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About The People's Money
Voting is now closed for The People's Money
The Vote phase for The People's Money 2025 has ended and we are now counting ballots to find out which projects New Yorkers want to see in their borough. This year's winning projects will be announced in July!
What's Happening In my Borough?
How does The People's Money work?
The People's Money consists of four phases and takes two years to complete. The first three phases run in one year, and the last phase, project implementation, runs in the second year.
The first three phases include (1) Idea Generation, (2) Borough Assemblies (3) Citywide Voting. In the fourth phase, (4) Project Implementation, community organizations take a full year to implement the projects.
Phase 1: Idea Generation
Idea Generation offers workshops, where residents can learn how the city spends its money, discuss important needs within their community, and come up with ideas to address those needs. Residents can also submit ideas online. These workshops use activities and open discussions to help people share their thoughts and work together
Phase 2: Borough Assemblies
Residents of New York City are randomly chosen to serve on Assemblies for their respective boroughs (like Manhattan, Brooklyn, etc.). These Assemblies are selected to be representative of the diversity of each borough. Assembly Members meet for six sessions to discuss the ideas submitted, and decide which Ideas address needs in the borough. They then identify the final ideas to be voted on by the public.
Phase 3: Citywide Voting
Once ballots are finalized, all New Yorkers ages 11 and older are invited to vote and decide which ideas they would like to see implemented in their borough.
Phase 4: Implemented Projects
Community-based organizations further develop the ideas into project proposals and apply to implement through a competitive process. When selected, the Civic Engagement Commission works with the organizations to ensure the projects are successfully completed.
Who can apply to be an Assembly Member and how are they selected?
Shape the Future of Your Borough - Apply to Be a 2026 Borough Assembly Member!
Be part of something meaningful. Assemblies are a new and growing way for everyday people to have a direct say in how decisions are made. Now, you can be part of it right here in New York City. As a Borough Assembly Member, you'll help decide how public money is spent in your community—through real, in-person conversations that lead to real change as part of The People's Money. This is a chance to represent your borough, amplify community voices, and help turn public ideas into funded projects. Apply today to take your seat at the table.
All New York City residents can apply to be an Assembly Member—regardless of immigration status. Minors can apply too, as long as they have parental consent. Assembly Members are chosen through a random selection process designed to reflect the diversity of each borough. The selection process takes into account factors like age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, and education level.
Visit the People's Money website to learn how the process works and see what projects have been funded in your community!
History Of Participatory Budgeting and the Civic Engagement Commission
There are two Participatory Budgeting (PB) processes in New York City. PB was originally brought to NYC in 2011 by four City Council Members in a process called PBNYC that invited residents to decide how to spend their public funds. This year, 29 out of 51 City Council members are participating in PBNYC.
In November 2018, close to one million New Yorkers voted in a citywide referendum proposed by the 2018 Charter Revision Commission for a ballot initiative creating the CEC and mandating it to implement a yearly citywide participatory budgeting program utilizing Mayoral expense funding, which was branded as "The People's Money." This mandate can be found in Chapter 76 of the NYC Charter.
In September of 2022, the Mayor and the CEC launched the first citywide cycle of The People's Money in collaboration with 82 community partners. Thousands of residents submitted ideas, developed ballots, and ultimately voted on projects. The 46 projects with the most votes were funded a total $5 million to address community needs as identified by residents.