It underwrote a master plan for downtown, renovated an abandoned hotel and built more than 200 apartment units in the city center.

Other civic projects include developing The Water Campus,[1] a place dedicated to provide water science and management to imperiled communities around the world; improved services for people with mental health and addiction issues; the creation of a master plan for preserving the City Park lakes system; and launching New Schools for Baton Rouge to draw the best charter schools to Baton Rouge.

During the recovery, it continued to help displaced residents by providing funding for basic human needs, physical and mental health, education, and employment.

A project launched by the foundation in 2008 uses Economic indicators] to measure the quality of life in East Baton Rouge, to help created a shared vision among residents.

Past winners include Jacinda Townsend, Nathan Harris, Gabriel Bump, Bryan Washington, Jamel Brinkley, Ladee Hubbard, Crystal Wilkinson, T. Geronimo Johnson, Mitchell S. Jackson, Attica Locke, Stephanie Powell Watts, Dinaw Mengestu, Victor LaValle, Jeffrey R. Allen, Ravi Howard, and Olympia Vernon.

Members of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation provide the resources that drive the administrative activities and leadership programs they undertake on an annual basis.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation unites human and financial resources to enhance the quality of life in South Louisiana.

East and West Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, and * Pointe Coupée Establishing a fund with the foundation allow donors to connect their philanthropic giving to the issues and nonprofits that interest them most.

[4] Scholarship funds are established to assist college students with grants that help cover the cost of tuition, room, and board.