Case Study: Cultivate Coffee & Tap House

The Public Spaces Community Places crowdgranting program helped to transform this abandoned auto shop into a thriving community space.

Cultivate is a nonprofit coffee and tap house in the heart of Depot Town in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which functions as a community events space, fundraising venue, music venue, community garden and food distribution center, business for social good, and local nonprofit incubator.

Cultivate used the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Public Spaces Community Places crowdgranting program to complete the renovation of an abandoned 2,100-square-foot former auto electric shop by raising $69,045 from 206 patrons. One of those donors was a neighborhood kid who set up a lemonade stand and asked that it be used to contribute to the campaign.

“Crowdfunding was a way for community members to become emotionally bought into their space and its mission before they opened.” — Bekah Wallace, Project Creator

Their values, “Craft, Community, Cause,” infuse all of the activity of the space. One of those community events that exemplifies this is their summer event series, Sundays in the Garden. Sunday afternoons in the great outdoor courtyard include a musical performance and fundraising event for a local nonprofit through a special tap that partners with a local brewery to put $2 of every tap purchase towards the featured local nonprofit. Cultivate adds local musicians to this mix, allowing the brewery’s support of the cause to be highlighted, the craft of the musician shared, and the community impact of the nonprofit to be supported and honored. This results in an inspiring, energetic, and cozy event at Cultivate all summer.

Their crowdfunding campaign provided the final funding needed to complete the community spaces within and adjacent to Cultivate Coffee & Tap House. The campaign helped them to complete both the outdoor performance space, gardens, and patios, and the interior work, meeting, and gathering space.

Project Details

• Project: Cultivate Coffee & Tap House
• Project Type: Community Centers and Venues
• Project Location: Ypsilanti, MI
• Crowdfunding Raise: $69,045
• Crowdgranting Match: $50,000
• Patrons: 206
• Leveraged Funding: $200,000
• Total Project Estimate: $300,000

“Your most helpful skill is your time, we encourage people to consider how you can give of yourself to impact your community. Community impact can be barrier free when you don’t think of it financially.” — Bekah Wallace, Founder and Director of Community Connections at Cultivate

About Public Spaces Community Places

Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) is our crowdgranting partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). This crowdgranting initiative provides matching grant funds to eligible projects that improve public space in the state of Michigan. Projects can receive a matching grant of up to $50,000 if they reach their crowdfunding goal.