After the Vote: Participatory Budgeting Project Implementation in Providence, RI

O Nine Neighborhood Fund (NNF) was a participatory budgeting process where residents of Central Providence decided how to spend one million dollars to improve health and well-being in their community. From 2022 to 2025, more than 1,200 residents age 13 and older shaped the priorities for their neighborhoods, leading to eight new projects designed and selected by the community itself. These projects were implemented by local non-profits, social enterprises, and public agencies in collaboration with members of the community.  

Coordinated by Central Providence Unidos, a Health Equity Zone convened by One Neighborhood Builders, NNF represents a new way of investing in people and places. It demonstrates how community members, when equipped with resources and decision-making power, can strengthen their neighborhoods and build lasting change. 

This case study focuses on the process of implementing the projects NNF voters selected. Specifically, we examine: 

1. The initial goals and outcomes of the NNF projects, including through survey data from some project participants.
2. The experiences and perceptions of individuals involved in implementing NNF projects.
3. The role of the PB coordinator – Central Providence Unidos – and perceptions of government actors in NNF project implementation.

Key Findings & Highlights

• Over 300 project ideas collected 

• 8 projects funded to improve community health 
  • Bathrooms and Plants in Our Parks (Wasted, Garden Time, and Heavenly Cleaning Services)
  • Lead-Free Water Filters (Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, Centro de Resiliência de Olneyville)
  • Youth Peer Mental Health (Projeto LETS)
  • Improving Our Bus Stops (Rhode Island Public Transit Authority)
  • Aulas de competências para a vida para jovens (Sin-Cere Multiservice Inc.)
  • Food-Bearing Tree Planting (Programa de Plantação de Bairros de Providence)
  • Futebol para jovens (Providence Sharks Football Club, with the Guatemalan Center as fiscal sponsor)
  • Distribuição e reparação de bicicletas (Chad Brown Alumni Association/North End Outreach)

• 2200+ Central Providence residents participated in programs 

• 20+ interviews conducted with community leaders and project partners 

• Stronger relationships between residents, organizations, and local government 

Interviews with resident leaders and project partners demonstrated 

• Project implementation supported community building, skill growth, and process shifts, including through how implementers are selected 

• Participatory Budgeting processes benefit from a flexible and active community-based coordinator that also prioritizes participant skill growth 

• Consistent desire for continued participatory budgeting with public funds and community management 

• Clear communication and considering project feasibility early were critical to successful implementation