Crowdfunding program helps open community centers, dog parks
Hundreds of public spaces from Detroit to Lake Superior have benefitted from a state-sponsored crowdfunding program that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Why it matters: The program, Public Spaces Community Places, infuses state grants up to $50,000 or $75,000 into community crowdfunding campaigns to open playgrounds, pickleball courts, dog parks and more.
Flashback: In 2018, the program helped open The Commons, a unique development on the city's east side that is part-coffee shop, part-laundromat and part-community center.
"There isn't really a good community space around here," a general manager told Hour Detroit when it opened. "There's no libraries or public space, so that was also part of the plans."
Case in point: Grace Johns, a barista at The Commons for two years, tells Axios she feels a real sense of community there. Customers can learn about property taxes or even pick up boxes of Eastern Market produce or canned goods that are made available on occasion.
The laundromat and coffee shop blend together surprisingly well, with a colorful mural and plants surrounding the space.
"A lot of laundromats in the area aren't clean. I hear that a lot from customers," Johns tells Axios.
State of play: Public Spaces Community Places is a partnership of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Michigan Municipal League and crowdfunding platform Patronicity.
Since it launched in 2014, the program has contributed more than $13 million in matching grants to more than 400 projects.
More than 100 of those have been in Metro Detroit.
How it works: The program is open to municipalities, community groups and nonprofits.
Applicants use Patronicity's website to build out their project's parameters. Approved projects get help launching their crowdfunding campaign, press release and all.
If the crowdfunding campaign is successful, the MEDC will match.
The program boasts a 97% success rate.
Zoom in: Curtis Jones Park, which opened in northwest Detroit in 2022, and Factory Two, a coworking space in downtown Flint, are among the program's success stories.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump Is Bleeding Hundreds of Millions Thanks to Musk's War
The explosion of Donald Trump's once-cozy friendship with Elon Musk is hitting them hard where it hurts most—in the pocketbook. As reported Thursday, Musk's personal fortune was cut by $26.6 billion after Tesla shares slumped by more than 14 percent, wiping a mind-boggling $150 billion off the EV giant's market value. But Trump isn't escaping unscathed. According to Axios, Trump Media & Technology Group stock declined 8 percent, while his MAGA-fueled $TRUMP cryptocurrency tumbled 12 percent—bleeding him of more than a billion dollars. The website reported that the 8 percent dip in Trump Media & Technology Group cost the president around $202 million. But he may be more concerned by the roughly 10 percent decline in the value of of his Official Trump meme coin, potentially costing him nearly $900 million. As Axios noted: 'Both men got to vent their frustrations publicly, and it only cost them about $21 billion.' The dramatic split was triggered when Musk, having departed his DOGE post on May 30, torched Trump's so-called 'One Big Beautiful Bill'—a sprawling tax-and-spending package—as a 'disgusting abomination.' Musk, who had personally poured nearly $300 million into Republican campaigns in 2024, tweeted: 'Without me, Trump would have lost.' After an uncharacteristic delay, Trump hit back—threatening to strip federal contracts from Musk's companies, which would kill electric vehicle tax credits and cost Tesla $1.2 billion this year, according to JPMorgan analysts. Musk then pressed the nuclear button by alleging Trump's name appears in sealed legal files on the late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. He also called for Trump's impeachment, responding 'yes' to a user on X who wrote: 'Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.' However, a truce may be on the horizon, as Trump and Musk are expected to speak in person on Friday, according to Politico's White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns. Perhaps, as the old adage goes, money really does talk.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
White House Aides Blame Trump Loyalist for Fueling Musk Feud
President Donald Trump's feud with Elon Musk shows no sign of abating, and inside the MAGA machine the knives are out for one of the president's closest aides. Axios reported that furious Trump advisers are pointing the finger at Sergio Gor, the president's personnel chief and longtime family loyalist, for pushing Trump to torpedo Musk's top choice to lead NASA, billionaire entrepreneur and astronaut Jared Isaacman. According to the advisers, Isaacman's rejection for the role had to do with his previous donations to Democratic organizations, as was previously reported. Yet the advisers said it was Gor in particular who repeatedly opposed the nomination to Trump behind the scenes—sealing the decision to pull Isaacman's nomination. Gor—who co-founded a publishing venture with Donald Trump Jr.—reportedly oversees key loyalty tests for the Trump administration's hires and is known for ruthlessly protecting Trump's interests. He reportedly 'spun up the president' against Isaacman 'by just constantly mentioning the donations,' a Trump adviser told Axios. In a Wednesday interview with the 'All-In Podcast‚' Isaacman appeared to mention Gor as the 'influential adviser' who had Trump's ear while reviewing his associations. He also suggested that his relationship with Musk didn't do him any favors as changes were being made in the White House. 'I'm not going to play dumb on this—I don't think timing was much of a coincidence… there were other changes going on the same day,' said Isaacman. He added, 'The President's got to make a call and move on.' Trump announced in a May 31 Truth Social post that he was withdrawing Isaacman's nomination days before he was set to be confirmed by the Senate, the Associated Press (AP) reported. He added that the withdrawal came after a 'thorough review' of Isaacman's 'prior associations' and he will soon 'announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.' On Thursday, taking press questions in the Oval Office, Trump suggested pulling Isaacman's nomination was one of many reasons Musk was 'upset' and torching him online. Musk even threatened to pull SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft from NASA missions before awkwardly backpedaling, AP reported. Meanwhile, both men have seen their stock portfolios take major hits amid the escalating drama. Axios quoted White House communications director Steven Cheung saying in a written statement that Gor 'is a vital member of the team and he has helped President Trump put together an administration that is second to none.' The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for a response.
Axios
10 hours ago
- Axios
Scoop: Four employees out in shakeup at WURD Radio
At least four employees, including one of WURD Radio's top hosts, are being let go as part of what's described internally as a cost-cutting measure, Axios has learned. Why it matters: WURD is the only Black-owned radio station in Pennsylvania, and among only a handful nationwide. The station, founded by the late Walter P. Lomax Jr., broadcast live during last year's presidential campaign from the White House complex — a major get. Driving the news: The layoffs include "Reality Check" host Tonya Pendleton and her lead producer, Troy Wilmore. He had been with the station for 18 years. Pendleton, one of Philly's well-known radio personalities, has led "Reality Check" for the last two years. Content writer Kiara Santos and one other employee were also among those let go. The show won't continue to air, the station's general manager, Ashanti Martin tells Axios. She wouldn't say whether WURD would ever bring back the program. WURD CEO and president Sara Lomax-Reese, the late founder's daughter, wrote in a memo obtained by Axios that the layoffs were meant to "ensure the station's long-term survival." She praised the laid-off staffers' "meaningful contributions to our station, our community and our city." "This decision was not made lightly. As an independent media radio station, it is imperative that we maintain our ability to give Black Philadelphia a voice and a place to make their voices heard," she wrote. What they're saying: The WURD employees affected by the cuts either declined to comment or didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. State of play: The media landscape is shifting, and competition for dwindling advertising revenue is fierce. WURD faced a setback earlier this year, when a conservative health care nonprofit filed a lawsuit alleging the station and one of its partners engaged in reverse racism when it launched a Black doctors directory to help connect people seeking care with physicians of color in the region. Martin tells Axios the cuts were unrelated to the lawsuit. The bottom line: Martin says the radio station is trying to find its footing while dealing with the "erasure of Blackness" from society. "I'm very confident we will survive and thrive," she says. "It's time like this that outlets like WURD are needed more than ever. We want to be around for another 22 years and another 22 after that."
