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July 11, 2025

The People's Purse: Happy New (Fiscal) Year!

Welcome to The People's Purse, your go-to source for all updates on the Richmond People's Budget! If this is your first time receiving our newsletter, we're thrilled to have you join us. Our goal is to show you your voice in action. You can always find all updates on our website at RVAPB.org, so you don't need to rely solely on this newsletter for information. To unsubscribe, just click the link at the bottom of this email.

After a massively successful year with the Richmond People’s Budget (Thanks to you!), we are now moving into our implementation and evaluation year. That is not to say we won’t still be out in the community to connect and listen to your voice, but it does mean we will be focused on making sure the promises the City made to this effort become reality.


Participate in a Focus Group - July 29th 7pm - online

To make sure RVAPB is doing right by the community, we are inviting everyone involved to share your ideas for how we can improve these efforts. Join our friends from the VCU Wilder School as they help us prepare for the future.

SIGN UP by emailing Brittany Keegan - keeganbs@vcu.edu


Richmond fiscal year 2026 Adopted Budget

FY 2026 Budget

Did you see RVAPB in the adopted FY2026 City Budget? Check us out in section 9-32. But hold on a minute! This isn’t everything! Where are all the projects? Don’t fret, we got you.

Because of the way the City Budget was done this year and how the Budget office presents the budget, RVAPB projects are sprinkled in both the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and the General Operating Budget. Keep reading to see how you can keep track of your favorite projects.


A visual paper tracker of the RVAPB project trackers

Staying Accountable with RVAPB Trackers

Over the last month the RVAPB Team has been working to develop a series of trackers so that you can keep up to date on where your projects stand. There will be a physical version in the City Council offices and an online version as a part of a new participatory website (Coming Soon!). Keep an eye open at rvapb.org and connect on our social media for updates in the coming months.


The RVAPB Team and the Participatory Budgeting Steering together at the annual planning meeting
RVAPB Team and Steering Commission Meeting 6.28.2025

PB Commission

On June 28th your intrepid PB Steering Commission came together to review our work and think about our next steps. They took the initial steps of rewriting the RVAPB Ordinance and making updates to the RVAPB Rulebook. These are key steps to solidifying this program in the City of Richmond.


Inspiration

Akron Citizens Assembly School Banner
Citizens’ Assembly School

The RVAPB team travelled to the Rubber Capital of the World (Akron, Ohio) to participate in FIDE’s Citizens’ Assembly School. Similar to Participatory Budgeting, Citizens’ Assembly help bring community members together to deliberate on policy changes, form recommendations and proposals, and deliver it to the governing body for consideration.

Fun Fact: Did you know Richmond has a People’s Assembly? Check out how you can build community with your neighborhoods at their upcoming City-wide People’s Assembly on July 26th, from 12-4PM at the Richmond Main Library.

Two spidermen pointing at each other
Spiderman Twins

VA Community Voice - RVA Thrives

Hold up! There’s TWO participatory budgeting programs in the city? Check out the amazing work done VA Community Voice as they recently concluded their first participatory budgeting project in the Southside. RVA Thrives created three working groups; Housing, Green, and Art, Racial Reconciliation & Civic Advocate as the main themes to serve and engage Southside residents on how VA Community Voice should spend their funding.

In Conclusion, there’s even more competition for RVAs superlative “Most likely to improve the city.”


Staying in touch moving forward . . .

Just to let you know, we will now be putting out this incredible newsletter once a month. So, expect some juicy tidbits about Richmond, civic engagement, and democracy sent directly to your inbox on the second week of the month.

Also don’t for get to follow us on Instagram!!! https://www.instagram.com/rvapeoplesbudget/

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