Citizens' budget 2026

The citizens' budget is a special form of participation for residents of the city of Jena. It gives them the opportunity to submit proposals for measures to improve the city. And they then have the opportunity to vote on which of the proposals submitted should be implemented as part of the budget.

This year, a total of €50,000 is available for the 2026 citizens' budget.

Anyone who would like to help shape Jena is entitled to submit proposals for the use of the citizens' budget. The proposal must include the name and a contact option for any queries.

Proposals will be put to the vote if they

• are received within the submission deadline (by 31.07.2026),
• the responsibility for implementation lies with the City of Jena (core administration and in-house operations)
• can be implemented within the next two years and do not exceed €10,000 per individual measure
• are not measures or projects that are designed to be permanent, in particular do not include staff positions or permanent rental and services,
• the follow-up costs for maintenance, upkeep and management over the next 5 years are included in the budget costs of max. € 10,000,
• serve the general public and
• relate to the voluntary tasks of the City of Jena, such as work with children and young people, senior citizens, culture, sport, etc.

Proposals from natural persons, provided they are residents of the city of Jena, can also be submitted for the benefit of associations, sponsors, organizations and institutions. However, only proposals that are either located in public spaces or in publicly accessible areas or are accessible to the general public free of charge can be implemented.

Proposals will not be put to the vote if they

• have already been budgeted for in the city administration's budget or the business plans of the municipal enterprises or
• are for the benefit of legal entities (e.g. associations, sponsors, organizations and institutions) that received funds from the citizens' budget in the previous year. This does not apply to the City of Jena (in particular the municipal enterprises).

The citizens' budget and the measures funded with it are part of democratic commitment and, in accordance with the Jena city program, may not discriminate against anyone with regard to ethnic origin, gender, religion or ideology, disability, age or sexual identity.

During the proposal phase, you have eight weeks to submit your suggestions for what the €50,000 budget should be spent on this year. There are three ways to do this:

1. Via the online participation platform: You can enter your idea here between 01.06. and 31.07.2026. It will then be published on the platform for all to see. Registration is required for mitmachen.jena. This requires a user name, an e-mail address and a password of your choice.
2. You can also submit your proposal by e-mail to buergerhaushalt@jena.de or
3. in writing to:

• Department of Social Affairs, Health, Immigration and Climate
  Central Coordination Office for Citizen Participation
  Lutherplatz 3
  07743 Jena

Ideally, we would also ask you to provide an e-mail address or telephone number in the written form so that we can contact you more easily.