This $40,000 Investment Will Improve the Lives of Milwaukee Residents, Give Them Decision-Making Power and Do What the City Has Failed to Do

Today, the African American Roundtable (AART) announced that it is launching a participatory budgeting program. This comes after rallying since 2019 for the City of Milwaukee to establish a participatory budgeting process, which would give residents a say in how city resources are spent. 

The organization will invest $40,000 in community-led projects to improve the quality of life for Milwaukee residents on the Northwest Side, an area that has seen decades of divestment, lack of leadership and neglect. Residents will be able to propose, vote on and execute their program ideas. A steering committee comprised of residents will be selected to determine eligibility, criteria for proposals and the amount each project will be awarded.

“This is about changing lives and building community power,” said Devin Anderson, AART’s Membership and Coalition Manager. “We’re putting our money where our mouth is.”

“In addition to  improving the lives of people in Milwaukee, we’re hoping our program can be used as a blueprint in other communities across the country that are craving for change,” said Markasa Tucker-Harris, AART’s Executive Director. “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

The winners will be announced in the late fall. The success and long-lasting impact of this program will determine if it is funded again in 2024 and beyond.

AART will continue to advocate for participatory budgeting on the city level. Participatory budgeting is a democratic process in which community members decide how public dollars are spent. Visit liberatemke.com and aartmke.org to learn more about participatory budgeting in general and AART’s work in Milwaukee over the years.