Projects that fall outside our major giving areas.

Some of our work falls outside our main areas of giving. Our Special Opportunity grants are typically one-time investments that enable the foundation to respond creatively to issues that are related to but not clearly within defined strategies. They might also respond to unanticipated events or provide opportunities to learn about challenges we face through discussions with experts outside our established networks.

In the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina, for example, we made a series of grants designed to help those most in need. Our grants, totaling $3 million, went to established organizations that could have a significant and immediate impact, including the American Red Cross, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, America's Second Harvest, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. These organizations provided evacuees with food, clothes, medical care, and shelter in the critical days after the storm. Our Education and U.S. Libraries teams have also worked with schools and libraries that were affected by the hurricane.