Who We Are
Meet the Forstalls
A father's lifetime of giving. A son's fire to make it count. Together, a force New Orleans can build on.
A father's lifetime of giving. A son's fire to make it count. Together, a force New Orleans can build on.
For more than four decades, Chip has stood up for New Orleanians in their hardest moments — and quietly stood behind this city everywhere else.
The philanthropy came long before the Foundation. While building one of the most recognized personal injury practices in New Orleans, Chip was giving his time and leadership where the city needed it most — especially where kids and education were concerned:
Add the Chip Forstall Jingle — placed in the hands of homegrown musicians for decades as a celebration of the artists who give this city its sound — and you have a lifetime of giving that never asked for a press release. The Foundation finally gives it one.
Through the Law Offices of Chip Forstall, the family has sponsored, supported, and stood beside causes across the region — schools, churches, youth programs, recovery houses, first responders, and the festivals that make this city itself.
Every name up there is a relationship, not a transaction — and the Foundation inherits all of them.
See the Firm's Community PageRaised in the practice — and raised watching his father give. Jonathan's mission is to take that lifelong habit and turn it into something structured, measurable, and impossible to ignore.
Jonathan leads the family firm into its second generation with the same discipline that starts his every day at 4:30 a.m.: preparation, consistency, and zero tolerance for doing things halfway. He believes what builds a strong case builds a strong foundation — and he's applied that conviction to every piece of Elevate NOLA, from the five funded programs to the year-end impact report every sponsor receives.
The vision is his father's lesson, engineered for scale: don't just write checks — show up, stay, measure the difference, and build something this community can be proud of for generations. Just as his father taught him.
Put them together and you get something rare: Chip's four decades of relationships, credibility, and hard-earned trust across every corner of this city — and Jonathan's systems, energy, and refusal to let a good intention stay an intention.
You can hear it every week on From NOLA with the Forstalls, the podcast they co-host celebrating the artists, entrepreneurs, and everyday legends of New Orleans. And starting with the 2026–27 school year, you'll see it at Leah Chase School.
Sponsor a program, volunteer at Leah Chase Day, or give today — and build chapter one with the Forstalls.