New Orleans has big problems.

No institution can solve them alone.

Across New Orleans, people are facing rising costs, unreliable infrastructure, energy insecurity, public systems that too often fail, and decisions made without the communities most affected at the table.

Together New Orleans exists because ordinary people should not have to face those problems alone. When congregations, unions, neighborhood associations, and civic institutions act together, they can build the power needed to make public life work better for everyone.

Too many people know what is broken — but feel powerless to change it.

Residents know the streets that flood, the bills that keep rising, the neighborhoods that get ignored, and the promises that never turn into action. They know which systems are not working because they live with the consequences every day.

But knowing the problem is not the same as having the power to change it.

That is why Together New Orleans organizes across institutions. We help people move from frustration to strategy, from isolated concerns to shared priorities, and from private conversations to public action.

Empowering our residents with lighthouse keeper training May 2026

Organized institutions create lasting power.

A single person can raise a concern. A single organization can push for change. But when many institutions move together, congregations, unions, neighborhood associations, and civic groups — decision-makers have to listen differently.

Together New Orleans builds power through the places where people already gather, lead, worship, work, learn, and serve. That kind of organizing is built to last beyond one campaign, one election, or one moment of crisis.

  • Change starts with trust. We build relationships across lines of race, faith, neighborhood, income, and political affiliation.

  • We train ordinary people to speak, organize, negotiate, and lead in public life.

  • We bring institutions together so communities can act with enough scale, discipline, and strategy to win.

Representatives from a small portion of our 200+ represented member institutions

The future of New Orleans is being decided right now.

New Orleans is facing urgent questions about affordability, energy, infrastructure, public investment, and who gets to shape the city’s future. These decisions affect whether families can stay rooted, whether neighborhoods can recover from crisis, and whether public systems serve the people who depend on them.

Together New Orleans organizes because communities deserve more than reaction after disaster or frustration after decisions are already made. They deserve a seat at the table before decisions happen — and enough organized power to shape the outcome.