Who we are

Working to build
thriving communities

We advocate for every New Orleans resident, especially those of marginalized and under-resourced communities, to be safe, healthy, stable, and empowered.

The Big Easy Budget Coalition is a network of 40+ organizations and community members working toward a New Orleans where every neighborhood can thrive. We advocate for investments in housing, youth, and community-based safety—ensuring the city’s budget reflects the priorities of those most impacted.

See our campaigns 
Origin story

See a need,
fill a need.

In 2021, local community organizations knew something needed to be done.

Local organizations came together with a singular goal: to advocate for the City of New Orleans to spend American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on the building blocks of safe, thriving communities: affordable housing, youth services and programs, community violence intervention, and other equitable initiatives. They succeeded.

Get involved with us
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OUR EVOLUTION

Growing our impact—tenfold

From a small coalition to a citywide force for equitable investment.

That group became the Big Easy Budget Coalition (BEBC), which now includes more than forty New Orleans-based organizations representing every district in the city.

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The City of New Orleans received $388 million in ARPA funding

Intended to “foster a strong, inclusive, and equitable recovery” from the COVID-19 pandemic. Before BEBC members got involved, elected officials had already spent the first tranche of funding on police and plugging budget holes.

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(01)

As a result of sustained advocacy and community pressure

City council approved a 2024 budget which included $46 million of investments in affordable housing construction, violence interrupters in the Office of Violence Prevention, programs combating food insecurity, infrastructure to measure youth services, and more.

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(02)

Scaling investments beyond ARPA dollars for a thriving New Orleans

The Coalition has expanded its focus beyond ARPA dollars to making the budget process more transparent, equitably increasing the city funds, and advocating for thriving investments in community-identified priorities.

Check out our campaigns

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OUR VALUES

What guides our work

Our work is grounded in a shared commitment to equity, community leadership, and lasting change. These values shape how we advocate, organize, and push for investments that build a safer, more just New Orleans.

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01. Show up together

We support one another through challenges and victories because lasting change is built in community.

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02. Joyful participation

We create welcoming, accessible ways for people to engage, contribute, and build power together.

Group of four people, three women and one man, standing together indoors in front of wooden panel walls, smiling at the camera. One woman is wearing glasses, another has a shirt with a message about violence being a health crisis, and the man is wearing a white cap. They have name tags on their clothes.

03. Practice accountability

We acknowledge when we get it wrong, learn from our mistakes, and commit to doing better.

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04. Collective responsibility

We distribute work, leadership, and decision-making so no one person carries the burden alone.

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05. Build for tomorrow

We invest in long-term solutions and relationships that strengthen our communities for generations.

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06. Lead with equity

We recognize differences in power, privilege, and access, and work to ensure everyone can participate meaningfully.

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07. Heal and transform

We support healing for those harmed while working to change the systems and institutions that caused the harm.

consensus decision-Making

Many voices. A singular agenda.

A citywide coalition building consensus around shared priorities for investment, equity, and community safety.

We use a hybrid consensus-sociocracy model to align around a shared budget agenda and budget equity campaign. To build community and effectively organize together, we work in circles around different topics, meet bimonthly, and host strategic retreats and campaign kickoffs.

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Who's involved

Our members

Big Easy Budget Coalition wouldn’t exist without the diverse, growing group of individuals, and more than forty social justice organizations that do the hard work.

Our coalition brings together grassroots organizers, advocates, and community-based organizations from across New Orleans, each rooted in the neighborhoods they serve. From housing and youth development to violence prevention and economic justice, our members lead the work on the ground—and together, we turn that collective power into coordinated action for a more equitable city.

Join our growing coalition