WHY PA STATE BUDGET ADVOCACY MATTERS AND WHY BLACK WOMEN MUST ENGAGE
- BWPC Team
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
The state budget is more than a financial document. It is a moral document.
In Pennsylvania, the state budget determines how public dollars are invested in the systems that shape our daily lives: schools, health care, mental health services, childcare, housing, transportation, workforce development, and community supports. Every budget line reflects a decision about whose needs are prioritized, whose voices are heard, and whose futures are protected.
For Black women and our communities, these decisions are not abstract.
They are deeply personal.
Why the PA State Budget Advocacy Matters for Black Women
Black women are often the backbone of our families and communities, serving as caregivers, breadwinners, organizers, and leaders. Yet we are also among those most impacted when systems are underfunded or inequities are ignored.
PA State budget decisions directly influence:
Access to safe, stable, and affordable housing
Availability of mental health services and community-based care
Access to affordable and quality childcare
Maternal and reproductive health services
The resources available in public schools
Economic opportunity and workforce support
When housing is underfunded, families face instability, displacement, and homelessness. When mental health services are under-resourced, Black women and girls are left without culturally responsive care, often in moments of crisis.
When these systems lack adequate funding, Black women feel the consequences first and most intensely in our homes, workplaces, schools, and health outcomes. When budgets fail to center equity, disparities deepen rather than disappear.
That is why the Black Women’s Policy Center (BWPC) views budget advocacy as a core part of our mission to build power, advance equity, and improve quality of life for Black women and girls.
Understanding Pennsylvania’s Budget Process
Pennsylvania’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30. Each year, the budget process follows a similar timeline.
February 3, 2026:
Governor Josh Shapiro is scheduled to formally release his proposed state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026. This official release marks the launch of the public budget process.
February through March:
The Pennsylvania General Assembly holds budget hearings. During this period, lawmakers review the proposal, question state agencies, and hear from advocates and community stakeholders.
Spring (April through June):
Legislative leaders negotiate budget priorities, propose changes, and draft budget bills.
By July 1:
The General Assembly is expected to pass a final budget and send it to the governor for signature.
While the final vote happens at the end of the process, many of the most important decisions are shaped much earlier, which makes early and sustained engagement essential.
Why Advocacy and Engagement Matter
Budgets do not reflect community needs by default. They reflect the voices that show up, speak out, and stay engaged.
For Black women, advocacy is how we move from being impacted by policy to influencing it. When we share our lived experiences with elected officials, we put real stories behind budget numbers, whether that is the struggle to find affordable housing, access mental health care, secure childcare, or keep a family healthy and stable.
When Black women engage early in the budget process:
Our priorities are harder to ignore
Equity is harder to cut
Community investments are harder to dismiss
Advocacy ensures that housing stability, mental health access, and family well-being are treated as necessities, not optional line items.
BWPC Call to Action From Awareness to Action
At the Black Women’s Policy Center (BWPC), we believe Black women should not only understand how the state budget works. We should help shape it.
That is why we are committed to equipping Black women with the knowledge, tools, and opportunities to engage in budget advocacy and policy change across Pennsylvania.
Here is how you can take action with BWPC
Stay informed:
Follow BWPC for plain-language updates on state and local budget decisions that affect Black women and girls.
Use your voice:
Participate in BWPC advocacy actions, including legislator outreach, budget sign-on letters, and public testimony opportunities.
Build power:
Join BWPC programs and leadership initiatives that strengthen civic engagement, policy literacy, and community organizing.
Show up:
Support and attend advocacy days, community forums, and trainings where Black women collectively engage decision-makers.
Budgets are not abstract. They are lived. And Black women deserve to be at the center of decisions that shape our futures.
BWPC encourages all Pennsylvanians, especially Black women, to engage with the PA state budget advocacy process and communicate directly with their elected officials.
How to Engage with the Pennsylvania
State Budget
BWPC encourages all Pennsylvanians, especially Black women, to engage with the state budget process and communicate directly with their elected officials.
Here is how to get started
Find out who represents you
Call the Pennsylvania Capitol Switchboard
Phone Number: (717)787-2121
(Ask to be connected to your State Senator or State Representative.)
When you call, write, or visit, tell them:
What issues matter most to you, including housing and mental health
How budget decisions impact your life, family, or community
What investments you want prioritized in the state budget
Advocacy does not require policy expertise. It requires lived experience, courage, and consistency.
BWPC’s Commitment
At the Black Women’s Policy Center, we remain committed to educating, organizing, and advocating so that Black women’s voices are centered in decisions that shape our futures.
The state budget is power.
Advocacy is power.
And Black women engaging together is how we transform priorities into progress.
Learn more. Get involved. Build power with BWPC.
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