The recipient entity's physical address:
           602 Toulouse St, New Orleans, LA 70130

The recipient entity's mailing address (if different):
           906 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Type of Entity (for instance, a nonprofit corporation):  Non-Profit Corporation

If the entity is a corporation, list the names of the incorporators:
          Scott Tilton, Rudy Bazenet

The last four digits of the entity's taxpayer ID number:  6547

What is the dollar amount of the request?  $275,000

What type of request is this?  General Appropriation

Is this entity in good standing with the Secretary of State?  Yes

Provide the name of each member of the recipient entity's governing board and officers:
           Ms. Nicolle McGuiness (President), 227 Rue Landry, St Rose, LA 70087
Ms. Olivia Woollam (Treasurer), 1318 Ursulines Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116
Mr. Doron Klemer (Secretary), 405 Octavia St, New Orleans, LA 70115
Dr. Denise Frazier (Board Member), 2434 New Orleans St, New Orleans, LA 70119
Mr. James Hislop (Board Member), 600 Ursulines Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116
Ms. Annie Irvin (Board Member), 3319 State Street Dr, New Orleans, LA 70125
Mr. Joseph Mistrot (Board Member), 522 Napoleon Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115
Dr. Anne Normann (Board Member), 2236 9th St Mandeville, LA 70471
Ms. Denise St Pierre (Board Member), 425 Notre-Dame St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Mr. Scott Tilton (Executive Director), 906 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Mr. Rudy Bazenet (Co-Director), 906 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Provide a summary of the project or program:
           Nous Foundation, Inc. (Nous) proposes to launch the ‘Marché de Noël,’ a free, family-friendly Christmas market celebrating Louisiana’s living Cajun and Creole cultures and regional traditions. Inspired by European Christmas markets, the event will bring together Louisiana food producers, artisans, musicians, residents, and visitors for a statewide holiday celebration in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The Marché will showcase Louisiana's regional foodways, traditional crafts, and living cultural heritage.
The inaugural Marché is planned for December 11–12, 2027, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. Jackson Square is the proposed location, subject to site approval and required permits. Its French Quarter setting will connect Louisiana's living traditions with one of the state's most recognizable historic landmarks. Nous will coordinate with site administrators and public agencies to confirm the location, layout, and operating requirements.
Nous will conduct outreach across all 64 parishes to recruit up to 70 food and artisan vendors, with a goal of representing at least 30 parishes through vendors and performers. An open application process will prioritize quality, regional diversity, and Louisiana-made products. Travel and participation assistance will help reduce financial barriers for small businesses from rural and more distant communities, providing access to new audiences and sales opportunities.
Food offerings could include Natchitoches meat pies, boudin and cracklins from Acadiana, candied pecans from Northeast Louisiana, Doberge cake from Jefferson Parish, calas from New Orleans, and crab gumbo from Terrebonne Parish. Artisans could offer handwoven baskets, pottery, carved wooden gifts, handmade jewelry, and original prints depicting Louisiana’s landscapes and cultures. Together, these offerings will reflect the diversity of Louisiana's regional identities.
Nous will engage an experienced event production company to coordinate uniform white tents, staging, sound, lighting, and vendor infrastructure. Local artisans will create seasonal decorations, complementing performances of Christmas and holiday music by Louisiana musicians. A Cajun Papa Noël will welcome children and families. Event signage will appear in English and Louisiana French, celebrating the state's distinct Francophone heritage and increasing the language's visibility in public spaces.
Nous brings experience producing exhibitions, concerts, public programs, and cultural partnerships. Its team will oversee vendor recruitment, programming, fundraising, communications, and financial administration. The production company will coordinate technical operations, with security, accessibility, sanitation, insurance, and weather contingency planning incorporated into preparations.
Nous requests $275,000 in state funding toward a proposed $340,000 project budget, approximately 81 percent of total costs. The remaining $65,000 is anticipated from sponsorships, philanthropy, earned revenue, and documented in-kind contributions. State funding will support planning, production, vendor infrastructure, cultural programming, participation assistance, permits, insurance, security, sanitation, and promotion. Free admission will ensure access for residents and visitors across income levels.
The first-year attendance target is 22,000 visits over two days, or approximately 1,100 visits per operating hour. This is a planning goal, not a forecast of unique visitors, and will be refined with production and tourism partners. Nous will track attendance, parish representation, vendor sales and feedback, and visitor origin. A post-event report will document results and financial performance, assess progress toward project goals, and identify improvements for future editions. Available event revenue after closeout will support future editions, with the goal of establishing the Marché de Noël as an annual cultural event.

