Civic initiatives are seen as a critical tool for democratization of public administration, expanding opportunities for public participation in decision-making processes and their implementation. Governments at all levels use various mechanisms to support civic initiatives, which do not always lend themselves to a single classification, which makes it relevant to conduct a comparative analysis of individual countries. The main object of the study is the interaction between local governments and civic communities, the subject of the study is the approaches to managing initiative projects implemented on the basis of both participatory budgeting and related practices in the United States and Canada. The article analyzes the experience of involving people and public organizations in the processes of allocating funds from local budgets, budgets of public corporations, or specialized funds. The models of civil society participation depending on the sources of funding and mechanisms of implementation of initiative projects are revealed. It is concluded that the permanent nature of support has led to the consolidation of the civil community and the expansion of their influence on the management of municipal finances.