Nearly 80 neighborhood projects to receive match funds

After launching the Discover Memphis initiative last month, Livable Memphis and ioby, the online crowd-funding platform for neighborhood development ideas, has boosted the match offering from $50,000 to $85,000 due to the submission of more great projects proposals than expected. They will now match 78 neighbor-funded projects across 40 Memphis neighborhoods.

"It is way beyond what we expected," said Ellen Roberds, Creative Placemaker at Livable Memphis. “When project proposals started rolling in, we were blown away by both the number and caliber of the great ideas Memphians had for their neighborhoods. We knew we had to increase the pool of match money from the original $50,000, and we’re thrilled to announce the $85,000. We know it will go a long way toward making our city more vibrant.” 

She says the small-scale projects are poised to have a huge impact on making the city’s neighborhoods and blocks safer, greener, more livable and more fun. The projects include colorful seats at 24 bus stops citywide, hand-built bat houses in East Buntyn, and more.

The leaders of the 78 projects, which range from community gardens to collaborative art projects to block parties, will launch their campaigns on ioby’s crowd-resourcing platform ioby.org on March 30. Then on April 11, these leaders will rally support from their friends and neighbors at MEMFix: The Pinch, a daylong event designed to rethink and reactivate streets and vacant storefronts. All public donations raised betweenApril 11 and April 15 will be doubled thanks to the match funding.

Match funds came in part from the Hyde Family Foundation, a Memphis-based foundation that supports education, arts and culture, and livable communities. Livable Memphis which will administer the funds. In addition to the match, projects were awarded the use of the Mobile Porch, a traveling interactive citizen engagement experience designed to get neighbors talking about important issues. The Mobile Porch, created by Livable Memphis and Memphis Tomorrow, an association of business and community leaders, will travel to different neighborhoods and help project leaders bring their neighbors together in support of positive change.

“In neighborhoods all across Memphis, people are using ioby to raise funds, rally volunteers, and get the word out about their great ideas. A lot of amazing things will start to grow in Memphis this spring,” said Roberds.