AmericaParticipatory budgeting lets people help decide how a defined portion of money is used. A credible process names the budget, the rules, and who can authorize spending.
Real money needs a real scope
New York City’s People’s Money is an example of a public process for allocating part of a city budget. It includes stages for developing ideas and selecting projects. Its eligibility and funding rules belong to that program, not to all participatory budgeting.
A survey asking how people would allocate an imaginary budget is a simulation. It may reveal priorities, but it must not imply that money is available or that a vote creates a funding entitlement.
Choose projects before choosing winners
A proposal needs a cost, a public benefit, a feasible delivery route, and an institution that can implement it. Publish eligibility decisions with reasons. Otherwise an attractive but impossible proposal can dominate the ballot.
Consider how a voting rule handles expensive and inexpensive projects. Ranking proposals is not the same as allocating a constrained budget; the process must explain what happens when the remaining balance is too small for the next project.
The vote is the middle, not the end
Track selected projects through procurement, delivery, and maintenance. Report changes in scope and cost. Preserve projects that were not selected so participants understand what happened to their ideas.
America.co’s People’s Trillion is a proposed allocation exercise, not an appropriated trillion-dollar fund. It can be useful for exploring priorities if that distinction stays visible and funding claims remain tied to actual authorization.
Make it useful
Your next steps
- Name the actual budget and spending authority.
- Publish proposal eligibility, costs, and allocation rules.
- Track each selected project through delivery.
Take it into practice
A starting template you can adapt—not a form submitted to America.co.
Budget available: ____. Authorizing body: ____. Eligible projects: ____. Voting and allocation rule: ____. Delivery owner: ____. Public reporting schedule: ____.
Common questions
Is ranked-choice voting enough to allocate a budget?
Not by itself. A spending process also needs cost constraints, eligibility rules, and a defined allocation method.
Is People’s Trillion currently a public funding entitlement?
No. It is a proposed civic allocation exercise, not an authorized government budget.
Follow the source trail
Source pages consulted October 4, 2026. Original worksheets and evaluation questions are America.co guidance; they are not government instructions.
- NYC — How the People’s Money works ↗Official participatory-budget process
This guide uses AI-assisted drafting and links the underlying sources. It has not been presented as expert-reviewed advice. Read our editorial approach. Send a correction with the source and passage.