Participatory Budgeting in Cambridge Turns 10!

• On its 10th anniversary, Participatory Budgeting allocated a record amount of money and expanded eligible projects.  

Participatory Budgeting, a democratic process that empowers community members through civic engagement to decide how to spend public funds, turned 10 this fall. In 2022, a record 8,707 Cambridge residents—aged 12 and older—voted on how to spend Participatory Budgeting funding to address community needs. This level of participation represented a 15 percent increase from the previous cycle. Since the inaugural process in 2014, the City of Cambridge has collected more than 7,000 ideas, tabulated more than 56,000 votes, and committed nearly $9.5 million to Participatory Budgeting projects across 10 cycles.

The City allocated a record-high $2 million in this 10th process, doubling the previous budget of $1 million. Projects eligible for funding were expanded to include both capital and operating projects. More than 1,100 ideas were submitted in 2023 and voting for the 10th process will take place in March 2024.

To learn more about Participatory Budgeting, visit the City’s website at pb.cambridgema.gov.