Leipzig Public Welfare Parliament 2025: Direct democracy meets community project funding
The Leipzig Public Welfare Parliament, which premiered in 2025, is an innovative participatory format that successfully combines crowdfunding and direct democracy. For companies, foundations, and public actors, this project demonstrates how cooperation, citizen participation, and resource pooling work in practice to sustainably promote initiatives that serve the common good.
What is the Common Good Parliament?
The Common Good Parliament is a new format introduced by the city of Leipzig, in which people aged 14 and over can become members by paying an annual contribution of at least €60, thereby gaining a vote on joint decisions regarding subsidies. All contributions go into a common "common good fund." The parliament then decides which projects will be supported with this money, based on four clear criteria designed to strengthen social peace, sustainable quality of life, future viability, and respectful coexistence.
For companies, this format represents a new form of local engagement strategy: moving away from traditional sponsorship packages toward participatory models that directly involve people and demonstrate how resources are being used for the common good. This creates transparency, trust, and awareness within the urban community.
First parliamentary session and results
On December 5, 2025, the first parliamentary session took place in the New City Hall. Around 387 parliamentarians had previously submitted contributions and candidate projects. At the session, a total of €55,000 in funding was awarded, distributed among 13 different initiatives. The range of funded projects extends from intergenerational educational offerings to inclusive sports and neighborhood projects to heart rescue training for children and cultural initiatives.
Why the format is relevant for B2B
The Common Good Parliament builds bridges between civil society, business, and politics. This creates opportunities for companies:
Linking crowdfunding approaches with stakeholder engagement.
Creating new points of contact with customers and employees who feel more involved in local decisions.
Strengthening the local network through participation in dialogue-oriented decision-making processes.
An innovative model for demonstrating corporate purpose that goes far beyond traditional forms of support.
The Gemeinwohlparlament provides concrete impetus, especially for companies that already use FAIRPLAID crowdfunding or are considering professionalizing their CSR initiatives. It combines financial support with participatory decision-making and brings together what is becoming increasingly important in modern engagement strategies: people, values, and sustainable impact.
Outlook
The Leipzig Common Good Parliament is just getting started. The experiences from 2025 clearly show that crowdfunding-based participation formats not only distribute money, but also strengthen community, create visibility, and give initiatives leverage to unfold their impact. This opens up new avenues of cooperation for companies and partners—from partnerships and project support to strategic engagement models that involve all stakeholders.
Conclusion
The Leipzig Common Good Parliament is an example of how creativity, participation, and the shared use of resources can not only increase social added value, but also create an attractive environment for companies that want to engage in a sustainable, credible, and effective manner. For anyone looking for inspiration and best practices for innovative funding formats in a B2B context, this project offers exciting ideas and real-world lessons.
Further information on the Leipzig Common Good Parliament:
FAIRPLAID platform Leipzig Common Good Parliament
Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper dated December 8, 2025
L.de dated December 7, 2025
Leipzig Community Foundation dated December 2025