Ideas in Action
Ideas in Action is the City's new Participatory Budgeting initiative, where Bostonians can decide how to spend a part of the City’s budget.
Updates
The idea submission period for Boston's Participatory Budgeting initiative, Ideas in Action, has ended.
Key Highlights:
-
During PB Cycle One, 756 Boston residents participated in submitting ideas from July 1, 2024 through August 15, 2024;
- A total of 1,210 ideas were collected and on average, participants submitted 1.6 ideas per person;
- Out of the total ideas, approximately 760 were city-wide ideas and 450 were location specific ideas; and
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Ideas were collected through multiple channels, including City-sponsored workshops (312 ideas), individually organized community meetings (98 ideas), and through individual submissions in the PB portal (800 ideas).
In August and September 2024, the Office will review and compile all the project ideas shared by Boston residents during Idea Collection. The top community priorities will be identified based on the number of similar ideas submitted by residents. The City will host public visioning forums in the fall to draft the community priority proposals for voting in January.
To stay engaged in Ideas in Action events and next steps, please sign up for the updates!
Cycle One Idea Submissions
From July 1, 2024 to August 15th, 2024, Boston residents were able to share their ideas on "how to spend $2 million to benefit the community", with the City's Office of Participatory Budgeting (OPB). To see the complete list of idea that were submitted during this first cycle visit our ideas portal.
About Ideas In Action
Ideas in Action is an opportunity for Bostonians to unite in open dialogue about budget priorities, engage in identifying community-initiated project ideas, and take collective action to help decide what projects get implemented for the benefit of the City.
Through collaboration with City Departments, partnerships with community organizations, and with guidance from our External Oversight Board (EOB), the Office of Participatory Budgeting (OPB) plans to host yearly Participatory Budgeting cycles in order to:
- Offer opportunities for the public to propose community-centered project ideas to address local priorities and vote on those they would like to see funded with the Office’s budget, and
- Gauge and identify resident priorities to help inform future City and departmental budget investments.
For this first pilot year, OPB and its Board have created a “Participatory Budgeting Rulebook” to provide a comprehensive framework and standard set of rules and operations for this new initiative in Boston.
Have question or need assistance? Contact:
Criteria for Idea Submission
Who can submit project ideas?
All City of Boston residents can submit an idea regardless of age!
What type of projects can you propose?
- Projects are limited to a one-time expense and do not create new permanent positions
- Project Proposals may include programs and services as well as physical infrastructure
- Infrastructure projects on private, state, or federal property are not eligible, such as projects concerning the Department of Conservation & Recreation, or the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.
- Project ideas related to programs and services in non-City owned facilities are eligible
- Project ideas must be feasible to implement, and be consistent with existing City policies, laws, regulations, and the Participatory Budgeting Ordinance
- Projects must be implemented or managed by the appropriate City Department or agency receiving direct budgeting appropriations
What are some examples of ideas?
Ideas may include programs and services, as well as physical infrastructure, technological improvements, and community enhancements.
Eligible Idea Examples:
- Programming to strengthen mental health among Boston Youth
- Expand the City's Wicked Free WiFi network to reach more low-income areas
- Digital literacy classes for senior citizens to learn new skills and promote social connections
- Enhance public spaces through infrastructure projects (public art, street trees, benches, ect.)
Ineligible Idea Examples
- Paying for the salary of a public employee to provide services
- Repairing a privately owned building
- Helping an organization renovate a space that it rents from a private landlord
- Helping a religious institution repair its sanctuary
- Increase the frequency of MBTA buses or trains
Timeline
|
Dates |
Phase |
|---|---|
|
July 1 - August 15, 2024 |
Submit your ideas by:
|
| October - November, 2024 Visioning Forums and Online Engagement |
Help determine which ideas will make it to the final ballot by attending Visioning Forums in October and November 2024. |
| January, 2025 Public Voting Period |
Vote on your top 5 ideas to be funded in January 2025! |
|
February, 2025 and onward |
Track progress of PB funded projects on the website and through the annual report. |
Youth Lead the Change
In Boston, Youth Lead the Change (YLC) was established in 2014 as the City’s first youth-led Participatory Budgeting initiative. The process is currently led by the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement and invests one million dollars of the City’s capital budget to give young people the power to decide how to spend it for the benefit of their communities. Boston resident youth aged 12 to 22 who live, work, or go to school in the City are able to participate in the process by submitting ideas and voting on the finalists.
Explore Youth Lead the Change's journey, including their processes, proposals, and completed projects from 2014 to the present, here.
