Celebrating 60 Years of the Bryan Bell Forum: Apply to the 2026 Leadership Forum + Front Porch Lab
This year, CBNO is celebrating our 60th anniversary, and we’re trying something a little different. For six decades, we’ve been bringing leaders together across divides across race, class, gender, and neighborhood lines to build a better New Orleans. In honor of our anniversary, we’re trying something a little different this year.
Introducing the Front Porch Lab.
The 2026 Forum cohort will carry on the legacy of our signature program – learning about and navigating through civic issues, processes, and systems in the city. But this year is extra special: after the Forum, cohort members will be given funding to turn their passion into action in the Front Porch Lab.
Named after the place where culture thrives and important conversations happen, the Front Porch Lab will bring together a diverse group of 30 New Orleanians to identify challenges within their communities and develop actionable solutions over the course of 17 months. The cohort will consist of four working groups, each given a budget of $10,000 to bring their ideas to life. The Lab creates a special opportunity to build trust in each other and in local government. It offers a way to bring residents together to address the tensions and conflicts that affect our everyday lives in order to create a better New Orleans.
This is something we have envisioned at CBNO for a long time, and we are grateful to be one of eleven non-profits selected to receive funding from the Aspen Institute’s Alliance for Social Trust to make this possible. We are also excited to be doing this in collaboration with Common Ground USA (CG-USA) and the New Orleans Chamber Foundation (NOCF).
Apply to join this historic cohort.
Forum & Front Porch Lab Program Details:
17-month commitment (September 2026 - January 2028)
The first three months include the Forum, the rest are dedicated to the Front Porch Lab
Weekly Forum Sessions on Wednesdays (September 9th - November 18th)
1-day Kickoff Event Saturday, September 12th
1-day Forum Retreat Saturday, November 21st
Monthly Front Porch Lab 2-3 hour in-person working sessions + additional work sessions and group meetings as needed to deliver the project
Key Strengths of a Cohort Member:
Enthusiasm for collaboration with people who have different backgrounds/identities than your own
Ability to engage respectfully across differences
Willingness to learn new skills as a leader to navigate conflict across differences
Curiosity about engaging with city and civic systems to make change
Creative problem solving skills
“Ripple effect” - demonstrated community involvement/ability to engage peers
Active contribution to greater goals and efforts of the whole cohort
Ability to attend at least 80% of scheduled meetings and program sessions
We are excited to see the community that will be formed out of this year’s Leadership Forum & Front Porch Lab and all the transformative ideas our future leaders envision for New Orleans!
If you feel inspired to create change, click below to apply:
Not sure about applying? Learn more about the program and requirements at an info session:
Tuesday, July 28th 6:00pm-7:00pm
In-Person at Propeller 4035 Washington Ave. NO, LA 70125
Wednesday, July 29th 11:30am-12:00pm
Virtually on Zoom
Wednesday, August 5th 4:30pm-5:00pm
Virtually on Zoom
