---
title: Participatory Budgeting Project
type: practice
status: active
country: US
website: https://www.participatorybudgeting.org
logo: /assets/org-logos/participatory-budgeting-project.png
contact:
  checked: 2026-07-30
  email: info@participatorybudgeting.org
  phone: 1347-652-1478
  source: https://www.participatorybudgeting.org/contact-us
summary: A North American nonprofit that has pioneered the spread of participatory
  budgeting in the US and Canada — helping governments, schools, and institutions
  engage over 740,000 people in directly deciding how to spend public funds.
concepts:
- participatory-budgeting
- direct-democracy
- deliberative-democracy
location:
  latitude: 40.6782
  longitude: -73.9442
  name: Brooklyn, New York, USA
rss_feed: https://www.participatorybudgeting.org/feed
events:
- date: '2009-01-01'
  title: Founded by Josh Lerner and collaborators, launching the first PB process
    in North America in Chicago's 49th Ward
  url: https://www.participatorybudgeting.org/about/
  quote: Since 2009, PBP has collaborated with grassroots and government partners
    to launch PB processes in over 40 cities
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
- date: '2011-01-01'
  title: Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Brooklyn, New York
  url: https://www.participatorybudgeting.org/about/
  proof_level: medium
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: false
  proof_warning: true
activity:
  rss:
    checked: 2026-08-17
    date: 2026-03-05
    note: 'Latest post: PB Grows in New Jersey'
    url: https://www.participatorybudgeting.org/pb-seeds-eval/
last_checked: '2026-05-29'
---

The Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP) is a nonprofit organisation founded in 2009 that has been the primary driver of participatory budgeting (PB) adoption in the United States and Canada. It works with governments, schools, housing authorities, and other institutions to design and run PB processes — where community members directly propose and vote on how to spend a portion of the public budget.

Since its founding, PBP has helped engage over 740,000 people in participatory budgeting processes and facilitated the allocation of more than $400 million in public funds. Its work spans city councils (New York City, Chicago, Boston), school districts, university student governments, and public housing authorities.

PBP's model emphasises equity and inclusion: PB processes are designed to engage residents who are typically excluded from public decision-making, including youth, immigrants, people with low incomes, and communities of colour. Participatory budgeting in New York City, for example, lets any resident aged 11 and over vote — regardless of citizenship status.

Beyond direct implementation, PBP publishes toolkits, research, and case studies, and advocates for PB as a standard feature of public governance.

## Links

- Website: [participatorybudgeting.org](https://www.participatorybudgeting.org)
- Toolkit: [participatorybudgeting.org/pb-toolkit](https://www.participatorybudgeting.org/pb-toolkit)

## See also

- [Participatory Budgeting](../concepts/participatory-budgeting.md)
- [Direct Democracy](../concepts/direct-democracy.md)
- [Deliberative Democracy](../concepts/deliberative-democracy.md)
- [Decidim](decidim.md)
- [Consul Democracy](consul-democracy.md)
- [Ethelo](ethelo.md)