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Broadening Public Participation and Community Engagement

We're committed to making it easier for the public to share their needs, knowledge, and lived experiences to improve how government works for and with them.

New guidance from the Office of Management and Budget will help Federal agencies do just that.

Background

Transforming how government engages the public

Every day, Federal agencies work on policies and programs that touch millions of lives—whether by helping people become homeowners, delivering benefits for veterans, or investing in infrastructure. A critical part of designing effective policies and programs is hearing from those who would be affected by them. Agencies do this through activities like notice and comment processes, focus groups, surveys, and user research.

Based on robust feedback from the public, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is excited to share new policy guidance for Federal agencies on improving public participation and community engagement. OMB is also developing a toolkit to iteratively centralize materials to help agencies more meaningfully engage the public in the work of government.

Government works best when it’s built by and with the people. Thank you for sharing your feedback to help agencies involve the public in ways that better meet community and agency needs, interests, and priorities.

Hearing from the public

Throughout 2024, the Federal Government asked the American people for their ideas via written comments and listening sessions. Hundreds of participants from across sectors provided thoughtful input—all of which informed the guidance and other resources. The public shared about:

Experiences

The EXPERIENCES of people and groups with participation in engagement activities conducted by Federal agencies to inform the work of government.

Content

The kind of CONTENT to include in the guidance and a toolkit to help agencies strengthen their participation and engagement activities.

Process

How OMB might continue a collaborative PROCESS to develop these materials with the public and agencies.

The Promise

New guidance and tools for participation and engagement will help agencies:

  • Broaden the kinds of people and groups reached
  • Expand the government's use of common definitions, guiding principles, and leading practices for public engagement
  • Plan, implement, and assess the impact of participation and engagement
  • Improve and embed public participation and community engagement across agency functions and activities
  • Identify when and how to effectively involve the public in decision-making processes
  • Build on successes and model new efforts for meaningful participation

Evaluating public participation and community engagement

How can agencies assess whether their participation and engagement strategies are including more people, reaching different communities, or promoting public trust in decision-making? OMB’s Public Participation and Evidence Challenge sought a toolkit with methods and metrics to help government evaluate the effectiveness of public engagement.

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