Who We Are

The Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation proudly works to answer life's questions and relieve human suffering. Under the proud and deeply dedicated leadership of American war hero D. Paul Spencer, a long-time employee and friend of the Browns, the governing body of the Foundation adopted its mission statement: Alleviate Human Suffering. Through the hard work and dedication of the governing body and staff, the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation continues to contribute to the betterment of communities, alleviating human suffering, and supporting educational initiatives. 

We believe in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and developing new treatments for the sick while assisting with community benefit and human interest programs where prudent.  We do not accept unsolicited applications, as we develop and run our own programs. We have utilized hundreds of volunteers over the years in our various programs, but we do not solicit volunteers and we do not undertake any fundraising activities or services. We will not accept donations or gifts from any third party. 

Under the Education committee, the Foundation's Education Department oversees various competitive programs, many of which are exclusively for K-12 education initiatives with a strong preference for STEM and service learning.  The Service Learning program offers funds to schools in parts of Louisiana via Service Learning Awards for K-12 classes to link learning and intentional service to their community through an identified Service Partner. The SupportSTEM Program seeks plans for curriculum implementation or STEM instruction support for K-12 schools. The Summer Camp Program is exclusively for summer camps in Louisiana and parts of Mississippi. Lastly, The Brown Foundation also sponsors the Emmy Noether Awards through it's Education Department. We seek top aspiring female research scientists in any non-clinical STEM (science, technology, engineering, or math) field to help realize their potential careers through financial and networking assistance. Each year, the Emmy Noether Awards will determine one gold medalist, two silver medalists, and up to 10 Emmy Noether Scholars. The gold medalist will be awarded up to $75,000 ($25,000 for each year they are in a graduate level program up to 3 years). The two silver medalists will be awarded $25,000 each for a qualified graduate level program. The Emmy Noether Scholars will receive a $2,000 scholarship upon enrollment into college, and all will join a network of young female aspiring research scientists and will be offered information on internship and networking opportunities.

Our History

Joe W. Brown and Dorothy Dorsett both came from humble beginnings. He was born on a farm on October 5, 1897 in East Texas, and she was born in a small town on March 31, 1896 on the Gulf Coast of Texas. They married in Houston on February 4, 1919, and moved to New Orleans in the 1920's.

Their philanthropic activity regularly reached far and wide and often found worthy causes in Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, Kentucky and Mississippi. Most charitable endeavors during their lifetimes were anonymous. Rare exceptions to their charitable anonymity were the shelter for the New Orleans SPCA, the Memorial Recreation Center in Joe W. Brown Park and the acreage of the park itself in eastern New Orleans.

During their lifetimes, the Browns raced thoroughbred horses, entering them at major racetracks throughout the country under signature colors - white with a black "B" and black stars. Some of their famous horses' names were: Brownie, Gigantic, Cabildo, Listcapade, El Baba and Tenacious.

After Mr. Brown's death, on February 15, 1959, Mrs. Brown devoted much of her time to building and expanding the Broadwater Beach Hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi. She died on October 14, 1989.