PB Stories
Take a sneak peak into PBP Co-ED Shari Davis feature in the New York Times’ Visionaries series
Aubrey Trinnaman for The New York Times Take a sneak peak into PBP Co-ED Shari Davis feature in the New York Times’ Visionaries series: “Q: What’s the problem participatory budgeting solves? Shari: How are budgets typically made? A guy or a group of guys makes some guesses based on last year’s budget, and that’s it…
Read MoreNPR interview with Shari Davis: What If You Could Decide How The Government Spends Public Funds?
Participatory Budgeting Project’s (PBP) Co-Executive Director, Shari Davis, recently joined NPR’s Manoush Zomorodi on an episode of the Ted Radio Hour, as part of a series on the Public Commons examining how we can make public spaces safe and welcoming for everyone. Public places don’t always fully meet the needs of a community. Shari Davis…
Read MoreDreaming through uncertainty: democracy doesn’t pause and neither do you
This past month, contending with COVID-19 and the ensuing shelter in place orders, has stretched and tested us all in many ways. We have felt the limitations of technology, questioned how we can prioritize equity in a virtual world, and moved to support our partners across the country as they come together to adapt. Democracy…
Read MoreSigning off and 5 next steps
Hi friends, This definitely isn’t how I’d planned it. When I announced last year that I’d step down as Co-Executive Director of the Participatory Budgeting Project by April 2020, I wasn’t expecting to align this transition with the biggest global pandemic in a century. But here we are and March 31 will be my last day at PBP,…
Read MoreParticipatory Budgeting: An Idea You Should Steal
On December 10th, PBP’s Co-Executive Director, Shari Davis was invited to join a number of problem solvers from across the country to speak at the The Philadelphia Citizen’s 2nd annual Ideas We Should Steal Festival. This festival is an annual full-day convening that brings together the most innovative urban thinkers and global thought leaders together…
Read MoreCelebrating this year’s biggest wins: revitalizing democracy in 2020
Happy Holidays from all of us at PBP! After a busy 2019 launching exciting new projects like Democracy Beyond Elections and PBCan, and working with incredible communities like students in Merced and educators in NYC, we took some time in November, during our staff retreat, to look at the big picture. We want to extend a big thank you…
Read MoreLeadership Change at PBP
Dear PBP supporters, I’m writing to share big news for me and PBP. In April 2020, I’ll step down as Co-Executive Director at PBP and transition out of the organization. My fellow Co-ED Shari Davis will remain as Executive Director. Fifteen years ago, I flew to Brazil to convene a discussion on participatory budgeting (PB)…
Read MoreShari Davis Interview on Building a New America with Jonathan Arias
Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP) Co-Executive Director Shari Davis, recently joined Jonathan Arias on an episode of the Building A New America podcast, a show that reconsiders how laws that were created centuries ago, shape our lives today. In the episode titled, “How Participatory Budgeting is Improving Democracy with Obama Fellow Shari Davis,” Shari and Jonathan…
Read MoreGiving Tuesday is coming up. Here are 3 community leaders we are grateful for
What comes to mind when you think of who leads our democracy? Too often, we don’t imagine people in positions of power who actually reflect the diverse communities they serve. This especially holds true for historically marginalized communities, including people of color, immigrants, low-income people, youth, people with disabilities, and formerly incarcerated individuals. In preparation…
Read MoreA PB Love Story: How Catherine and Neil Met
On Valentine’s Day, we bring you a story of love and democracy. Catherine Zinnel used to be the coordinator for participatory budgeting (PB) in New York City Council Member Brad Lander’s office. She met her now-husband Neil Reilly when he got involved as a PB volunteer. PB brings people together. For Catherine and Neil, PB…
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