Crowdfunding11

Central High SchoolCommunity Innovation CenterCrowdfunding

Historic Durfee Middle School On Detroit’s West Side Aims To Become Mixed-Use Community Innovation Center

One of the scourges of Detroit’s depopulation has been the empty school buildings left behind. As students continue to leave the public school district in Detroit, in the wake are left many hulks of buildings smack dab in the neighborhoods of the city. For the last 90 years, the building that houses Durfee Middle School has been serving the community. It would be quite a negative impact to the community for another such structure to meet the same fate. With the elementary and middle school s...

Central Detroit Christian Community Development CorporationChurchCommunity Center

Former Synagogue, Then Church, Now Looks To Find A Third Act As A Community Center

For 21 years Central Detroit Christian Community Development Corporation (CDC) has been dedicated to central Detroit communities and local residents. The organization strives to empower people and create positive opportunities through multiple services and programs allowing residents in the community to reach their highest potentials. Within this last year the CDC purchased a former synagogue built in 1924 located at 1550 Taylor (just north and west of Henry Ford Hospital) for a neighborhood c...

CrowdfundingDetroitMatrix Theatre

Detroit's Matrix Theatre Raising Money To Replace Necessary Equipment After Theft

One of the neat places you find in your travels around Detroit is the Matrix Theatre. For more than a quarter century, the theatre that’s on Bagley Street has provided professional and educational theatre opportunities for children and adults in isolated or challenged communities to become creators, producers, and audience of engaging theatre productions. It’s really a magical little place. However, on the night of August 8/morning of August 9, the theatre had the following items stolen, t...

CrowdfundingDCFCDetroit soccer

Who Needs Billionaires? Investing Locally Pays Off For Soccer Team Supporters

Sports teams are normally controlled by billionaires and although loved by fans, often fans don’t have a part of the action beyond the jersey they bought to wear to the game. But in the Detroit area, we’re doing it different. Nearly 500 investors have crowdfunded a soccer team – and are already getting paid a dividend on their money. For many, this might seem as an unconventional way to fund a business or a project – to get investors through the internet, sometimes large, sometimes small – a...

CommuniD BBQCrowdfundingCrowdrise

$25k in 24 Hours: Flash Fundraiser Saves BBQ, Builds Pavilion In City

Over the years, a lot of promises have been made to Detroiters. Wonderful this, amazing that. But usually it takes months – or years – if it happens at all. But what about making something happen in a couple days? Is that even possible? Mallory Brown, Crowdrise, some online funders and company partners proved that it can. Yesterday, we told you the story of the CommuniD BBQ and 86,402 Seconds in Detroit. The BBQ has been in the southern part of the Midtown neighborhood (or Cass Corridor) for...

Cafe Con LecheCrowdfundingDetroit

Cafe Con Leche's Expansion and Renovation Crowdfunding Campaign In Final Days

Cafe Con Leche, located at 4200 Vernor Highway in Southwest Detroit, is renovating and expanding its location, and you can help. Since it opened six years ago, Cafe Con Leche has been a staple in the Southwest Detroit community. The coffee shop often hosts community events like book signings, local artist showcases, neighborhood meetings, and networking events. Cafe Con Leche offers customers a uniquely Detroit experience, serving local food options paired with authentic Latin flavors. Whate...

CrowdfundingDetroitDetroit retail

Your Chance For $50,000 To Hatch The Next Big Retail Thing In Detroit Begins May 1

Have that idea that you just know would do well in the city, but don’t have the cash for it? Well, here’s your chance. The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest returns for its fifth year and will begin accepting applications on Friday, May 1. Comerica Bank is offering a prize of $50,000 for entrepreneurs with a retail concept. In addition to the $50,000 cash prize, if you win, you’ll also receive a slew of support services including legal, marketing and advertising, accounting, public relations and...

15 Minutes Or BetterCrowdfundingDetroit

"15 Minutes Or Better" Aims To Bring Together And Educate Detroiters About Benefits Of Mass Transit

Mass Transit is a foreign concept to most metro Detroiters. The “15 Minutes or Better” project is aiming to change that. Younger people across the nation are clamoring for mass transit, and voting with their feet by moving to where they can take a streetcar, light rail, or other transit options other than driving their own car–the Motor City is no exception. Part of the hot real estate market in the central core of the city is in anticipation of the new M1 Rail streetcar. The reality is that...

CrowdfundingIngiegogoSister Pie

Get Down With Sister Pie at the Hippest Dancebreak-a-thon in Detroit

Sister Pie has entered the final stretch in its goal to open a complete bakery in Detroit’s West Village, and you can celebrate with them as they throw the hippest dance party fundraiser Detroit’s ever seen. To count down to this awesome party, Sister Pie (which we’ve written about before) is giving supporters the opportunity to crowdfund its expansion on Indiegogo. The opportunity to support Sister Pie won’t last long. The campaign ends on February 7, so if you want to contribute, now’s the t...

CrowdfundingDetroitEric Larson

RENDERINGS: Bright Future Ahead For The Old Tiger Stadium Site

The Historic Field To Be Saved Under These Plans Which Include Mixed Use And Community Development Never underestimate the power of a community’s love for a historic site, especially when it’s combined with burgeoning economic development in the neighborhood. The old Tiger Stadium site is finally on its way to a second act as a retail, real estate and community center totaling a price tag of about $44 million for the project. The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) named Larson Realty Gro...

CrowdfundingDetroitHemingwrite

Two Detroit Kickstarter Projects Kick Local Entrepreneurs Into High Gear

Kickstarter became famous in Detroit for helping to fund the (to some) infamous Robocop statue, which raised $67,000 to fund what at the time was sort of known as a hipster joke. It drew criticism at the time for raising money for basically something that nobody needs at all.  Since then, the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter has grown and has helped to fund a lot of cool things around the world and in Detroit. Two notable success stories lately are Woodward Throwbacks and Hemingwrite, which h...