Funding
Several communities that have been successful at developing Neighborways have invested local money. Our projects to date have been funded through local arts councils, small granting organizations, main street business organizations, and the generous donations of residents on the street.
Typical costs for supplies to do a street mural are between $300 and $750 depending on the size and scope of the mural.
​We believe in supporting local artists! Therefore it's important to raise funds to pay one or more artists to design your work. Typically stipends range from $500 to $2,000. Beyond basic design work, artists work closely with community members to adjust designs during the design process. They also rough in the design on the street prior to community painting, so everyone knows what to do on Paint Day and your block party goes smoothly.
In commencing project design we always encourage communities to think big and then scale their projects back based on funding and resources that may become available as the community gets behind a project.
Incorporating meaningful partnerships with community organizations provides a significant source of financial support in the way of both reduced implementation and management costs.
Crowdfunding and parking fees/permits
Residents can raise funds through crowdfunding, a collective effort of individuals who network and pool their resources via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations. Create a project page on a crowd funding site for civic engagement.
Patronicity combines crowdfunding with grant money to fund civic projects, like Activate Mill Street in Fitchburg.
In Portland, Oregon, a third of traffic fine revenues go to a community traffic safety fund, and this has been an important source of local funding for development. Your community could look into devising creative parking policies that dedicate a certain percentage of the parking revenue (from parking permits or meters) for neighborhood improvement projects or specifically towards initiatives that reduce the need to drive for short trips.
