The foundation of a house supports and holds the structure. It takes the longest to construct yet once built, it is never seen again. Similarly, there are many foundational things we do as an organization that are created, some large and some small, that work behind the scenes to hold and support us as we work towards our vision through our mission. They are sometimes forgotten but are some of the most important things we do. 

Below is the Annual Report for the previous year which outlines these foundational things along with projects that we accomplished that year. We could not do any of this without the support of our members both financially and through their volunteerism. Thank you!

To learn more about our Legacy of Preservation.

FMIA Annual Report
October 2024 - September 2025
Summary

This last year we focused on beatifying our neighborhood through planting trees, our Floodwall Mural  and Asphalt Art projects and graffiti abatement. All the while, we were also protecting it from out-of scale projects and zoning regulations that would have detrimental effects on our neighborhood. Of  note, sadly we lost a historic home because of unchecked drug use and lawlessness and the City’s inability to act on these to prevent it. 

Our monthly meetings are where we gather to discuss topics of interest, our Meet the Neighbors  socials are where we support our local businesses, network and build community and our Annual  events - our Spring Home Tour, Fall Walking Tour and Holiday Caroling - are where we come together  to celebrate our neighborhood. 

Accomplishments 

• Awarded a Mayoral Neighborhood Engagement Grant (MNEG) for $12,000 to beautify our  neighborhood. 
• Awarded $3,450 from the City Council Harrah’s Grant for our Flood Wall Mural Project 
• Planted 33 new trees as part of the MNEG in the Marigny Triangle by reintroducing trees in front  of homes along the N. Rampart/Touro corridor. 
• Increased membership by over 27%. 
• Increased our investment back into the community by 131%
• Organized the Roll Call meals for the 5^th District NOPD for a day in November and for Mardi Gras.
• Hosted our inaugural Farmers Market on 2/8 to bring fresh, local produce to the community and  have been going strong every Saturday since then.  
• Continued to work with the City to find solutions to the ongoing issues with patrons of The John
• Successfully worked with the various agencies to shed light on Iggy’s illegal actions and continued safety issues to encourage the State act to protect the neighbors and neighborhood.
• Held our Annual Faubourg Marigny Mardi Gras House Decoration Contest.
• Hosted our Annual Home Tour which hosted over 250 people, showing them the beauty of our  homes and the importance and benefits of historic preservation. 
• Hosted our Annual Walking tour and entertained those on the tour with the neighborhood’s vibrant  past and the interesting language of architecture. 
• Hosted our Annual Holiday Caroling to reinforce our community bonds and boost holiday spirit.
• Continued our Officer Recognition Program with the 5^th District Police Department to recognize outstanding members of the department on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. 
• Completed Phase One of our Flood Wall Mural project, painting the frame, to set the stage for Phase two: Murals! 
• Planned and secured the necessary permits and test-painted our Asphalt Art Project
• Partnered with the Native Plant Initiative to create the Marigny Goes Native project to reintroduce  native species into the neighborhood and hosted the first Propagation and Seed Plating  Workshop. 
• Applied for numerous grants, increasing our funding by 13% to help us with our projects
• Reorganized our social media presence to include a dedicated volunteer to the effort.
• Re-organized and streamlined out accounting reports to make them easily readable and have  them align with our tax reporting.  
• Introduced door hangers and yard signs as a way to inform the neighborhood about events and  projects 
• Discussed important topics and enlisted informative speakers at our monthly meetings to help educate and inform residents 
• Worked with neighborhood businesses through our Meet the Neighbors social to support local  them and build community. 
• Informed residents on neighborhood issues through our monthly meetings to include Short Term  Rentals, Homeless/Transient Issues and new developments that are outside Historic District  Zoning. 
• Monitored the ongoing design issues with 621 Elysian Fields and identified areas where the City  fell short in applying the law fairly which has resulted in a lawsuit to require them to follow it.
• Published our Weekly Eblast, La Vie de Marigny, which informs residents about what is going on  in the neighborhood to include: service interruptions, street closures, filming in the neighborhood,  etc. as well as information about community meetings related to the organization and other topics  of interest.

Accomplishments: On Going

• Washington Square Park - Since Katrina we have been the stewards of the park, helping to repair the damage for the storm and ensuring proper maintenance where needed thereafter. This includes daily trash pick up by volunteers, to fixing benches and decorating the park for the holidays. We also maintain the AIDS Memorial in the Park. 
• Corner Gardens - We mainance a couple public green spaces in the neighborhood. One is at the intersection of N Rampart and Franklin Ave and the other is at Burgundy and Franklin Ave.
• Land Use - We monitor all land use in our neighborhood to ensure property owners are informed about the historic regulations that pertain to it and to maintain the character of the neighborhood. Describe the population(s).