Every year, New York City residents come together to envision and create positive change in their communities through The People’s Money Campaign. Conducted by the New York City Civic Engagement Commission (NYCCEC), the People’s Money Campaign is a participatory budgeting (PB) process, open to all New Yorkers, to decide how part of the city’s budget can be used to best serve their communities.  

At The Fortune Society, this campaign has become an important way to connect people to civic engagement in a way that feels accessible and meaningful by offering various opportunities for participants and staff to get involved.  

The process starts with idea generation workshops held across Fortune sites. These sessions are designed to meet people where they are by introducing the campaign, breaking down how it works, and then inviting participants to imagine what their communities need most. The ideas range widely, from workforce programs to family support services, all rooted in the experiences of real community members. 

“This is really about making sure New York City citizens have the opportunity to vote on projects that they want to see happening in their communities,” Carler Dinnold, Senior Director of Workforce Development at Fortune, shared. 

The People’s Money Campaign can be especially impactful for Fortune community members, who, because of their involvement with the criminal legal system, may have felt excluded from traditional voting spaces in the past. The campaign allows participants to get more comfortable with both the voting process and engaging with their community members. By the end of each session, participants are energized and proud of the ideas they’ve built together. 

That sense of ownership continues throughout the campaign. After ideas are submitted, community members can be selected to join borough assemblies, where they help decide which proposals move forward to the ballot. Then comes voting, which is open to any New York City resident over the age of 12. Whether through community events, workshops, or digital ballots, the goal is to make participation accessible to all.  

Perhaps the most inspiring part is seeing ideas turn into reality. One participant-generated concept grew from a workshop conversation into a fully implemented initiative supporting mothers with parenting resources and financial literacy. Even more encouraging, the program has continued beyond its initial funding, showing how these ideas can take root and grow. 

“One of the reasons why I love this specific project so much is that they get projects from disadvantaged and vulnerable populations in New York City,” Carler explained. “They intentionally partner with organizations that represent the diverse collective of New York City that we have to offer, like Fortune. They want to make sure that when the ideas are generated, they’re getting ideas from people with lived experience.” 

The People’s Money Campaign is an important way to get New Yorkers involved and thinking about how to improve their communities. That belief is what drives the work forward each year. And as more people get involved, the impact continues to grow, one community at a time.