Polish municipalities launch participatory budget voting and community grants

Various Polish municipalities are conducting civic engagement initiatives, including participatory budgeting and community grants.

In the Tricity area (Gdańsk, Gdynia, and Sopot), a synchronized campaign is underway for the 2027 participatory budget. Gdańsk alone has allocated over 31.6 million PLN for 331 projects, including district and city-wide initiatives.

Other regional activities include: - Gniezno: Residents are voting on 14 projects for the 2027 budget, with a total pool of 1 million PLN. - Starachowice: The final days of voting are occurring for five resident-proposed projects, such as recreational improvements and infrastructure repairs. - Ostrow Wielkopolski: Voting is active for 82 projects across four categories, including revitalization and education. - Legnica: Voting for the 2027 participatory budget is scheduled to begin on September 11.

Additionally, the ‘Moc Małych Społeczności’ (Power of Small Communities) program is accepting applications in West Pomerania. The initiative offers grants of up to 9,000 or 10,000 PLN to small NGOs and informal groups to strengthen local resilience and support community-driven initiatives.