Philadelphia’s budget funds the services residents rely on every day—from public safety and sanitation to parks, libraries, housing, and neighborhood programs. But for many residents, the budget process can feel difficult to follow and even harder to influence.

Join the Committee of Seventy and the People’s Budget Office for a virtual conversation about how cities can make budgeting more transparent, accessible, and responsive to community needs.

Using the People’s Budget Office’s new report, Building an Equitable Budgeting Process for Philadelphia, this session will explore Philadelphia’s past budget reforms, highlight strategies being tested in cities across the country, and examine what it could take to make public participation more meaningful here in Philadelphia.

Committee of Seventy’s Vice President of Policy, Andrew McGinley, will join the conversation to provide additional context on how these ideas intersect with City Council, mayoral priorities, and the realities of local governance.

What You’ll Learn

• What equitable budgeting means in practice

• How Philadelphia’s current budget process works

• Past local efforts to make budgeting more participatory

• Six budget practices cities are using to increase transparency and public input

• Recommendations for Philadelphia’s future

This session is designed for residents, advocates, and anyone interested in understanding how public dollars are spent and how communities can play a stronger role in shaping those decisions.

Event Details:

• Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

• Time: 6 - 7 p.m. ET

• Location: Virtual, on Zoom 

Join us for an interactive workshop to learn about Philadelphia’s city budget, who makes decisions, and how to make your voice heard. Hosted in partnership with Neighbors Across Market, CCORD, and Arch Street United Methodist Church

Are you searching for the perfect budget accessories? Look no further - we've got you covered at our Beading Budget Bracelets, a free, family friendly way to learn about the budget and take home your own bracelet.

🗓️ May 9, 1-4 pm
📍 Love Park, NW Corner

Join us for an interactive workshop to learn about Philadelphia’s city budget, who makes decisions, and how to make your voice heard. Hosted in partnership with Klean Kensington and Esperanza Health Center.

Heading to the May Day rally? Want to make your own poster?

Join us on May Day to celebrate workers rights by screen printing posters designed by Philly AFL-CIO.  

Join us for an interactive workshop to learn about Philadelphia’s city budget, who makes decisions, and how to make your voice heard. Hosted in partnership with Project HOME.

Join us for an interactive workshop to learn about Philadelphia’s city budget, who makes decisions, and how to make your voice heard. Hosted in partnership with Germantown Info Hub.

Join us for an interactive workshop to learn about Philadelphia’s city budget, who makes decisions, and how to make your voice heard. Hosted in partnership with the DuBois-Robeson People’s Center.

• Have you ever wanted to learn how to prepare testimony for a city council hearing?

• Would you like to learn more about how to be an effective advocate for Transit Forward Philly campaigns like expanding the student fare program?

• Want to share your support for increased Vision Zero funding in the city budget?

Join the People’s Budget Office at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Transit Forward Philly offices for a day of action training where we'll equip you with the skills needed to become a more effective advocate for public transit!

All are welcome to join. Please contact stephen@transitforwardphilly.org with any questions or if there are ways we can make this event more accessible for you to participate.

Join us for an interactive workshop to learn about Philadelphia’s city budget, who makes decisions, and how to make your voice heard. Hosted in partnership with the Bok Building, Reclaim Philadelphia, and Mural Arts/SExSE Porchlight program.

Join us for an interactive workshop to learn about Philadelphia’s city budget, who makes decisions, and how to make your voice heard. Hosted in partnership with Philadelphia Abortion Rights Coalition.

Join us for an interactive workshop to learn about Philadelphia’s city budget, who makes decisions, and how to make your voice heard. Hosted in partnership with Feast of Justice, 215 People’s Alliance, and Mural Arts Philadelphia.

Join PBO and the Philadelphia Behavioral Health Advocacy Task Force for an interactive workshop exploring how Philadelphia directs funding for behavioral health in our city.

POSTPONED - DATE TBD​

Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke and the People's Budget Office invite you to a hearing of the Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy:

​This hearing, chaired by Councilmember O’Rourke, will explore both the current process and what an equitable budget approach could look like. Using both traditional and experimental methods, members of the People's Budget Office Working Group, alongside local and national experts, will discuss models and success stories that Philadelphia can learn from, as well as ask participants and observers to co-envision what budget justice in Philadelphia could look like.

​The hearing is presented by the People’s Budget Office and Mural Arts Philadelphia, together with the People’s Budget Office 2025 Working Group, a collective of Philadelphia residents and partners including Committee of Seventy, One Project, and Philly Youth Vote.

What is behind SEPTA's funding crisis, and how are SEPTA's operating and capital budgets funded? Join SEPTA's Senior Director of Budgets and Transformation, Erik Johanson, for a deep dive on SEPTA's budget.

This event is part of a series of Budget 201s where we explore specific issues within the City’s Budget.

RSVP

Learn about the City Budget, who makes decisions, and how to get involved. Hosted in partnership with NKCDC.

RSVP

Utopian Interiors will be a cyanotype workshop where participants create sun-prints using domestic and architectural imagery to build depictions of ideal interiors for the present and future. Utilizing an almost 200 year old photography process that develops using UV rays, participants will cut and collage transparencies showcasing a range of images from vernacular interiors and exteriors. Considering issues of affordable housing, this experience will help participants envision how themes of housing justice impact our interior lives and landscapes. 

Safety means a variety of things to people across Philadelphia. Artist in Residence, Aaron Brokenbough wants to know “What does a safe Philly mean to you?

Join us for a creative workshop where you can contribute to a larger video project about public safety.  Whether it’s more community centers, less policing, cleaner streets, or something deeply personal, your story belongs here.

Please join The Peoples Budget Office and host Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations (PACDC) for an informational Budget structure 101 webinar. This webinar will explain the basics of the budget and how the process works in Philadelphia and how certain funding is applicable to CDCs and community based organizations.

Design a fully funded city with us! Screen print your own t-shirt or tote bag with artist Alice Thompson, then decorate it with your funding priorities.  

Join artist Lily Xie and the Fund the People Coalition to reimagine the police budget at the Budget Office. Lily has been researching the budget for police uniforms and designing an abolitionist set of tools for public safety. Come to this event to design an alternative safety uniform, pick up a copy of a public safety fashion magazine, and talk about the Police budget with the Fund the People collective.

From March - May, the People's Budget will host a series of free community workshops across Philadelphia. The workshops will provide an opportunity for residents to learn more about the City Budget process and speak about what they want to see funded. At the workshops participants will contribute to a collective artwork about their neighborhood’s funding priorities which will be shown to City Council. 

Free food will be provided.

Philly is already experiencing a climate crisis - and all over the city, people are working hard to support the resilience of our neighbors, gardens, air, and water. 

“Clean and Green” is a budget priority, but there is so much more to environmental justice and climate resilience than cleaning up litter. What does climate resilience mean to you? Which Philly plants, animals, and nature spots are important to you? What is being done to preserve and protect them? 

Come and make sun prints with Ro Adler, one of the 2025 People’s Budget Office artist-in-residence.

Postponed due to weather! Visit us at Love Park during open hours to make your own print.

From March - May, the People's Budget will host a series of free community workshops across Philadelphia. The workshops will provide an opportunity for residents to learn more about the City Budget process and speak about what they want to see funded. At the workshops participants will contribute to a collective artwork about their neighborhood’s funding priorities which will be shown to City Council. 

Free food will be provided.

Join us for an interactive workshop where we’ll break down how the city budget impacts our communities, discuss funding priorities for the Proposed FY26 Budget, and explore advocacy strategies for City Budget Hearings. The event will also feature a collaborative art activity reflecting neighborhood funding priorities.