'Big Easy Budget Game' About How to Best Spend New Orleans Tax Money Wins Tech Award

The contest highlights innovative uses of technology to solve America’s largest social challenges

NEW ORLEANS— The Committee for a Better New Orleans has announced that staffer Kelsey Foster and the Big Easy Budget Game won the 2017 NationSwell Tech Impact AllStar Award. The Tech Impact AllStar Awards are a national competition among civic innovators working to solve some of America’s greatest social challenges using technology.

The Big Easy Budget Game is a data-driven, crowd-sourced interactive website that residents can use to balance the city budget with their own spending priorities. Just under 600 residents participated to date, indicating their desire for more accountable government, better responsiveness to issues on a community level, such as fighting blight and infrastructure improvements and less funding for traditional reactive public safety like prisons.

The Committee for a Better New Orleans accepted the award at the 2017 NationSwell Summit on Solutions in New York City on November 2. Four other finalists working in the field of social impact technology also presented their projects. The Committee for a Better and fellow finalists participated in a voting competition online from Oct. 2 until the day of the conference. CBNO was the winner of the popular vote. As the winner of the Tech Impact AllStar Award, CBNO received $10,000 to further their work in civic engagement.

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The Tech Impact Allstars Award comes at an exciting time for CBNO, which is currently in the beginning stages of scaling the site to other cities both across the United States and internationally.

“This technology, though developed for New Orleans, can be a powerful tool for cities, universities, and other public bodies seeking input into how to more equitably, effectively, and responsibly spend public dollars. We’re proud to work with our colleagues across the map to make public budgeting a more inclusive, meaningful process for residents everywhere,” Keith Twitchell, President of CBNO said.

NationSwell is a digital media company focused on American innovation and renewal — identifying and profiling social innovators who are developing impactful ways to solve America’s most critical issues.

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The Committee for a Better New Orleans works to create equity and opportunity for all New Orleanians by developing community leaders, fostering civic engagement, and advocating for open, effective, accountable government. Visit cbno.org to learn more. Click here to play to game. 

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