Participatory Budgeting 2021 -Neighbourhood Spaces

The votes have been counted and just over $54,000 is being awarded to six community-led projects in the City of Victoria’s 2021 Participatory Budgeting initiative.

This year’s theme ‘Neighbourhood Spaces’ is all about projects that encourage social connection and belonging, community identity and expression, a connection with nature, and community resilience. The initiative received a great response from the community with eight projects going out for community voting. More than 1,300 residents voted for the projects they wanted to see funded.

Projects to receive funding this year include a muralContinue reading

The votes have been counted and just over $54,000 is being awarded to six community-led projects in the City of Victoria’s 2021 Participatory Budgeting initiative.

Projects to receive funding this year include a mural project, a community hub, an artist billboard, street murals, live pop-up performances, and an outdoor movie night.

Congratulations to the 2021 Participatory Budgeting Winning projects:

Projects with budgets between $1,000 - $7,500:

Lower Yates Mural Project - $6,500 - Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness

Youth living at the Lighthouse, a supportive housing project on lower Yates, will create an art piece for Waddington Alley for the wider community to enjoy.

Madrona Community Hub at Dockside Green $2,500 – Anne Glover

This project will transform a neighbourhood space into a community hub for residents and the public, complete with a little free library, a community notice board and a heritage marker

BIPOC Artist Billboard in Old Town/Downtown - $5,000 – Victoria Arts Council

This project will feature the artwork of a local BIPOC artist, who will be chosen by jury of BIPOC artists/curators/community members/business leaders, on a prominent billboard on the Victoria Arts Council building.

Projects with budgets between $7,501 - $20,000:

Curbside Colour - $15,750 – Greater Victoria Placemaking Network

This project seeks to create joyful places for residents and visitors to pause by adding bright, meaningful designs by Indigenous artists to two ‘traffic calming’ locations on Victoria streets.

You Are Here Pop-Up Docs - $20,000 – Theatre SKAM Association

This project brings live performances featuring short digital documentaries, shadow plays, and animated shorts to Victoria neighbourhoods to explore the history of this land.

Picture Nights in Oaklands - $4,830 Oaklands Community Association

This project will ask for the community vote on a film celebrating the diversity in their community. There will then be a family friendly film event at Oaklands Park.

Learn more about these exciting projects here.

How we got here
Now in its fourth year, Participatory Budgeting gives residents the opportunity to apply for, promote and vote on a portion of the City’s budget for community-initiated projects. $50,000 is available to fund the top projects, as voted on by the community.

Proposals in 2021 covered a wide range of ideas - from public art and murals, multicultural movie nights, new community spaces, disc golf events, and pop-up opera performances.

Watch this short video to learn about the eight proposals that went out for community voting:

Special thanks to the Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee for giving of their time to support this important community-led initiative.

Learn More

To learn about the history of PB in the City of Victoria, including past projects making a difference in our community, check out our website.

CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

Submit Your Proposal

Thank you for your interest in submitting a proposal for this year's Participatory Budgeting initiative.
The deadline to submit an application is Sunday, July 25.
Before you start your application please read the Proposal Guide.
To submit your proposal, please complete the simple Have Your Say registration process. This will allow you to save each completed page as you go. Until you submit, you can also go back and adjust your answers on previous pages.
Please note that you will be asked to upload your completed Budget Form within this application survey.
If you would like to review the application questions, before completing this online application, you can review the Print Version of the Application Form here. For applicants without computer access, printed Application Forms and Budget Forms will be accepted in person at City Hall, until 4 p.m. on Friday, July 23. Printed applications can also be mailed in and must be postmarked on or before Friday, July 23.
CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

Voting for 2021 Participatory Budgeting
The theme for Participatory Budgeting projects in 2021 is Neighbourhood spaces. There is a total of $50,000 of funding available. Eight exciting projects have made it to the community voting stage. Now it's up to the community to decide which ones should be funded.
How to vote:
Projects are grouped in two categories: Projects with budgets between $1,000 - $7,500 and projects budgets between $7,501 - $20,000. Please review the projects and rank them in the order you would like to see them funded. (1 for your top choice, etc.)
There are four projects budgets between $1,000 - $7,500:
- Lower Yates Mural Project
- Community Disc Golf Days in Victoria Parks
- BIPOC Artist Billboard in Old Town/Downtown
- Madrona Community Hub at Dockside Green
There are four projects with budgets between $7,500 - $20,000:
- Pop-up Opera in the City
- Curbside Colour
- Picture nights in Oaklands
- You are Here: Pop-up Docs
CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

Proposal Revision Form

Please use this form to resubmit your Participatory Budgeting Proposal if you have been asked to revise any aspects of your proposal. If you would like to review the answers you submitted in your original application, please refer to the confirmation email you received when you submitted your application. It would have come from City of Victoria Engagement: support@engagementhq.com. If you no longer have access to the email you were sent, please email us at engage@victoria.ca and we will forward a copy to you.