Budget Resources

Budgets at both the city and state level aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet; they’re reflections of our shared values and priorities. From public safety and housing to education and streets, these decisions shape our daily lives.

As part of our commitment to year-round civic engagement (not just at the ballot box, but every day), we’re providing resources to make the city and state budget processes more transparent, accessible, and understandable.

By breaking down how decisions are made and where our tax dollars go — at both the local and state level — we aim to empower residents with the tools they need to advocate for their communities, hold leaders accountable, and help shape a more just and responsive government.

Explore the tools, guides, and activities below to learn more about how both Philadelphia and Harrisburg set their priorities — and how you can be part of the process.

C70 Budget Resources

We teamed up with The Philadelphia Citizen to create a breakdown of Mayor Parker’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget that shows how much Philadelphia spends per resident on every department and spending category. Check it out here.

In order to learn about important dates for city budget hearings, check out our City Budget Calendar here.

To learn more about the city budget process, finances and the Mayor’s role, explore this infographic (also available in Spanish and Chinese).

Our popular How Philly Works guide (also available in Spanish and Chinese) explains how our city government works — critical information if you want to engage in these processes and advocate for the issues you care about. It even has a section dedicated to understanding the budget!

We also partnered on a breakdown of Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026–27 budget, showing how much the state plans to spend per resident across major categories — and how those amounts compare to last year. Check out our state budget tool here.

We’ve been hosting a six-part webinar series on city and state budget processes to help answer key questions, show how the budget impacts communities, and highlight ways residents can engage in the process. Videos will be added to this page as they become available.

Other Budget Resources

Philadelphia City Council leads the budget process between March and June. Their FY27 Budget Center provides critical information, like hearing schedules, public testimony dates, and relevant documents.
Our friends at The Philadelphia Citizen created a how-to guide on testifying at public government meetings, which is incredibly useful if you want to provide public testimony on the budget.
The People’s Budget Office, a project of Mural Arts Philadelphia, has been a key partner of C70 and does a great job breaking down the budget process and providing tools and hands-on opportunities for Philadelphians to learn about this process and make their voices heard.