Public Spaces Community Places Annual Report 2022
Public Spaces Community Places is a powerful crowdgranting program and public placemaking initiative that creates vibrant places across Michigan. Read the Annual Report for 2022.
Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) is a powerful crowdgranting program and public placemaking initiative that creates vibrant places across Michigan. Created by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) in 2014 in collaboration with the Michigan Municipal League and Patronicity, PSCP was the first program of its kind in the country.
PSCP is a grant match program that utilizes donation-based crowdfunding to generate public interest and funding to revitalize or create public spaces. By utilizing web-based donations, projects are accessible to anyone willing to donate in real-time. This model we call crowdgranting engages the public as each person plays a part in achieving place-based improvements and instills community pride as residents become invested in their surroundings.
Placemaking projects are aided by PSCP, which assists the fundraising efforts of “patrons in the city” through a crowdfunding campaign on Patronicity. This creative funding mechanism mobilizes community members to make individual contributions, with the MEDC providing a matching grant if the campaign goal is reached. Potential projects must focus on the “activation of public spaces creating community places.” Michigan’s ability to attract and retain young knowledge-based talent is greatly increased by taking advantage of unique placemaking assets in each of our communities, making this funding mechanism even more valuable.
As these projects affect the lives and well-being of entire communities it is important that they establish public awareness, gain local momentum, and earn the support of their “crowd” to hit their goal and maintain a local landmark.
The magic of this program is the effectiveness of its model and design. Community-led placemaking projects can use PSCP to obtain the final funding needed to open a space and gain public support and awareness in the process. Through crowdfunding on Patronicity, communities are able to secure funding for the development of strategic projects with a matching grant of up to $50,000 from the MEDC.
This year, PSCP hit a major milestone, awarding $10 million in matching funds to more than 300 projects across the State of Michigan since 2014 – from the Copper Country Curling Club in Calumet, an off-leash dog park in Detroit, and the Bright Walls Mural Festival in Jackson.
Communities, nonprofits, and municipalities can submit projects by applying for a Patronicity crowdgranting campaign. Founded in Detroit in 2013, Patronicity uses crowdfunding as a catalyst for placemaking and community development. Through Patronicity, the PSCP program has a 97% success rate for funded campaigns, which has been maintained over the last eight years!
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