Body of News Release
Marin County, CA – Participatory budgeting is back! The County of Marin is once again making $2.5 million available, and community members will decide how to spend the funds on equity-centered projects. This democratic process, known as Participatory Budgeting (PB), places decision-making power to allocate $2.5 million directly in the hands of community members.
Led by the County’s Office of Equity, Participatory Budgeting invites community members to brainstorm ideas to improve their community, turn those ideas into proposals, and vote to decide which proposals to fund.
“Equity is at the heart of participatory budgeting, with a strong focus on ensuring historically marginalized communities have a voice in the decision-making,” said County Equity Director Jamillah Jordan. “This dynamic process is rooted in the knowledge that community members are best equipped to identify their local priorities and guide how public dollars are spent in their neighborhood.”
From May through August 2026, community members are invited to share their ideas for two key questions:
- How would you use $2.5 million to improve your community?
- How would you use $2.5 million to advance racial equity?
Anyone 14 years or older who lives, works, or attends school in Marin County can participate — regardless of immigration status. Ideas can be submitted online through an easy-to-use interactive map. A Spanish-language version of the tool is also available.
Community members are encouraged to visit the online tool, and "like" the ideas they are passionate about, and to share their own ideas. The Office of Equity will also collect ideas during in-person events across the county, including health fairs, community gatherings and at neighborhood hubs such as libraries and schools.
Participatory Budgeting Cycle 2 Timeline
There are five steps in Marin’s Participatory Budgeting process:
- Step 1: Idea Submission (June through September 2026): Community members will share their ideas on how they would use $2.5 million to improve their communities and advance racial equity. The County offers an interactive map of submitted ideas.
- Step 2: Grant Proposals Submitted (October through December 2026): Inspired by ideas collected in Step 1, residents and community-based organizations submit grant proposals for review.
- Step 3: Voting (February-March 2027): Members of the public vote on which projects should be funded. Voting is open to anyone who is 14 years old or above who lives, works or attends school in Marin County, regardless of immigration status.
- Step 4: Fund Winning Proposals (April-May 2027): The Board of Supervisors announce and fund the winning projects.
- Step 5: Project Implementation (June 2027 and ongoing): Grant recipients will implement the PB projects, providing regular updates on how projects are progressing and sharing opportunities for the public to get involved.
The pilot cycle of Participatory Budgeting, which began in 2023, resulted in funding for 24 community projects that promoted equity in Marin. More than 3,600 people voted on how to spend the allotted $2.5 million. Selected projects included high-impact youth mentorship programs, climate resiliency initiatives, and cultural arts programs, among others. Details on the allocations and those programs are on the Equity website.
Curious how PB works? Watch a brief video introducing PB to local community members. Email questions to the Equity team.