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Winning Participatory Budgeting Project Proposals Announced Following Record Community Engagement
Seven proposals will be funded using $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding
 Participatory Budgeting Delegates
EVANSTON, IL - The City of Evanston has announced the results of its participatory budgeting election, which saw active engagement and enthusiasm from community members throughout the month of September.
In March 2022, the Evanston City Council Participatory Budgeting Committee allocated $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the participatory budgeting process. Additional funding was approved to support staff, technical assistance, and effective process implementation. The democratic participatory budgeting process empowers community members to collectively determine the allocation of funding for projects that have a direct impact on their lives. This inclusive and transparent process involves a series of meetings, workshops, and voting events.
The participatory budgeting process in Evanston was divided into several phases that spanned over a year. In the idea collection phase, more than 1,300 ideas were gathered. These ideas were evaluated and narrowed down to 20 proposals during the proposal development phase, all of which were included on the election ballot. In the final voting phase, participants were able to select up to 7 of the 20 proposals. Funding will be allocated to projects based on the number of votes they received, with priority funding going to the most popular proposals until the entire $3 million is allocated.
Participatory Budgeting Election Results
After a month of online voting and 15 in-person voting events held throughout Evanston, the City is proud to announce the following winning projects that will receive funding based on the number of votes received:
#1: Mental Health First Aid Training
- 3,400 votes received
- $50,000
#2: Grants/ Incentives for Activities and Education Support for Marginalized Students in Grades 3-12
- 3,117 votes received
- $700,000
#3: Evanston Urban Farm
- 3,014 votes received
- $350,000
#4: Affordable Housing Subsidy
- 2,918 votes received
- $810,000
#5: Affordable Refugee Housing
- 2,890 votes received
- $645,000
#6: Youth and Young Adult Drop-In Center
- 2,692 votes received
- $210,000
#7: Small Business Grants
- 2,095 votes received
- $150,000
In total, the City collected an impressive 6,565 votes from community members, representing 8.5 percent of the Evanston population. This level of participation sets Evanston apart from the historical average of 1 percent voter turnout in participatory budgeting elections in other communities, reflecting our community's commitment to shaping the future of Evanston.
"The historic level of turnout in our participatory budgeting process is another demonstration of Evanston's passionate and engaged citizenry," said Mayor Biss. "Our residents' ideas and involvement are truly our greatest asset, and a sign of how much we can accomplish when we all work together."
The winning projects will be assigned to City staff across departments for implementation. Decisions about the remaining $85,000 of funding will be made by the Participatory Budgeting Leadership Committee.
For more information on the participatory budgeting process in Evanston, please visit cityofevanston.org/participatorybudgeting, call/text 847-448-4311, or simply dial 311 in Evanston.
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Media Contact: Jessie Mayo
jmayo@cityofevanston.org
Phone: 847-448-8041
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