Since 2019, together with our partners, we have supported 142 schools in implementing 266 participatory budgeting initiatives. More than 71,000 students have decided how to allocate over 361 thousand euros.

Participatory budgeting – is a way to decide on the use of public funds together with the community, when community members provide ideas to the municipality, school, or organisation and choose their favourite ones by voting.

Alytus city municipality was the first in Lithuania to implement participatory budgeting in 2018. Participatory budgeting initiatives encourage the community to participate in the decision-making processes more actively, encouraging trust. According to 2025 review data, most (53 out of 60) of municipalities in Lithuania implement participatory budgeting. Since the first participatory budgeting in Lithuania in 2018, citizens have decided on the implementation of more than 650 ideas, thus allocating more than 20 million euros.

Over the past year, municipalities invited citizens to submit ideas ranging from 5 to 670 thousand euros, distributing a total of approximately 6.5 million euros to residents. Approximately 140 thousand citizens in 52 municipalities proposed 1,188 ideas and voted to implement 167 projects.

Additionally, more than half of municipalities (36) indicated that they involve students in decision-making by implementing participatory budgeting in schools. Another 7 plan to do so in the near future. In total, at least 276 Lithuanian schools have implemented participatory budgeting at least once, which accounts for more than a third of all general education institutions in the country. 

• Practical guide “Participatory budget in your school: what is it and where to begin?” Third edition, 2024 (in Lithuanian). Second edition, 2021 (in Lithuanian). First edition, 2019 (summary in English).
• First Participatory budget research in municipalities – “Participatory budgets in Lithuanian municipalities”, 2021 (executive summary in English).
• Review of Municipal Guidelines: “Participatory Budgeting in Lithuanian Schools”, 2026 (in Lithuanian).

•  Participatory budgets in municipalities:
  • “Through participatory budgeting, Lithuanian citizens allocated €20 million to their proposed ideas”, 2025
  • “Nine out of ten municipalities in Lithuania implement participatory budgeting”, 2024.
  • “Three-quarters of municipalities have implemented participatory budgeting at least once”, 2023.
  • “Two thirds of municipalities have implemented participatory budgets at least once”, 2022.
  • “One in three municipalities in Lithuania are implementing participatory budgets”, 2021.
  • “One in four municipalities in Lithuania invite people to decide on part of the municipality budget”, 2020.
• Participatory budgets in schools:
  • “Participatory budgets increase civic and financial literacy”, 2021.
  • “Direct democracy in schools increases their transparency”, 2019.
• Findings in short:
  • Infographic “Participatory budget in Lithuania”, 2025, 2024, 2022 (in Lithuanian), 2021, 2020.
  • Infographic “Youth civic literacy” participatory budgets during COVID-19 pandemic, 2021.
  • Infographic “Participatory budget: getting used to transparency since school”, 2019.

• “Participatory budget workshop” for school communities: 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 (in Lithuanian).
• “Participatory budgets forums”: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 (in Lithuanian).
• Practical seminars for municipal representatives:
  • “Participatory Budgeting in Schools: Municipal Opportunities to Ensure Quality”, 2025.
  • “International Exchange of Municipal Experiences: Citizen Engagement through Participatory Budgeting”, 2025.
• Events with partners:
  • Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, 2025, 2024.
  • EDU Vilnius: 2026, 2025.

• An organisation, working with participatory democracy initiatives worldwide: www.peoplepowered.org/
• More information and recommendations about participatory budget implementation can be found in guidelines provided by other organisations:
  • Barcelona Provincial Council
  • “Civicus”
  • “The Engine Room”
  • European Parliament Research Service
  • United Nations Habitat programme (UN-Habitat)
  • UK Local Government Association
  • World bank
  • “PB Network”
  • Welsh Government