Mayor Wu Announces Second Year of City-wide Participatory Budgeting Initiative

Inaugural year of 'Ideas in Action,' featured thousands of participants and funded six innovative projects

 

Mayor Michelle Wu today announced the City's Participatory Budgeting initiative, 'Ideas in Action,' is returning for a second year following a successful inaugural year of the program, which featured thousands of residents attending workshops, submitting ideas, and voting to fund six innovative projects now moving into implementation. Participatory Budgeting is open to all Boston residents, giving them the opportunity to decide how to spend $2.2 million of the City’s budget through submitting ideas, drafting ballot proposals, and then voting for their favorite projects. Residents can share their ideas between July 1 and July 31 by visiting boston.com/participate.

 

"Ideas in Action' brings communities and city government together to foster a collective vision for Boston," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "In the first year residents decided to fund many great ideas -- ranging from making fresh foods more accessible, to advancing programs to support our youth, and we can't wait to hear their ideas for Cycle 2."  

The Office of Participatory Budgeting will again partner with trusted community-based organizations across the city to hold 'Ideas in Action' workshops this summer. After collecting project ideas from residents, both in person and online, the City will organize community forums in the fall where residents will assist in developing proposals for a ballot. Those proposals will then be available for voting in January of 2026. All ideas submitted also help inform future City budget investments.

 

"Participation in this program has spanned all neighborhoods and engaged new generations of residents, creating a fresh culture of civic engagement," said Renato Castelo, director of the Office of Participatory Budgeting. "We are proud that more than 1,200 ideas were submitted in the first cycle and nearly 4,500 residents voted to fund winning projects. This broad level of engagement shows the desire for residents to partner with the City to shape their communities for years to come."

 

“Participatory Budgeting is helping us build a culture of civic engagement that includes young people, immigrants, and our Black and Brown communities,” said Council President Ruthzee Louijeune. “It’s a model of governance of which Boston can be proud.” 

"Our residents were loud and clear about what they wanted addressed through Participatory Budgeting in the last cycle, from upgraded bus stops to a greater investment in rodent control," said Councilor Brian Worrell, Chair of the Committee on Ways & Mean. "That's why I was proud to join the rest of the City Council in increasing investments for projects that our residents advocated for and that will help our neighborhoods thrive."

 

Residents may participate by:

 

• Submitting project ideas online; 
• Calling and recording ideas through the multilingual PB Phone Line at (617) 635-3059; 
• Visiting City Hall or any Boston Public Library branch to submit ideas; 
• Attending in-person 'Idea Collection Workshops' organized by nonprofit organizations throughout the City starting this July.

  More information can be found at Boston.gov/participate

   

Timeline for Year 2 of 'Ideas in Action'

• Idea Collection (July 2025)
• Proposal Development (October - December 2025)
• Voting (January - February 2026)
• Funding and Implementing Winning Ideas (Spring 2026)

See a list of winning projects funded in Cycle 1 here.

 

About the Office of Participatory Budgeting 

'Ideas in Action' started as a community effort, which led Boston voters to approve a ballot measure in the 2021 Municipal Election, creating the Office of Participatory Budgeting. The ordinance establishing the Office was adopted by Mayor Wu and the City Council in the spring of 2023.