Denver is handing residents the reins on how to spend $2 million on neighborhood infrastructure, and City Hall wants locals to spell out exactly what they want built where. Through the city's People's Budget participatory program, neighbors can submit ideas for small but visible projects like playgrounds, trails, trees, crosswalks and benches through March 31. The goal is to fund capital projects that people actually see and use in their daily lives, while giving residents a direct say in how that money is spent.
How to take part
According to the City and County of Denver People's Budget page, the program is collecting ideas for potential projects through March 31 and links to an online submission portal. The page notes that to date, more than 6,000 community members have participated and the program has budgeted about $3 million toward neighborhood projects. Residents can submit project ideas through the city's portal and can also sign up to serve as project delegates, who will help review and shape proposals this summer.
What the money can buy
The city's Facebook post on Wednesday spotlighted playgrounds, trails, trees, crosswalks and benches as the kind of neighborhood upgrades people might pitch, and it pointed residents to the program guidebook for Cycle 3. In that post, the City and County of Denver described the People's Budget as a chance for neighborhoods to prioritize smaller capital projects instead of ongoing programming or services. Details and the Cycle 3 guidebook are available through the city's program page.
Where this comes from
City officials carved out funding for the People's Budget as part of the regular city budget process. A CPD news release notes that City Council approved $2 million for Cycle 3 in the 2025 annual budget and outlines how earlier rounds have already paid for projects ranging from intersection safety improvements to heat-relief measures. That release, along with the program page, walks residents through the participatory process that runs from idea collection to community voting and, ultimately, city construction of the winning projects.
Examples from past cycles
One very literal sign of the program in action: Denverite reported that residents tapped People's Budget dollars for a roughly $300,000 shade structure and picnic tables at New Freedom Park in East Colfax. It is the kind of project that quietly changes how a public space feels on a hot day. Past cycles have also backed mobile food access efforts, funded new trees and supported intersection safety upgrades.
What to watch next
Ideas are being collected through March 31, and the city plans to bring project delegates together in the summer to narrow down the submissions before a community vote later in the cycle. Winning proposals will then be handed off to the appropriate city agencies or community partners for design and construction, following the program's equity-based review process. Residents who want to pitch a project or get into the details can find the guidebook and submission links on the People's Budget program page.
