Participatory Budgeting Delegate

Sign-ups to join as a PB Delegate for the 12th cycle of Participatory Budgeting has now ended. If you would like to learn more about being a Delegate, or other ways to volunteer for the PB Cambridge process, please reach out to Melissa Liu at pb@cambridgema.gov. If you haven't already, make sure to sign up for the PB Newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest PB news, including volunteer opportunities. 

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Participatory Budgeting is made possible by volunteer community members that contribute to the process! The Budget Office is seeking Cambridge residents to join the PB12 process as Participatory Budgeting Delegates. Volunteering as a PB Delegate is a great way to become a community leader, work alongside Cambridge residents and City staff, and help make the city a better place.

PB Delegates will work in teams to research, evaluate, and prioritize the project ideas submitted by community members during idea collection. PB Delegates work for three months to develop and choose the final project proposals for the PB vote in March. The proposal development process involves site visits, community assessments, and consultations with City staff to evaluate a project's need, impact, feasibility, and cost.

During the PB11 process, 70+ PB Delegates worked across five committees to narrow down over 1,300 submitted PB ideas into 20 final project proposals for the ballot.

Being a PB Delegate requires in-person time commitment from October through mid-December 2025, and one final meeting in early February 2026. Attendance is very important for a productive process. Please review the schedule below to decide whether this role is right for you.

For a full schedule and a deeper glimpse into the work of the PB Delegates please view the draft PB12 Delegate Guide. (Some changes to dates may be made closer to the start of the PB12 process.

• PB Delegate Orientation: Tuesday, September 30, 2025, from 6-8 PM at the Cambridge City Hall, Sullivan Chamber (795 Massachusetts Avenue). This in-person orientation will have delegates learn more about the process, select your committee, and meet your teammates and facilitator.
• Weekly Committee Meetings: PB Delegate Committees will meet once a week on Wednesday evenings, 6-8 PM, from October through mid-December to review, research, and prioritize ideas. Each meeting will take ~2 hours to meet objectives. Meetings will be in-person at Cambridge City Hall.
• Speed Consultations with City staff: The Budget Office will organize two sessions for PB Delegates to meet with City staff in October and November. Think of it as Department speed dating – PB Delegates will move around talking with and asking questions of various department representatives regarding relevant PB proposals.
• Delegates submit Proposal Shortlist to Budget Office: Early December. Delegates do not need to meet while City staff are evaluating shortlisted proposals. City staff will provide final feedback and cost estimates to Delegates in early January.
• Delegates submit final ballot text to Budget Office: Thursday, February 5, 2026.
• PB Vote week: March 2026; tell your friends, community, and families to vote!
• PB Vote Results Party: Date and time TBD. Find out which projects won $1,000,000 in funding! 

Please reach out to Melissa Liu at pb@cambridgema.gov with questions on the PB Delegate role.