What is the budget relative to the project for which funding is requested?:
          Salaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . $30,000
          Professional Services. . . $35,000
          Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . $150,000
          Acquisitions . . . . . . . . . $10,000
          Major Repairs . . . . . . . $0
          Operating Services. . . . $60,000
          Other Charges. . . . . . . $55,000

Does your organization have any outstanding audit issues or findings?  No

If 'Yes' is your organization working with the appropriate governmental agencies to resolve those issues or findings?
          Not Applicable

What is the entity's public purpose, sought to be achieved through the use of state monies?
          State funding will establish a free public Christmas market that expands economic opportunities for Louisiana small businesses and cultural workers, celebrates the state’s living traditions, and encourages more visitors to come during the holidays. Although it will be held in New Orleans, the Marché de Noël will recruit participants statewide and introduce residents and visitors to products and cultural traditions from across Louisiana. In doing so, it will ensure that the benefits of a major cultural tourism event extend beyond its host city to communities throughout the state.
The most immediate public benefit will be direct customer access for up to 70 Louisiana food and artisan vendors. Paid engagements for musicians, artists, and other cultural practitioners will also support the creative economy. Public funding will provide shared infrastructure, programming, promotion, and coordination that individual small businesses could not readily finance themselves. Travel and participation assistance will help businesses from rural communities access these opportunities.
The Marché will encourage cultural exchange among northern and southern Louisiana. Regional foods, traditional crafts, Louisiana-made products, and live performances will introduce audiences to the people who sustain these traditions and reinforce cultural connections and civic pride in being Louisianian. English and Louisiana French signage will make the language visible within a major public celebration. Free admission and family programming will broaden access across ages and income levels.
The event will also encourage spending at surrounding shops, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. Visitor surveys will help distinguish local attendance from visitors traveling to New Orleans and identify whether the Marché influenced their travel decisions. Outreach to parish tourism organizations will create opportunities to introduce audiences to destinations elsewhere in Louisiana.
For planning purposes, Nous is projecting a scenario approaching $1 million in direct economic activity. This would require approximately $340,000 in project expenditures and $660,000 in additional vendor sales and visitor spending, equivalent to about $30 per targeted visit. This is an illustrative spending scenario, not a verified economic-impact forecast. Actual results will depend on attendance, visitor origin, purchasing behavior, and the share of project spending retained in Louisiana. Artist compensation will be counted within project expenditures, and vendor sales will not also be counted as separate visitor spending.
Public funding will also help provide the security, accessibility, sanitation, and professional coordination necessary for a welcoming public experience. The proposed Jackson Square setting, subject to approval, will connect contemporary Louisiana cultural expression with a recognizable historic place and provide a prominent public setting for the state's living cultural traditions.
The lasting public purpose is to establish a recurring annual event for Louisiana businesses and cultural workers to participate in. The inaugural investment will support the partnerships, operating systems, and audience development needed to attract future sponsorships and earned revenue to make future editions sustainable. Evaluation will document who participated, where benefits occurred, and what should improve before the next edition.

What are the goals and objectives for achieving such purpose?
          The Marché’s primary goal is to establish an annual holiday market that expands economic opportunities for Louisiana businesses and cultural workers while celebrating the state’s regional traditions. Nous will pursue six objectives:

1. Recruit up to 70 Louisiana food and artisan vendors, with vendors and performers collectively representing at least 30 parishes. Nous will distribute an open call across all 64 parishes through cultural organizations, tourism offices, business networks, and other partners. A four-person selection committee representing different regions will assess product quality, Louisiana connections, regional diversity, and the overall mix of offerings. Recruitment and confirmed participation will be tracked separately by parish to measure both outreach and actual statewide representation.

