irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $17KPARTICIPATION LAB: WE DEVELOP AND TEST INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES AND DESIGN SOLUTIONS THAT STREAMLINE PB AND DEEPEN, MEASURE, AND COMMUNICATE ITS IMPACTS. WE MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR GOVERNMENTS TO ADOPT AND EXPAND PB BY MAKING THE PROCESS EASIER AND MORE EFFECTIVE. THIS WORK INCLUDES DEVELOPING TRAININGS, GUIDES, AND INNOVATIVE TOOLS SUCH AS TECHNOLOGY, VIDEOS, AND GAMES, TO ADDRESS KEY PB PROCESS CHALLENGES.
- #2 $43KCOMMUNICATIONS: THE COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM MANAGES THE ORGANIZATIONS INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY, IT OVERSEES MESSAGING, BRANDING, MEDIA RELATIONS, DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT (WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND NEWSLETTER), AND PRODUCTION OF PUBLIC-FACING MATERIALS. THE PROGRAM ENSURES CONSISTENT, ACCURATE, AND MISSION-ALIGNES COMMUNICATION ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS, SUPPORTS FUNDRAISING AND PROGRAM INITIATIVES WITH TAILORED CONTENT, AND MAINTAINS DOCUMENTATION OF COMMUNICATION OUTPUTS AND APPROVAL FOR COMPLIANCE AND EVALUATION PURPOSES.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Global Hub Initiative
Supports global participatory democracy practices including participatory budgeting, citizens' assemblies, participatory policy-making, and legislative theater to shift power toward marginalized communities.
Network Building
Builds relationships among PB practitioners, organizers, researchers, and officials through a practitioner network, international conferences, and knowledge-sharing initiatives to expand demand and support for participatory budgeting.
PB in Schools
Supports K-12 schools and colleges in implementing participatory budgeting to develop student leadership, enhance civic education, and engage families and staff in school decision-making.
Participation Lab
Develops and tests innovative strategies, tools, and resources—including trainings, guides, technology platforms, videos, and games—to improve the effectiveness and scalability of participatory budgeting processes.
Technical Assistance
Provides implementation support for participatory budgeting and participatory democracy processes, including planning consultations, trainings, coaching, workshops, and evaluation support to government and community partners.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Democracy and Civic Engagement Support 2 activities
- Advocating for expanded use of participatory democracyConducts education and advocacy to promote participatory budgeting in municipal budgets, schools, and policy-making; anchors the Democracy Beyond Elections campaign; supports new initiatives via the PB Seeds program; and promotes integration of PB into federal funding streams like Community Development Block Grants and public housing funds.
- Developing and distributing tools and guides for participatory democracyCreates and shares practical, open-access resources such as “Running a PB Process from Start to Finish,” the Outreach Toolkit, the Participatory Policy-Making toolkit, illustrated zines on participatory democracy (in English and Spanish), and customizable templates to support equitable implementation of participatory budgeting and broader democratic practices.
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Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
- Building leadership and engagement through the People's FellowshipOperates the People's Fellowship to develop young leaders who engage in youth-led outreach, community engagement, neighborhood research, and digital space management in partnership with local agencies.
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Nonprofit Sector Research & Data Analysis 1 activity
- Conducting research to evaluate and improve participatory budgetingLeads research initiatives through the North American PB Research Board, develops evaluation toolkits (including for schools and municipalities), publishes reports such as “Next Generation Democracy” and the School Policy Scan Report, and produces multimedia documentation to assess impacts and advance evidence-based practice in participatory budgeting.
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Flexible Grants to Grassroots Organizations 1 activity
- Operating a participatory grantmaking fund (PB²)Runs PB², an internal participatory budgeting process that enables the organization’s network—including partners, supporters, and donors—to directly allocate portions of its budget to projects advancing participatory democracy, such as the 2023-funded "Trainings for Young PB Leaders."
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Community Capacity Building & Leadership Networks 1 activity
- Providing technical assistance and training for participatory budgeting implementationOffers comprehensive technical assistance including project planning, coaching, training workshops (such as PB 101 and PB Roadmaps), and facilitator resources to support organizations and governments in launching and running participatory budgeting processes. Serves hundreds of partners across North America.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Implementing participatory budgeting processes in cities and institutionsLaunched and supported participatory budgeting processes in over 40 cities across the U.S. and Canada, enabling more than 739,000 people to decide how to spend over $400 million in public funds. Supported landmark initiatives including New York City’s expansion to over 30 districts, Vallejo’s citywide process, and Boston’s youth-focused citywide process.
