New Orleans Abortion Fund was founded in 2012 with a simple focus: to challenge socioeconomic inequalities by directly funding abortion. Abortion access has been under attack for decades, and Louisiana has been at the center of those attacks. Our state has more anti-abortion laws on the books than any other state in the US, and the combined weight of those restrictions mean that abortion access in Louisiana is often hard to come by and unaffordable. Working with local medical providers, NOAF makes direct pledges to offset the cost of abortions for people receiving care in Louisiana and for Louisianans seeking abortion care outside of the state. We have two helplines—an English-language warmline, and a Spanish-language warmline. In March 2020, NOAF began providing practical support funding in addition to directly funding abortion.

Advocacy and community education have been core to the organization since our founding; we recognize that abortion stigma thrives in silence. NOAF was a founding member of the Louisiana Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, and serves on its steering committee today. We have advocated in the Louisiana legislature, testified against anti-abortion bills, brought community members to the Capitol, hosted rallies, canvassed, and participated in the occasional direct action. We are hiring a Regional Community Organizer to take our community political engagement to the next level.