New York City initiated the largest participatory budgeting process in the United States. The city has several Council Districts where residents directly decide how to spend a portion of the discretionary funds allocated to their council members.
Learn more about the PB Initiative in Chicago here.
Boston has engaged in PB processes in several districts, allowing residents to propose and vote on projects to be funded by the city's capital budget. The program is called "Youth Lead the Change" and involves young people in the decision-making process.
In 2017, Oakland completed its first-ever PB process. With the active participation of more than 1,200 community members, PB Oakland has determined the allocation of funding to support the well-being of low- and moderate-income residents residing in Oakland Council Districts 1 & 2.

A general guideline, the Participatory Budgeting Project recommends “starting with at least $1 million per ~100,000 residents”, so that invitations to participate are compelling, the process has a visible impact on communities, and participants feel like it’s worth their time.
Read the full article here.
Read the full article here.

Check out the full manual here.
Check out the full rulebook here.
Civic infrastructure scans are meant to establish a catered strategy for strengthening and innovating a decision-making process and enhancing connections within a network. Customized to specific networks of organizations, government, and non-profits, civic infrastructure scans can help to build trusting relationships and even seek to connect providers with groups that struggle with funding.

Participatory Budgeting

Civic Engagement