Committee for a Better New Orleans

CBNO works to create equity and opportunity for all New Orleanians by developing community leaders, fostering civic engagement, and advocating for open, effective, accountable government. We believe cities work better when the people who live in them have a say in how they work. CBNO was founded in 1966 as the first organization in New Orleans to cross lines of race and class.

CBNO operates the following programs in New Orleans:

The Bryan Bell Metropolitan Leadership Forum: The BBMLF develops leaders in our community through a 12 week programmed aimed at giving participants a diverse, comprehensive view of major issues facing our city.

The Big Easy Budget Game: bigeasybudgetgame.com is an interactive website that asks New Orleanians to play mayor for a day by balancing the city budget. We use the data created by this game to advocate for a better city budget that meets the real needs of communities across the city.

The Community Participation Program: The CPP is a community-designed system for resident input into city decision making. When fully implemented, this system would create a predictable, codified system for meaningful civic engagement.