LSU Health Foundation

LSU Health Foundation

The LSU Health Foundation was established in 1988 as the primary fundraising engine for LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans. Operating as a 501(c)(3), the foundation channels philanthropic capital into six professional schools and eight centers of excellence. Its board includes Robert A. Savoie, who also leads the technology firm Geocent, reflecting a governance model that draws on local business leadership. The foundation's deployment strategy blends traditional endowment management with direct real asset ownership tied to its academic mission. Asset-class exposure spans commercial real estate, residential development, and venture funding. The portfolio includes the foundation's headquarters at 2000 Tulane Avenue, a mixed-use lakefront property in Mandeville, and undeveloped land parcels on Tulane Avenue. The foundation also launched the LSU Health Foundation Seed Capital Innovation Fund to back early-stage ventures, participating in programs through the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation. Beyond its balance sheet, the foundation operates through public-private partnerships. A notable example is the $102M Student Living Center developed with Provident Resources Group, which added residential capacity to the New Orleans campus. The foundation holds a curated collection titled The Art of Medicine, housed at the Medical Education Innovation Center. Key relationships include benefactors like Al Copeland Jr., who partnered on the Mariner's Village retirement community. The foundation's architecture combines an operating real estate company with a grant-making endowment, making it structurally distinct from a purely financial endowment. It does not simply allocate to external managers; it originates, develops, and holds mission-aligned property on behalf of the LSU Health Sciences Center, blurring the line between institutional investor and university development arm.