We recently hosted a convening for the Local Budget Advocacy Community of Practice in partnership with The New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy. The convening attendees are part of the CoP, which includes 57 advocates from the South and beyond who are working to advance local budget equity, or an equitable allocation of public funds, to their communities.
Now that seismic shifts have taken place in the federal funding landscape, it is more important than ever that advocates and grassroots organizations hold local governments accountable in making spending decisions. Over the course of the convening, some trends emerged around the state of budget advocacy this year. Here’s what local budget advocates are talking about and noticing in their communities:
Co-governance could (should!) be the future
Co-governance is shared power. This model of governance takes place when a government entity shares meaningful decision making power with members of the community. It allows the people most affected by public policy to help shape it and holds the government accountable to the people it serves.
For local budget advocates, working to expand co-governance to more communities could result in meaningful collaboration on building local budgets and allocating public funds. Talking about co-governance in these small groups is a powerful reminder that there is a blueprint for making budget equity a priority.
Local funding priorities are following national trends
Advocates across the country report that their communities’ spending priorities are reflecting the federal budget policy priorities. Communities are faced with a reduction in available federal funding. They’re also prioritizing spending on large line items like policing, while the funding cuts are focused on social services. It’s critical that communities have a voice in budgeting so that spending priorities mirror the community’s needs and resources are allocated fairly and invested in the communities’ well-being.
Political realities constantly change, and so does the budget advocacy landscape
Local budget advocates are constantly organizing and advocating in changing political landscapes due to the nature of local politics. They’re adapting to working with new mayors who bring in new priorities, new councilmembers, and working to influence spending conversations in election years when many officials are also candidates. Advocates working in these spaces must constantly adapt to shifting priorities, new personalities, and evolving messaging and tactics.
All of this means local budget equity work must be funded to sustain its impact and fuel more wins
Now is the time for philanthropy to recognize the importance of local budget equity work and make it sustainable. Investing in this ecosystem is aligned with investing in other aspects of civic engagement. Budget advocacy and organizing is one of the best ways to turn knowledge into tangible changes for your community.
Now that advocates are coalescing around co-governance, working to resist national funding trends, and navigating ever-changing policy environments, it’s imperative that philanthropy understand that investing in budget advocacy is investing in democracy. Funding local budget equity work means more people will use the power they have to shape their communities by demanding accountability in how their dollars are spent.
