People’s Budget working group
Details
Application due August 27
$600 honorarium for participation
Meetings will be held in person at the People’s Budget Office at BOK, 1901 S. 9th Street, Room 209 (unless noted otherwise)
Schedule
Wednesday 9/17, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Meet the cohort, refresh your Philly budget knowledge, and learn about participatory budgeting.
Sunday, 9/28, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Learn about participatory budgeting across the globe and the U.S., listen to guest speakers share their expertise on participatory budgeting. Small groups will research specific examples for the next meeting.
Wednesday, 10/15, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Group presentations on participatory budgeting from across the U.S. and the globe.
Sunday, 10/26, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Learn from participatory budget examples to help design a new process for Philadelphia’s City Budget. The group may use different methods such as theater and visual mapping.
Wednesday, 11/12, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Continue to design a pathway for community input in Philadelphia’s budget process.
Sunday, 11/23, 1:00 - 4:00 pm, BOK
Rehearse a public presentation that reflects our research and proposal for participatory budgeting.
A public presentation will be scheduled for December, 2025.
This fall, the People’s Budget Office is bringing together a working group to reimagine Philadelphia’s budget process. Spurred by the lack of opportunities to shape the budget from its inception, we want to imagine and manifest new pathways for community ownership in the municipal budget process.
It’s important to us that this imaginative project begins with collective learning. The working group will be made up of neighbors, artists, activists, advocates, and legislative actors. Together, we will learn from experts in the field, dig into global participatory budgeting lessons, and dream up new ways of public participation in the budget process.
The commitment is six meetings between Sept-Dec, held at the People’s Budget Office at BOK. Sessions will mix traditional research—reading, writing, and discussion—with experimental approaches like theater, visual mapping, and other playful tools for exploring the budget.