- Supporting participatory budgeting in educational settingsProvides direct support and tailored resources for implementing participatory budgeting in K–12 schools, school districts, and colleges, including at P.S. 139 in Brooklyn, Phoenix Union High School District, and CUNY. Offers an online course, lesson plans, worksheets, and implementation guides designed for educators and students.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.55M
Contributions & grants$1.16M75%
Program service revenue$396K26%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$2.09M
Program expenses45%
Admin / overhead51%
Fundraising4%
Salaries & benefits$1.47M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.46M
Cash$2.03M
Investments$0
Liabilities$81K
Net assets$2.38M
Liquid reserves11.6 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -68.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELIZABETH CREWS | CO- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $102K |
board members · 6
- CYNDI TERCERO-SANDOVAL — BOARD MEMBER
- EVAN GRANER — BOARD MEMBER
- JAN WEETJENS PCC — BOARD MEMBER
- JOAN BAKIRIDDIN — VICE CHAIR
- ROBERT SHERMAN — BOARD MEMBER
- STEPHAN LAFUME — SECRETARY
relationships · 35
Who they work with
- Budget Delegate Committee Partner — Collaborative committee including PBP staff, Amplifiers, partners, and board members that develops proposals for the PB² process.
- Chicago Aldermanic Wards Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City University of New York Partner — Partner institution where students in two colleges allocate student government funds through participatory budgeting
- City of Boston Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Cambridge Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Denver Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Dieppe Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Grand Rapids Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Greensboro Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Sacramento Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Seattle Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Toronto Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Vallejo Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Vancouver Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- City of Victoria Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- County of Merced Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- Democracy Beyond Elections Coalition — Anchor and manage the Democracy Beyond Elections coalition and campaign to expand community-led decision-making.
- Democracy Beyond Elections Coalition — Anchor organization for the Democracy Beyond Elections campaign, which promotes community-led decision-making beyond elections.
- Democracy Beyond Elections Coalition — National campaign coalition focused on expanding community-led democracy beyond election cycles.
- Democracy Beyond Elections Partner — Collaborative campaign anchored by the Participatory Budgeting Project to expand participatory democracy.
- Healthy Democracy Partner — Co-hosted a learning event on government by the people
- Healthy Democracy Partner — Co-hosted a learning event on participatory budgeting and civic assemblies with community members.
- New York City Council Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- New York City Department of Education Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- North American PB Research Board Network — Collaborative network of academics and researchers convened to study and improve participatory budgeting.
- P.S. 139 Partner — Partner school implementing participatory budgeting with students and families in Brooklyn, NY
- People Powered Partner — Global hub initiative supporting participatory democracy methods in partnership with the organization
- Phoenix Union High School District Partner — Partner school district in Arizona that launched the first U.S. district-wide participatory budgeting process
- Phoenix Union High School District Partner — Receives technical assistance for participatory budgeting implementation.
- Porto Alegre Government — City where participatory budgeting originated in 1989; referenced as a foundational example of the practice.
+ 5 more
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Active Civic Learning Through Real-World Participationmethodology: authentic_civic_learningBy engaging students and community members in authentic, hands-on budget decisions, the organization fosters leadership and democratic engagement because experiential learning deepens understanding and commitment more than passive instruction.
- Community-Led Decision-Making for Transformative Democracymethodology: community_led_decision_makingBy establishing sustained, community-led decision-making structures beyond election cycles, the organization advances transformative democracy because ongoing local control reconnects citizens with governance and shifts power to historically excluded groups.
- Design Innovation to Lower Adoption Barriersmethodology: design_innovation_for_adoptionBy developing user-friendly tools and design innovations, the organization enables governments to adopt and scale participatory budgeting because simplified, accessible processes reduce technical and political resistance to implementation.
- Network-Driven Power Shifting and Institutional Adoptionmethodology: network-driven_power_shiftingBy building a global network of practitioners and officials, the organization increases demand for participatory budgeting and advances equity because coordinated networks create peer pressure, shared learning, and institutional momentum that accelerate adoption and shift power to marginalized communities.
- Participatory Budgeting as Democratic Empowermentmethodology: participatory_budgetingBy using participatory budgeting processes, the organization enables community members to make direct decisions about public spending, thereby increasing equity, effectiveness, and civic engagement because real decision-making power builds trust, inclusion, and democratic ownership.