Participatory Budgeting

The People's Money

On September 14th 2022, Mayor Adams and the Civic Engagement Commission announced the launch of “The People’s Money” — New York City’s first-ever citywide participatory budgeting (PB) process. All New Yorkers age 11 and up, regardless of immigration status, can decide how to spend $5 million of the city’s budget to address local community needs.

Participatory budgeting is a democratic process in which community members decide how to spend part of a public budget. PB started in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1989 as an anti-poverty measure. The process has been implemented over 11,600 times in states, cities, counties, schools, and other institutions across the world!

Though NYC City Council members introduced PB back in 2011, and many City Council members currently participate by putting up their own discretionary funding, The People’s Money is the first citywide process utilizing Mayoral expense funding. Expense funding can be used for projects and services, and the citywide process allows all New Yorkers to participate, regardless of the council district they live in.  

To learn more about the People’s Money’s phases and opportunities to get involved, navigate and click on each tab shown above. The process is currently in Phase 4: Project Implementation.

What happens next in The People’s Money?
.... the Project Implementation Phase!

From May 10th through June 25th, 2023, tens of thousands of New Yorkers voted on how to spend part of the city budget to address community needs. Ballots are now in the process of being counted!

The results are in - find out here which programs will be funded in your borough or neighborhood. To view detailed vote totals for each ballot, click here!

The CEC will announce the organizations responsible for implementing the projects publicly, and will work closely with the implementing organizations over the course of the year to ensure they are supported, projects are effectively monitored, and are completed successfully. Any opportunities to be involved in the projects will be posted on this site.

All projects must be completed by June of 2024. The CEC will report back the results of the projects upon completion, including metrics such as the number of residents served, outcomes, highlights, successes and challenges. To learn more about this phase and how to get involved, visit: participate.nyc.gov

Equity Neighborhoods

The hardest-hit communities the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity has focused on since its launch include those most impacted by COVID-19, in addition to communities that have a high percentage of other health and socioeconomic disparities. At the time the Taskforce was established, these communities accounted for over 50% of all the City's COVID-19 cases.

One participatory budgeting project will be funded $50,000 in each of these neighborhoods. Residents of these neighborhoods were able to vote on a ballot with neighborhood-focused projects, as well as the ballot for their borough.

1. Lower East Side, Chinatown
2. Morningside Heights, Hamilton Heights
3. Central Harlem
4. East Harlem
5. Washington Heights, Inwood
6. Mott Haven, Melrose
7. Hunts Point, Longwood
8. Morrisania, Crotona
9. Highbridge, Concourse, Mount Eden
10. Fordham, University Heights
11. Belmont, East Tremont
12. Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Bedford Park
13. Soundview, Clason Point, Castle Hill, Unionport
14. Williamsbridge, Norwood, Olinville, Edenwald, Wakefield
15. Bedford-Stuyvesant
16. Bushwick
17. East New York, Starrett City, Cypress Hills
18. Sunset Park
19. Coney Island, Brighton Beach
20. Flatbush
21. Brownsville
22. East Flatbush
23. Canarsie
24. Queensbridge
25. Corona
26. East Elmhurst
27. Briarwood
28. Woodhaven
29. Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park
30. Jamaica, South Jamaica, Hollis, St. Albans, Rochdale, Springfield Gardens
31. Queens Village
32. Rockaway, Broad Channel
33. St. George, Stapleton, Port Richmond, Tompkinsville and Mariner’s Harbor