NEW YORK-UNS : New York City Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) Chair and Executive Director Dr. Sarah Sayeed today announced the launch of a new cycle of “The People’s Money” — New York City’s citywide participatory budgeting process. All New Yorkers, ages 11 and up, will be able to decide how to spend part of the city’s budget. From today through November 19th, 2023, residents can submit ideas for projects to address community needs. Ideas can be submitted online or in-person at idea generation workshops across the five boroughs.
Last year, the CEC ran this process for the first time in New York City history, inviting thousands of residents to submit ideas and ultimately vote on programs for their communities. In August, Mayor Adams and the CEC announced the funded programs from Cycle 1, which are currently in their implementation phase. These 46 programs address community needs such as, youth, mental health services, food access, job training, workers’ rights, senior services, immigrant services, arts and culture, and the environment.
“Participation leads to more participation. More than 100,000 New Yorkers participated in the first-ever citywide participatory budgeting effort, and we can’t wait to see how many more New Yorkers will take the reins of the budget this time around,” said Betsy MacLean, NYC Chief Engagement Officer. “As we saw with last year’s great success, putting budget decisions in the hands of New Yorkers – particularly New Yorkers who have been historically and systematically left out of these decisions – leads to great outcomes, increases civic engagement, and advances equity. I cannot wait to see what New Yorkers come up with, especially some of our youngest New Yorkers.”
“The CEC is proud to launch a new cycle of The People’s Money! Tens of thousands of New Yorkers submitted ideas, volunteered, and voted in this process over the past year, demonstrating the value and impact of participatory budgeting,” said Dr. Sarah Sayeed, CEC Chair & Executive Director. “We are so excited this year to work with many diverse community partners to connect even more New Yorkers to this process. Sharing ideas is the first step to identifying pressing needs and opportunities, and we encourage all residents to make their voices heard.”
Through a robust and inclusive engagement process where over 200 groups, entities, and community-based organizations’ (CBOs) submitted proposals, the CEC, and a diverse group of 104 selected partner organizations will be opening their doors to host idea-generating sessions at conveniently located sites citywide. Residents will also be able to submit ideas via the CEC’s online platform participate.nyc.gov.
These community partners will engage in grassroots outreach primarily directed toward New Yorkers who have typically been left out of the democratic process. This includes a targeted effort in 33 neighborhoods, as identified by the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity as most heavily impacted by COVID-19, and with specific communities, such as those with limited English proficiency, youth (11-21), veterans, people with disabilities, immigrants, NYCHA residents, older adults, the faith-based community, LGBTQIA+, and justice-impacted residents.
