Community Steering Committee FAQs

Each Participatory Budgeting process is different and dependent on many local factors such as the size of the budget available, the makeup of the area in which PB is happening, and the way local budgeting processes and timelines already work. Selected Community Steering Committee (CSC) members will be asked to commit to an estimated 15 - 20 hours throughout the course of the 7+ months that the PB process takes place. SC members will be compensated for their time and commitment up to $700 for this cycle.

Community Steering Committee members will be provided with learning opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills around Participatory Budgeting. The following are tentative sessions that will not only set a foundation for the PB process but will also create an environment from which members can feel empowered to address systemic challenges affecting their communities, by using PB as a tool to accomplish their goals. 

Sessions: 

1. Norms, Understanding the CSC role, and How to run meetings 

2. Racial Equity Ground-setting and Mobility Justice

3. Mini-Grants and Outreach/Engagement

4. City Capital Budgeting and Neighborhood Planning Initiative (NPI) areas

A selection committee composed of Denver PBP consultants and city employees from multiple agencies will score each application with a rubric focusing on the following topics:

• Understanding of Equity

• Community Connectedness

• Understanding of the City/Neighborhood

• Willingness and Ability to Commit to Steering Committee Responsibilities

• Experience with Representing Communities

Demographics will then be considered in a holistic process to ensure a proper representation of the city. 

All of your responses are kept confidential and private. No responses will be shared publicly. Your application questions will be reviewed by a panel including participatory budget consultants and city employees. The demographic data will only be reviewed by the final selection panel to ensure proper representation of the city and will not have an impact on the scoring of your application.

No, residents cannot receive a mini-grant and be part of the Community Steering Committee.