2. Provide travel or participation assistance to at least 15 vendors, subject to documented need and the approved assistance budget. Nous will publish eligibility criteria and collect requests through the application process. Assistance will prioritize businesses facing financial or geographic barriers whose participation contributes to the market’s regional and cultural diversity. Awards and supported expenses will be documented as part of the project's financial closeout.

3. Deliver a professionally managed event on December 11–12, 2027. Nous will confirm site approval, obtain required permits, engage an experienced production company, and complete an operating plan before the event. Planning will cover vendor infrastructure, food-service needs, staging, security, accessibility, sanitation, insurance, weather contingencies, and applicable sound requirements. Major production commitments will follow confirmation of site requirements and available funding.

4. Present at least six paid musical performances featuring Louisiana artists over the two-day event. Programming will include Christmas and holiday music, complemented by a Cajun Papa Noël experience for children and families. Nous will publish the program before the event and provide English and Louisiana French event signage. All participating musicians will receive compensation for their performances.

5. Work toward 22,000 visits over two days. Nous will develop a publicity plan with tourism, business, and cultural partners and maintain a dedicated website with event hours, access information, vendor listings, and performance schedules. The attendance target represents visits rather than unique individuals. Before the event, Nous and its production partner will establish a counting method appropriate to the approved site, including sampling periods, observation locations, and treatment of repeat entries.

6. Complete an evaluation and financial closeout by February 2028. Nous will seek responses from at least 75 percent of participating vendors through a survey covering sales, new customer contacts, participation costs, and operational feedback. A visitor survey will collect place of residence, overnight-stay information, and whether the event influenced travel. The final report will compare results with attendance and participation targets, summarize geographic representation, reconcile actual expenses and revenues, and document improvements for future editions. Economic findings will distinguish reported results from estimates and avoid double counting. Findings will also inform future recruitment, programming, and fundraising efforts to strengthen the Marché's long-term sustainability.

What is the proposed length of time estimated by the entity to accomplish the purpose?
           Approximately 12–18 months will be needed for planning, implementation, and evaluation, depending on funding availability. The project will conclude by February 2028. Initial planning will confirm the proposed Jackson Square site, permitting requirements, production estimates, funding, and project responsibilities. During spring and summer 2027, Nous will recruit vendors statewide, select participants, arrange assistance, engage production providers, and book performers. During fall 2027, Nous will finalize permits, security and accessibility arrangements, publicity, event information, and weather contingency plans. The inaugural Marché de Noël is planned for December 11–12, 2027, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, subject to site approval and permits. January–February 2028 will cover final payments, financial reconciliation, attendance and survey analysis, and a post-event report documenting results and recommendations for future editions.

If any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official is an officer, director, trustee, or employee of the recipient entity who receives compensation or holds any ownership interest therein:
     (a) If an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of the official and the office held by such person:
                 N/A
    
     (b) If an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of such person; the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related; and the nature of the relationship:
                 N/A

     (c) The percentage of the official's or immediate family member's ownership interest in the recipient entity, if any:
                 N/A

     (d) The position, if any, held by the official or immediate family member in the recipient entity:
                  N/A

If the recipient entity has a contract with any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official or with the state or any political subdivision of the state:
(a) If the contract is with an elected or appointed state official, provide the name and address of the official and the office held by such person: 
               N/A

(b) If the contract is with an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official:
          Provide the name and address of such person:
               N/A

          Provide the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related:
                N/A

          What is the nature of the relationship?  N/A

(c) If the contract is with the state or a political subdivision of the state, provide the name and address of the state entity or political subdivision of the state:
                 N/A

(d) The nature of the contract, including a description of the goods or services provided or to be provided pursuant to the contract:
               N/A


Contact Information
name:  Scott Tilton 
                                       address:  906 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116
                                       phone:  (504) 470-5619
                                       fax: 
                                       e-mail:  scott@nous-foundation.org
                                       relationship to entity:  Executive Director's