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Participatory Budgeting Transforms Schools, Students, and Communities
Real leadership opportunities transform students by giving them the chance to use their voices in meaningful ways. Participatory Budgeting (PB) in schools has proven to be precisely that kind of opportunity for students across the United States. PB is a process that empowers community members by engaging them to decide how to spend part of…
Read MoreResilience in the face of uncertainty: PBP’s Coronavirus Response
Resilience in the face of uncertainty We know that your inboxes, social media, and text message threads are inundated with COVID-19 news and updates. We are writing today to let you know we are thinking of you and how we support one another in this moment of uncertainty. PBP stands in deep solidarity with all…
Read MorePB in Action in Durham, North Carolina
In May 2018, North Carolina launched PB Durham where the Durham City Council allocated $2.4 million out of the $500 million budget for residents 13 years or older to decide upon for use in one-time projects. The Durham City council appointed a 15-member steering committee for PB in the city and hired a team including…
Read MorePBP Awarded for PB Work on Transportation Equity in California
The Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP) has empowered more than 300,000 people by implementing participatory budgeting (PB) to directly decide how to spend almost $240 million in public funds in 17 cities, across a number of different issues affecting local communities. One of these issues is transportation infrastructure. Conventional transportation planning leaves too many communities without…
Read MoreUnleashing Student Power: PB in Colleges and Universities
Unleashing Student Power in Colleges and Universities By: Eric Billbrough Special thanks to Salvator Asaro, Alexander Kolokotronis, Jenni Innes, William Novello, Michael Menser, and Jacob Klipstein for sharing their experiences with PB and student government at their colleges and for their continued efforts to organize for more democratic campuses. As summer comes to a close,…
Read MorePB2 Results are in!
Every year PBP donors join together and do a PB process of our own – deciding together on how to spend a portion of the PBP budget for the year. It’s a PB process for PBP, PB2! Every year, PBP supporters from across the country vote online and in person by becoming donors on a…
Read MorePBP is launching a new Global PB Hub!
We’re thrilled to announce that PBP is launching a new global hub for PB practitioners and advocates, thanks to a $560,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The Global PB Hub will coordinate knowledge sharing, research, learning, and resource development for PB practitioners and advocates around the globe. The PB Hub will build…
Read MoreNew Studies: PB Increases Tax Revenue as it Grows the Number of Voices in Government
A new World Bank working paper by Michael Touchton, Brian Wampler, and Tiago Peixoto finds that PB and participatory institutions actually improve government balance sheets by boosting residents’ willingness to pay taxes.
Read MoreWe’re 10 years old! Can you get us this present?
I’ll admit, the past month has brought tears (of joy) to my eyes. I’m deeply proud that the Participatory Budgeting Project is celebrating our 10 year anniversary. We’ve come so far together – empowering 534,000 people in over 30 cities to decide how to spend $337 million! Thank you for stepping up to join our…
Read MoreErik Olin Wright, Interstellar Leader of Democracy (1947-2019)
We lost a shining star of democracy last week. Erik Olin Wright, PBP Advisory Board member and leading scholar of democracy and social change, passed away on January 23rd, 2019 from leukemia. Erik was…
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