IHCDA Board of Directors invests $1.5 million in placemaking program
Creating Places has funded nearly 300 place-based projects since 2016
INDIANAPOLIS (August 2, 2024) – The IHCDA Board of Directors has allocated an additional $1.5 million to its signature placemaking program, CreatINg Places. Creating Places employs a donation and reward-based method of crowdfunding called ‘crowd granting’ by which citizens actively support community-oriented projects through donations that can be matched by IHCDA.
“For the last eight years, CreatINg Places has illustrated the power of communities coming together around a common vision,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “We are tremendously proud of the hundreds of successful crowdfunding projects the program has launched, and with additional funding from the board, we look forward to assisting many more projects in the future.”
Since the CreatINg Places program began in 2016, projects have raised more than $11 million in public funds and an additional $9.4 million in matching IHCDA funds. The program is available to projects located in Indiana communities. Non-profit entities and local units of government are eligible to apply. 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 seen successful campaigns in 137 communities and 77 counties around the state of Indiana. 270 campaigns have been reached their goal, a 96% success rate. The projects have crowdfunded $11,038,719 from donors, receiving $9,407,650 in matching grants from IHCDA. The average project goal is $34,625 and the average raised per project is $39,620. The projects have created 2,019 jobs and activated more than 13 million square feet of space.
“CreatINg Places continues to meet Hoosier communities where they are and provide the technical support they need to improve their public spaces by dynamically engaging community members as critical investors through crowdfunding, resulting in over $11 million from donors statewide,” said Bridget Anderson, vice president of Patronicity. “By making additional matching funds available, IHCDA and our team at Patronicity can empower more changemakers to transform their communities, improve quality of life, grow connections, and instill community pride.”
The CreatINg Places program has given rise to two cadet programs, CreatINg Livable Communities and My Community, My Vision. CreatINg Livable Communities is a partnership with AARP Indiana and focuses on projects geared toward senior citizens. My Community, My Vision works with high school student groups to foster placemaking in the students’ communities.
