The recent federal budget makes clear that government budgets affect us all — yet few have had the power to shape them. Harmful cuts to health care and food assistance, expanded immigration enforcement that terrorizes our communities, and expanded handouts for the ultra-rich are stark examples of how structural racism and inequality are entrenched in the budgeting process.
These structural forms of discrimination have long excluded many people from decisions that shape our future. As a result, the voices and needs of Californians of color, women, immigrants, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals are too often overlooked in budget and policy decisions that directly impact their lives. We remain committed to strengthening community power to build a California where everyone can help shape the decisions that impact their lives.
Now, as the Republican megabill H.R. 1 and other federal policies deepen existing inequities, the Budget Power Project — an initiative of the California Budget & Policy Center, Catalyst California, and the Million Voters Project — is working with community-based organizations to mitigate harm and build power for equitable budget advocacy across all levels of government.
“More organizations are trying to break down the door around the budget process — be able to know what’s going on, have more say, be more engaged, and bring their constituents in with them,” said John Kim, President & CEO of Catalyst California. “The Budget Power Project was really designed to keep that moving and to provide a level of coordination, a level of shared learning, a level of expertise to what community groups have been asking for.”
Few organizations have the capacity to engage in budget advocacy through a racial equity lens, and those that do often focus primarily on the state level. The Budget Power Project is empowering local communities by providing them with the necessary resources, education, and advocacy tools to effectively carry out the work they already do on the ground every day.
Jennifer Ito, Research Director at the USC Equity Research Institute, sees this collaborative initiative as a full-circle trajectory for the Budget Center, reflecting on its role in informing and inspiring early statewide alliances and campaigns within the community organizing sector. As a founding partner of the Budget Power Project, the Budget Center is continuing this legacy with a strategic emphasis on strengthening local power and regional expertise to drive statewide change in the face of unprecedented attacks from the federal government.
“I really feel like [the Budget Center’s] lasting impact is the less visible work they do,” Jennifer said. “They’re educating a much broader set of actors who can use that information to push into their own advocacy for the different programs and budget priorities and policies that are needed for their communities.”
At the core of the Budget Power Project is the belief that everyone deserves a voice in decisions that impact their lives. By building power in communities that have been historically marginalized, the Budget Center and its partners are ensuring local advocates and organizers remain at the helm of their own advocacy work.
“It is about bringing the data and the research to the people,” said Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO of GRACE – End Child Poverty CA, who knows firsthand how critical yet difficult it is to work on both state policy and local budgets at the same time. She believes that the training and resources provided by the Budget Power Project will help communities voice their unique needs, challenging the myth that only policy experts or interest groups can influence public policy.
“This was an important step for the long-term movement building that has to happen, whether it’s at the state or the local level,” Shimica said.
The Budget Power Project brings together innovative organizations working at the forefront of racial and economic justice, equitable public policy and budget practices, and local and statewide organizing.
Together in community, we’re confronting the impact of federal cuts, advancing state-level solutions to lessen the harm, and pushing for local budgets that can still build a more equitable future. Join our movement and learn how to support at budgetpowerproject.org.
