IHCDA launches crowdfunding campaigns for My Community, My Vision projects

Four communities to receive a matching grant through IHCDA’s CreatINg Places initiative and the My Community, My Vision program

INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 12, 2025) – Hoosier youth will soon improve or create community spaces if they reach their fundraising goals by March 28, 2025. If successful, the projects will receive a matching grant as part of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s (IHCDA) CreatINg Places  and My Community, My Vision programs.

“Communities across Indiana thrive on vibrant, dynamic ideas that bring citizens together around the pursuit of common goals," said Matt Rayburn, Chief Real Estate Development Officer at IHCDA. "We need young leaders to join these discussions, and through My Community, My Vision, future decision-makers can make their ideas a reality. We look forward to watching each of these projects unfold."

The four projects are:

• Project Shoe City from the Mayor's Youth Council, Mishawaka.
  • This project will place sculptures of the Red Ball Jet Shoe, a cherished piece of Mishawaka's history, in spaces across the city.
• Beautifying the Burg from the Oldenburg Academy.
  • This project will resurface basketball courts to make them multi-use courts for basketball and pickleball. It will also build a community fire pit with added seating and landscaping.
• Coy Park Renewed - Embracing the Future, Honoring the Past from the Mayor's Youth Council, Terre Haute.
  • This project will build a new accessible playground at Coy Park.
• Playground Paradise, from the Union City Youth Council.
  • This project will create an ADA accessible playground at Harter Park.

My Community, My Vision is a youth-driven placemaking partnerships between IHCDA and Patronicity. With a vision of how to improve their cities and towns through social infrastructure projects, cohorts of youth council students participate in a semester-long program focused on asset-based community development, stakeholder engagement and placemaking.

Student youth council teams, alongside their foundation or government sponsor, will utilize CreatINg Places funds. The CreatINg Places program began in 2016, and projects have raised more than $12.2 million in crowdgranting funds and an additional $10.3 million in matching IHCDA funds. The program is available to projects located in Indiana communities. Non-profit entities (with 501c3 or 501c4 status) and local units of government are eligible to apply. Eligible projects must have a minimum total development cost of $10,000, where the recipient will receive $5,000 in IHCDA matching funds should it successfully raise $5,000 through Patronicity. IHCDA will provide matching grant funds up to $50,000 per project.