Crowd pleasing year for Crowdfunding in Plymouth

Because of the success of Crowdfund Plymouth during its pilot year, the Council has announced a further £170,000 match funding will be made available from April.

Drop-in centres for those with hearing difficulties, fabulous film nights in great settings and a project designed to make fishing more sustainable, these are some of projects who have benefitted from Plymouth’s pioneering crowdfunding venture.

Plymouth City Council’s Crowdfund Plymouth/City Change Fund is nearing the end of its first year and in 12 months has funded 22 very different groups, including social enterprises, sports clubs, local businesses and arts programmes, to reach their goals.

Crowdfund Plymouth was a pilot project set up to distribute the money which has been raised by developments through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

While most of this levy is spent on big things that keep the city running like roads, schools and parks, some can be allocated to great local projects.

Last year, the Council chose the Crowdfunder website to distribute this ‘neighbourhood proportion’ and pledge up to 50 per cent of a project’s costs (up to a maximum of £5,000 each), if they met the legislative and Council’s criteria and priorities.

Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Co-operatives and Housing said: “It's great that the local popularity of Crowdfund Plymouthmeans that we will be prviding over £170,000 in further match funding.

We’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm people have shown for some incredible schemes across Plymouth. Thanks to this site, crowdfunding in this city has really taken off and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to make contributions to these great projects.

“They are all incredible in their own way and are making a difference to the quality of life of many people in Plymouth. The fact this funding comes from developments across the city means residents are benefiting from the growth of the city.”

So far the Council has distributed £54,650 of the total £60,000 earmarked for local projects and more importantly, their contribution has led to a further £212,547 drawn by these projects through match funding.

He added: “Our crowdfunding initiative has been so successful; we’ve had enquiries from other councils and Government departments asking for advice. “

The team behind the project are finalising an end of year report and will be looking to continue the project next year.

Some of the projects to benefit include:

Children's Creative Hub: The Soapbox Theatre, to transform a disused building in Devonport Park into a creative arts studio and theatre for children and their families.The Council pledged £3,000 and £6,946 was raised with 120 backers
Cinema in the City: to fund cinema events all over Plymouth, including Open Air Cinema at Royal William Yard. The Council pledged £2,500 and a total of £5,345 was raised with 96 backers
Plymouth Deaf Association – to create community cafe/drop-in centre for Deaf British Sign Language users in and around Plymouth. The Council pledged £1,250 and £3,805 was raised with 25 backers
Beyond Face Youth Company to provide a pathway for Black and Asian young people into theatre and dance in Plymouth.The Council pledged £500 and £1,258 was raised with 39 backers
Union Corner – an exciting new community hub for Stonehouse Action, a group of residents who love Union Street and are transforming a derelict shop. The Council pledged £5,000 and a total of £10,704 was raised with 82 backers
Collings Park Trust – to save green space in Plymouth for community use. The Council pledged: £5,000 and £21,380 was raised through 40 backers
Sole of Discretion – a social enterprise aiming to set up a dedicated supply chain for ethically caught fish. The Council pledged: £5,000 and £142,055 was raised from 70 backers
Vision for the Pillars to commission art for commemorating the historic relationship between Plymouth and the Minster.The Council pledged £5,000 and £11,290 raised from 66 backers

The Council is looking for more great projects and ideas to support communities to help improve the city. It is also supporting some bigger projects to crowdfund for public art, open spaces and community activity to build up to Mayflower 2020.

More details will be revealed over the coming months.

For more information visit www.plymouth.gov.uk/citychangefund or follow @plymccplanning #CFPlymouth #Plymouthcrowd