PB Seeds - New Jersey
PB Seeds NJ Cohort 2026 Application now open! Please fill it out to join us
AUGUST 17th to 20th in Princeton, NJ
Apply below!!
We’re seeding participatory budgeting across New Jersey! The PB Seeds program connects and equips leaders and advocates across New Jersey with knowledge, tools, and connections in order to advocate for PB in their communities.
When you join the PB Seeds learning cohort you will learn participatory budgeting, how to bring it to your community, and then advocate for a public budget. PB Seeds is a 5 month learning cohort that starts in August with a = 4 day workshop where you will the details of participatory budgeting, experience mock of the process, and explore best practices with national experts in PB. The 2nd phase is PB Sprouts where we take a deep dive into the ins and outs of advocating for PB in your community. This will be 4 virtual sessions over 4 months to learn about local budgets, building a coalition, and asking local government for a pot of money so you can get started.
By the end you will be prepared to talk to anyone about PB and how it can put democracy back into the hands of the community.
Why PB in New Jersey?
New Jersey is a small state with some huge challenges to overcome but it is also a state full of people organizing, advocating and actively collaborating to rebuild and reimagine democracy. As one of the most diverse and dynamic states in the country there are so many opportunities for new and engaging democratic practices to arise and improve. The people who live in New Jersey want to see better government, less corruption and are ready to connect with each other to bring power back to the people!
Participatory democracy grows people power and replaces corruption with community led decision making. By shifting power directly into people’s hands, we can replace special interest politics with an inclusive, transparent, and equitable democratic process that addresses the real needs and ideas of the community. The New Jersey PB Seeds program does exactly that through a 5 month training curriculum on participatory budgeting (PB) to lay the groundwork for success by connecting with allies and partners across the state. PB Seeds provides tools, connections, and expertise on how to win support for PB and begin to implement it in partnership with the government and community.
As our cohort you will l learn what participatory budgeting (PB) is, how to advocate for it, and best practices for successful implementation. By the end of the cohort you will have an advocacy plan to take back to your community, as well as, access to coaching and support sessions from us.
We will provide tools and resources for our program graduates and trusted partners to advance PB. We will also facilitate knowledge sharing across groups and share learnings from within NJ as well as across the United States!
If you have questions about the program, please book a 15-minute call with our New Jersey Advocacy Manager, Nisha Thompson.