
A full week of hot after-school snacks and art supplies for a Compass Club group of ten at the Tremé Rec Center.
Send a Kid to Camp
One full week of Camp Cypress for one camper — canoeing, swim lessons, lunch, bus ride and all. Most requested by donors, most felt by kids.
pick
Custom Gift
$500 trains a cohort of new mentors. $1,200 sponsors a whole camp crew of ten. Or give what's right for you — it all stays local.
The honest breakdown
Numbers from our 2025 program year, audited and published in full every January.
Direct program costs
Camp counselor wages, bus contracts, canoe rentals, snacks, instruments, and field trip admission. The stuff kids can touch.
Program staff
The four full-time humans who match mentors, run the Compass Club, and answer parents' texts at 9pm.
Mentor training & screening
Background checks, two-Saturday training for every new mentor, and monthly support check-ins all year.
Keeping the lights on
Insurance, bookkeeping, this website, and rent on one very small office on N. Claiborne. We keep this slice deliberately thin.
Got one hour a week? That's a mentor.
You don't need a teaching degree or a perfect track record. You need a clean background check, two Saturdays of training, and the ability to show up on the same day every week. We handle everything else.
One hour a week, same day each week
Most mentors meet their kid right after school at their campus or the Tremé Rec Center.
Trained and supported
Two-Saturday onboarding, then monthly check-ins with Marcus and the program team. You're never on your own.
Summer-only options too
Can't commit to the school year? Camp Cypress needs workshop leaders, lunch crew, and Friday showcase cheerers every June and July.
Volunteer Signup
Tell us a little about yourself and Sam, our volunteer coordinator, will call you within two business days.