City of Cambridge Launches 11th Participatory Budgeting Process

The City of Cambridge announced the launch of the 11th cycle of Participatory Budgeting (PB). The City will allocate $1 million for winning projects that will be included in next year’s Budget. Both operating and capital projects are eligible for funding.

Community members can submit ideas now through October 1, 2024:

• Visit pb.cambridgema.gov
• Email pb@cambridgema.gov
• Call the City of Cambridge Budget Office at 617-349-4270
• Drop written ideas in the Payment Drop Box behind City Hall
• Mail ideas to the City of Cambridge Budget Office, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge MA  02139

Ideas will also be collected through direct community outreach and at certain public events throughout the idea collection period. Organizations interested in hosting an Idea Collection workshop in their community can contact the Budget Office at pb@cambridgema.gov for more information.

Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process that empowers community members through civic engagement to decide how to spend part of a public budget. In Cambridge the intention is for Participatory Budgeting to directly involve residents in the budgeting and city-building process, foster civic engagement and community spirit, and help ensure that the City’s budget reflects the priorities of Cambridge residents and local partners.

Past winning projects have included youth center upgrades, trees for city parks, public water fountains in major squares, public murals, laundry access in public schools, and many others.

Last year, a record 10,522 Cambridge residents age 12 and older voted to decide how to allocate Participatory Budgeting funding to address community needs. Since the inaugural process in 2014, the City of Cambridge has collected 9,000 ideas, counted more than 66,000 votes, and committed nearly $9.5 million to Participatory Budgeting projects across  ten cycles.

“Building off of last year’s record turnout, we are proud to give Cambridge residents even more opportunities to suggest improvements that are most important to them,” said Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang.

Between October 2024 and February 2025, volunteer Participatory Budgeting Delegates will research project ideas and work with City Staff to develop proposals that will be presented for a community vote in March 2025. All Cambridge residents 12 years of age and over will be eligible to participate in the voting process, which will be available online, in-person at several Cambridge locations, and over the phone during the March 2025 voting period. 

Cambridge residents are encouraged to join the PB process as volunteer PB Delegates to contribute to the proposal development process that will create the PB11 ballot. Those interested in volunteering can visit https://www.cambridgema.gov/participatorybudgeting/Volunteer for information on how to sign up.

For updates and the latest information about the Participatory Budgeting process, please visit pb.cambridgema.gov, contact the Budget Office at 617-349-4270 or email pb@cambridgema.gov.