FAQs

Participatory Budgeting (PB) gives residents a direct say in the decisions that affect them. It helps generate new ideas, strengthens community spirit, and directs funding to where our residents think it'll make the most difference. With PB, it's you - our residents - who decide which projects get funded. 

We'll check that the project can be delivered safely, that it is legal and feasible to do in the timeframe and for the money. However, it will be up to your local community to decide which projects are funded; not us!

You can find out more about PB by clicking here: 

Participatory Budgeting (PB) gives the public more control over how public funding is spent, and the process has lots of benefits. It is more open to people who might never have applied for funding before, including individuals and unconstituted groups, so it will help support creativity in new places. The process itself creates lots of connections and enables people to share ideas, skills and resources. It will give everyone the chance to have their say in what they would like to make happen.

All projects must be creative ideas based around the theme of 'Celebrating Together'.

We bet it is! Creativity can be interpreted very widely. Wikipedia defines it as an activity that makes something new and valuable (valuable also has a wide interpretation), which can mean a physical object (like invention, painting, sculpture, printed book) or something intangible (like ideas, events, interventions, music, jokes). You’ll see a wide range of examples of creativity in our illustration and space for all sorts of ideas we haven’t imagined yet.

If you’re still not sure if your idea fits, just submit your idea to the Bank of Ideas and give it a go.

Your project must meet the following criteria:

• Safe
• Legal
• Not for profit
• Feasible within the timeframe and budget
• A Creative idea that aligns with the theme “Celebrating Together” (see below for more)
• Must happen within the Belfast City Council area
• Attend the Celebration Event in October 2026 to share impact
• If you received Bank of Ideas funding previously, you can’t submit the same idea

• Individuals and groups can apply (you do not need to be a ‘constituted’ group, as we have a sponsor system).
• Groups who aren’t constituted and individuals will require a sponsor organisation who is constituted to support their idea. If you do not have a sponsor organization identified, we can help you find one.
• Any groups of young people under the age of 18 will need a sponsor organisation to support them through the process.
• One idea can be submitted per person/group.

For individuals and non constituted groups to apply, they need a sponsor organisation.

A sponsor is an organisation who has a governing document, financial controls, relevant policies and insurance in place to be able to provide that for your project.

A sponsor organisation doesn’t donate any of their own funds to your project, but they accept the funding on your behalf and issue it out to you.

For sponsor organisations, this is an opportunity for them to support you to grow your skills and have them contribute to their creative programming.

If there’s a community or creative organisation in your area that you know, you can ask them to be your sponsor. We’re encouraging everyone to try and find their own sponsor, but if you are unable to do so, we can try to help you find one too.

If you can’t arrange a sponsor organisation yourself, you can contact culture@belfastcity.gov.uk and we will help you.

Your project must be standalone - so that it does not rely on other match funding to take place. If the funds are supporting you to continue a project that has run out of funding, that’s okay.

We will let you know by mid April if your project is eligible to go through to the voting day.

It will be held in Belfast City Hall on Sunday 10 May 2026.

The voting system is arranged so everyone has a fair chance. All voters will be given multiple votes to use on several different projects, after going around the stalls and seeing which they respond to most. Voters must vote for multiple projects, otherwise their vote will be null and void. You can vote for your own project, but you have to vote for others too.

Think about what you might vote for yourself: a project that is exciting or surprising, that works with people or issues you care about, that is beautiful, innovative, thoughtful, or just sounds like great fun. You never know what might catch someone’s attention, so just try to come up with a project you love, and try to think of ways others might love it too. On the day, you could just talk with voters, or use photos or drawings to catch their imaginations, or short videos or music, or engage them in a hands-on collaborative or individual activity.

If anyone is unable to vote in person due to work hours, caring responsibilities or other barriers, they can get in touch with culture@belfastcity.gov.uk and we will provide an alternative way to vote after the main voting day.

The voting system is arranged so everyone has a fair chance. All voters will be given multiple votes to use on several different projects, after going around the stalls and seeing which they respond to most. Voters must vote for multiple projects, otherwise their vote will be null and void. You can vote for your own project, but you have to vote for others too.