FORT WAYNE – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) today celebrate 150 successfully funded CreatINg Places campaigns.
The John S. Irwin Elementary School PTA launched its campaign in February to raise $15,000 for a new playground for the southeast side of Fort Wayne. IHCDA will match $15,000 as a part of the CreatINg Places program.
“All it takes to get started is someone with a vision or idea of how to improve their community,” Crouch said. “We are so proud of all of the investments that have been kickstarted through this program and we look forward to supporting more campaigns. I encourage more communities to utilize this wonderful opportunity to invest in their neighborhoods, cities, and towns, and further enhance the quality of place throughout Indiana.”
CreatINg Places is IHCDA’s placemaking program that allows non-profit or local units of government to raise funds for place-based improvements within their communities. Local project leaders collaborate with IHCDA and Patronicity to set their fundraising goals and target dates and are given tools and resources to crowdfund from their communities. If a project meets its fundraising goal by its deadline, IHCDA then matches that goal amount dollar for dollar.
The Placemaking Program began in 2016 and has raised more than $6.2 million in public funds and an additional $5.1 million in matching funds from IHCDA. A complete list of the 150 successful campaigns can be found here.
“The CreatINg Places program is a unique way we invest in communities across the state,” said Jacob Sipe, Executive Director of IHCDA. “It’s a great catalyst for local groups or individuals to get involved and make a difference in their own communities. We’re excited to celebrate this program and we look forward to its continued success across our state.”
The program is available to projects located in Indiana communities. Non-profit entities (with 501c3 or 501c4 status) and local units of government are eligible to apply.
Project fundraising goals must be between $5,000 and $50,000 with a target date of 30, 45, or 60 days. Eligible projects must have a minimum total development cost of $10,000, where the recipient will receive $5,000 in IHCDA matching funds should it successfully raise $5,000 through Patronicity. IHCDA will provide matching grant funds up to $50,000 per project.
CreatINg Places has successful projects in 58 counties and has a 96% success rate.
