‘The People’s Money,’ is a participatory budgeting process that is giving New Yorkers a say in which projects should get city government funding to support 33 neighborhoods hit hardest by COVID-19. New Yorkers voted from December 6, 2021-January 31, 2022.
These investments total $1.3 million and will support a more fair recovery in our city. Community organizations proposed 99 ideas to meet urgent needs such as mental health, hunger, Young Men’s Initiative, and reducing gun violence. Winning projects will be implemented from March-June, 2022.
To see the full vote results by neighborhood, borough, and issue areas, visit the NYC Participate platform, TRIE PB results page.
City agency partners worked to reach low-income New Yorkers, immigrants and people of color, using canvassers, multilingual community and ethnic print media, social media and radio ads, bus shelter and LinkNYC kiosks ads, and leveraging the TRIE Neighborhood Initiative made up of local community-based organizations in the targeted 33 neighborhoods.
In the final stretch of the voting period, neighborhood coalitions and the CEC co-hosted 18 Get Out the Vote (GOTV) events across all five boroughs to inform residents about the participatory budgeting process and help them access multi-modal ways to vote for projects in their neighborhood.
In conjunction with neighborhood community-based organizations and volunteers, the CEC canvassed paper ballots that were translated into 15 languages.
Of the 18 events, 4 were held in the Bronx (Kingsbridge, Belmont, Parkchester, Morrisania), 7 in Brooklyn (East Flatbush, Bedford Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Bushwick, Sunset Park, Flatbush, East New York), 6 in Queens (Richmond Hill, Queensbridge, Jamaica, Queens Village, Woodhaven), 1 in Manhattan (Central Harlem), and 1 in Staten Island (St. George).
Co-hosts included branches of the NY State Conference of NAACP, Commonpoint Queens, Project Hospitality, El Puente, the African Life Center, and others. New Yorkers were also able to vote online and by phone.
Dwayne Ashely, CEO Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, said “when community residents have a voice in the decision-making process for issues and opportunities that affect their community, they are empowered and own the outcomes of their choices. We are extremely proud of the work the BPC Team along with their respective TREI Neighborhood Coordinators (TNCs) exhibited to ensure a tremendous turnout for this PB process. The BPC/TRIE delivery system is an effective and viable mechanism for serving New Yorkers.”
BPC is the nation’s largest Black-owned fundraising firm and partners with the CEC on disseminating the government funds to participating neighborhoods.
“The Civic Engagement Commission is committed to the values of collaboration and manifesting community power. Participatory budgeting is one pathway for engagement that enables communities to move their voice into action on decisions that impact their lives. We believe that by working together with people affected by policies, we can identify and solve our collective challenges and build the interdependence required for a healthy and resilient democracy, said Dr. Sarah Sayeed, Chair and Executive Director, Civic Engagement Commission.
“The Taskforce On Racial Inclusion And Equity (TRIE) is dedicated to bridging the gap between communities and the city. New Yorkers know first-hand what their communities need, and through The People’s Money, are directing City resources to projects that reflect local priorities,” said Sideya Sherman, Executive Director, Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity and EVP, Community Engagement & Partnerships, NYCHA. “We commend the TRIE neighborhood coalitions for their tireless work engaging community members in local decision-making and crafting solutions to everyday challenges. We look forward to seeing the successful implementation of these projects, which will catalyze future participatory budgeting in our city.”
Photo credit: NYC & CEC.
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