Addressing Barriers to Participatory Budgeting in a Higher Education Context.

This article focuses on enhancing participation in public budgeting by addressing barriers related to the complexity of financial information. It introduces the "Color of Money" taxonomy, a three-color coding system (green, yellow, red) designed to simplify understanding of restricted and unrestricted revenues in public and nonprofit organizations, particularly in higher education. The article also describes the implementation of a "finance academy" workshop at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, aimed at educating senior leaders and fiscal staff on budgetary issues to foster transparency, collaboration, and trust. These strategies are presented as practical tools to improve financial literacy, support informed decision-making, and promote long-term financial sustainability amid fiscal challenges faced by higher education and similar institutions.