Funding Futures Begins Community-Wide Balloting Effort
PCA launched the Funding Futures pilot because we noticed that healthy civic conversations in the Hudson Valley needed bolstering. We are all swimming against a tide of bad news at the federal level, headlines dominating folks' attention, as well as the very pressing need of providing basic necessities for one's family in this day and age. In the face of this, Funding Futures would offer funding and a framework empowering communities to come together and voice ideas for their shared future.
We selected six communities and disbursed grants for year-long listening campaign programs, and, it's been a challenging and fascinating process! The six Funding Futures fellows reached out to every pocket of their communities through phonecalls, email newsletters, postcards, tabling at events, meetings with organizations, leaders and townsfolk. This winter, their process culminated in direct democracy events where neighbors got up on the mic and shared ideas for how to improve their communities. Currently, those ideas are being sent out in town-wide balloting efforts, in order to gauge which ideas capture the imagination of the community. The ballot will also spark the spirit of volunteerism: it asks what voters can do to help bring proposed ideas to life.
PCA will report back on which ideas shake out of the balloting process. In the meantime, we invite you to browse these photo essays documenting some of the Funding Futures events. Have a look at the power of direct democracy and neighbors connecting to tap their collective wisdom.
