Here is a great chance for you to be directly impact how the city spends $2.2 million. Through the city’s Ideas in Action initiative — you can choose up to five projects that you think will have the biggest impact on your community.
From January 15 to February 15, 2026, Boston residents can vote and decide on how $2.2 million in Participatory Budgeting funds will be invested in community-driven projects across the city. Projects include small business development, providing immigration legal counsel, greening unused city land, and more. Below is each project, its cost, and a description of its purpose.
Click here to vote
Selected projects are a one-time, non-recurring investment, and their implementation will start in the spring of 2026. You can vote for as many as five projects. To vote, you must be a Boston resident, only vote one time, and be at least 11-years-old.
Youth Financial Literacy and Empowerment Workshops
Cost: $250,000
This proposal provides financial literacy workshops delivered at youth job sites, local events, and colleges for young people ages 14-24. Sessions cover banking, credit, investing, budgeting, and career readiness, empowering youth to build financial skills and grow their wealth.
Community Litter Reduction Campaign
Cost: $200,000
This proposal establishes a tool-lending and community event grant program enabling residents and organizations to host neighborhood cleanups. These events will incorporate community-building activities like music, art, and athletics.
Leveraging the Office of Civic Organizing’s existing Neighborhood Cleanup and Love Your Block infrastructure, participating groups will receive the necessary tools and resources to host cleanup activities.
Small Business Development Resource Program
Cost: $250,000
This proposal offers technical assistance in relevant subject matter areas to support small business entrepreneurship across Boston. The goal is to create greater financial stability and capacity for small business, which will ultimately benefit communities citywide.
Resources will be made available through avenues that will attempt to target entrepreneurs who have not benefited from City supports and resources in the past.
Immigrant Career Pathways: Bridging Language and Employment
Cost: $300,000
This proposal provides grants for ESOL classes combined with skills training and certifications in childcare, construction, and small business development. The program addresses language barriers and workforce needs for immigrant residents while meeting the city’s demand for qualified workers.
Cost: $100,000
This proposal transforms underutilized city-owned spaces along roadways and sidewalks through community-led greening initiatives. The program provides contracting opportunities and resources for residents, schools, community groups and organizations to adopt, beautify, and maintain local spaces with native plantings.
This initiative will prioritize heat-vulnerable locations while remaining accessible to all neighborhoods.
Bridging the Gap: Assistance for Housing Stability
Cost: $200,000
This proposal establishes a flexible funding pool to help Boston residents at risk of or experiencing homelessness to secure or maintain housing. Through grants to nonprofit organizations, low-income individuals, people with disabilities, and those with intersecting marginalized identities would be able to receive one-time financial assistance for housing-related costs such as storage fees, arrears, moving costs, start-up expenses, and basic furniture.
Healing Through Art: Creative Pathways to Wellness
Cost: $300,000
This proposal brings culturally rooted artists into neighborhood spaces to lead arts workshops centered on healing and wellness. The program offers diverse creative practices including singing, theater, painting, and music that honor different cultural traditions and pathways to wellness, expanding equitable access to mental health support.
Workshops will be hosted in community settings such as parks, libraries, community centers, and places of worship.
Senior Caregiver Resources & Training Programs
Cost: $200,000
This proposal provides grants to equip caregivers with hands-on training, practical tools, education, respite, and support services to provide care for older family members. The initiative offers multilingual information and training that reflect diverse needs across gender, age, cultural background, and health conditions.
Workforce Training Programs Focused on Trades
Cost: $300,000
This proposal provides grants to expand vocational training in trades such as HVAC, automotive, computer skills, and cooking, with a focus on low-income residents. The initiative creates pathways to better-paying jobs while addressing the community’s need for skilled workers.
Immigrant Stories Through Art: Creating Belonging, Building Connections
Cost: $300,000
This proposal provides grants to showcase immigrant stories and contributions through public art installations and galleries. It will support free, accessible cultural programs that feature immigrant artists to challenge stereotypes, using transparent and inclusive processes to ensure diverse community participation.
Immigrant Legal Defense Fund
Cost: $400,000
This proposal provides grant funding for immigration legal services including consultations, application assistance, and legal representation for immigrants facing detention and deportation. This initiative will prioritize detained immigrants, those at heightened risk of detention, and immigrant youth.
Neighborhood Fresh Food Access Initiative
Cost: $500,000
This proposal provides funds to local organizations to increase access to healthy food in neighborhoods with higher food insecurity rates. Resources will be used to support food pantries, pop-up markets, farmers markets, food vouchers, or refrigerated food distribution.
Voices of Recovery: Sobriety Supports and Storytelling Pilot
Cost: $200,000
This proposal facilitates a pilot program providing recovery supports in a dedicated shelter space for guests experiencing homelessness who are interested in sobriety.
As an option, the Recovery Specialist will work with guests to develop storytelling workshops that connect with local high school students, reducing stigma about homelessness and addiction. Participating schools will be encouraged to donate essential items to the shelters.
