The City of Gainesville is partnering with Citizinvestor, a Florida-based crowdfunding and civic engagement platform for local government projects, to empower citizens to invest in their community.
On Monday morning, the City of Gainesville launched its first crowdfunding campaign to raise $20,800 to expand the popular Summer Heatwave program, which provides a place for Gainesville youth to go during evening hours with activities ranging from structured team sports, a life skills class and open lounges to socialize and play games. Citizens can make tax-deductible donations to the project at http://www.citizinvestor.com/project/summer-heatwave-. Community investors’ credit cards will not be charged unless the project reaches 100 percent of its funding goal before the May 24 deadline.
“We are excited to launch our first crowdfunding project on Citizinvestor,” said Steven Phillips, City of Gainesville director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. “Their track record of empowering citizens across the country to invest in their community is proven.”
While budgets in municipalities across the United States have tightened in recent years, Citizinvestor provides an alternative funding source for projects that municipalities don’t have budget for but that citizens are clearly passionate about. The City of Gainesville is the 21st municipality to crowdfund a project on Citizinvestor.
Citizinvestor co-founder and sixth-generation Floridian Jordan Raynor said of the launch of Gainesville’s first project, “Sports and recreation play such an integral role in the Gainesville community. This project provides citizens with a great opportunity to use sports and recreation to invest in the lives of Gainesville youth.”
To learn more or to donate, visit http://www.citizinvestor.com/project/summer-heatwave-.
