Eligibility: Reimagining Communities

Basics | Eligibility | BIPOC-Led | Examples | Not Eligible | Reporting | Budget | Contact

Please email questions to: Matches @ ioby.org

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Donors are matched up to $500 for approved projects, up to the applicable per-project match cap ($5,000 or $2,500, depending on project location) until the program ends.

Please note that you cannot participate in two ioby match opportunities at the same time, but if you exhaust one fund and are eligible for another one, then you may participate in an additional match fund opportunity.

To access the Reimagining Communities Match Program, participating projects must:

1. Primarily fund the implementation of a public-benefiting project. See the examples listed below.

2. Focus on reimagining public space or public infrastructure, or support the implementation of public infrastructure investment in communities.

3. Be based in the United States or a U.S. Territory.

Eligible projects based in one of the following places can access up to $5,000 in matching funds: Alabama; Arkansas; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Nebraska; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Puerto Rico; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Virginia; Washington, DC; West Virginia; or Wisconsin.
Eligible projects based in other places in the United States or U.S. Territories can access up to $2,500 in matching funds.

4. Identify as being Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-led. This means that:

for projects led by individuals, eligibility is limited to residents who identify as BIPOC.
for projects led by a group or organization, eligibility is limited to those whose leadership identifies as BIPOC.

5. Be specific and concrete. All ioby campaign pages must include a budget outlining how funds will be spent.

6. Be a local response to a larger community issue or an early-stage solution that could be implemented to show what is possible in the future.

7. Align with one or more of the principles outlined by Communities First: (1) Invest in People; (2) Proactive Collaboration; (3) Center Community Wisdom; (4) Honor Self-Determination; (5) Practice Responsiveness & Accountability; (6) Bridge Integrative Pathways; (7) Repair Past Harm.

8. Be led by an individual resident, a volunteer group of friends and neighbors, a school, places of worship, nonprofit organizations, or other civic organizations located.

You do not need to be part of a nonprofit organization to access match funding. Projects may be led by an individual/informal community group with a local fiscal sponsor to steward funds on their behalf, or ioby can serve as the fiscal sponsor.
In the case that the project is led by a nonprofit organization, eligibility for this program is limited to organizations with an annual budget less than $250,000.

9. Finish crowdfunding and cash-out by September 29, 2023 or sooner.

10. Start implementing the project no later than December 2023. A project implementation report will be required in December.

11. ioby policy requires that match participants achieve a minimum of five distinct donors in order to cash out with matching funds. Here's why.

12. This program requires a survey before starting to crowdfund.

13. This program requires a short report in December 2023 to show the results of your project.

Submit My Idea

Examples of Eligible Projects:

Projects that radically reimagine public space or support the implementation of public infrastructure investment in communities are eligible to participate in the match program. These might include the types of projects listed below or other creative ideas from residents and grassroots organizations:

An imagination session, event or temporary installation that engages the community and government leaders to reimagine public spaces through the experience of temporarily repurposing a part of transportation infrastructure like a street, highway, bridge or off-ramp for community use.
A temporary event that safely physically gathers people near or into underutilized spaces, such as abandoned buildings, transit hubs, libraries, commercial buildings that could be repurposed through adaptive reuse and supports the implementation of community plans.
A temporary event supported by a public sector entity that safely gathers people near or in areas that separate communities from accessing natural and commercial districts, such as riversides separated by industry or surface parking lots or transit hubs bifurcating neighborhoods.
Projects that support collaborative leadership and community stewardship of public assets, including public parks, trails, libraries, and other civic spaces.
Projects that reimagine and activate underutilized or neglected public space and public infrastructure, including parks, green space, and spaces under elevated bridges, highways, and rail lines.
Projects that focus on placekeeping strategies, spatial justice, or rasquachification. For example, projects that are working for the social and cultural preservation of a space.
Restorative, reparative or healing projects that focus on repairing past harm in communities. This could include arts and culture projects, history and storytelling, and other local ideas to repair past harm.
Projects that focus on temporary fixes such as road diets, slow-down zones, better blocks or other changes that focus on creating safety on sites where pedestrians or cyclists have been killed by car crashes.
Temporary patches to first / last mile transit issues such as bike buses, bike shares, carpools, and other urban mobility prototypes to address inequities in transit systems.
Improvements to public transit experience.
Projects that draw attention to shortcomings or potential in public space or infrastructure and allow community members to temporarily experience alternative options and imagine what is possible.
Something else that fits within the program eligibility! Residents know their communities best and can best articulate a radical reimagination of public infrastructure.

tell us your idea here!

Ineligible Projects and Budgets:

Because all ioby projects must have a public benefit, projects that benefit one specific individual, family, or business are NOT eligible.
Organizations with an annual budget of $250,000 or higher are NOT eligible for this program.
Projects that lack a primary focus on reimaging public spaces or public infrastructure are NOT eligible for this program.
Projects with a primary focus on collecting community input are NOT eligible for this program (such as input-gathering sessions or community meetings).
Projects involving: political campaigning, lobbying, or contributions to political campaigns are NOT eligible.
Fundraising for a pool of funds to be re-granted to others or used for an unspecified purpose in the future is NOT eligible.
General operating support or funding new staff hires for nonprofits, including nonprofits focused exclusively on public space projects is NOT eligible.
ioby may determine a project ineligible at any time.

Please contact us at Matches @ ioby.org to discuss your project idea.

Please note: All donations to all projects on ioby are fully tax-deductible.
You do not need to be a formal nonprofit to access match funding and raise tax deductible donations on ioby. ioby is a 501c3 nonprofit and can serve as the fiscal sponsor for projects led by individuals or informal groups. ioby can also disburse funds to your local nonprofit fiscal sponsor if you prefer (including 501c3's, schools, municipalities, government agencies, and places of worship).

Match Funding Basics

Should the goal I set on my fundraising page include the amount of match funding I hope to receive? Yes. For example, if you need $6,000 to implement your project, your public goal on your page would be $6,000—you would only need to fundraise $3,000 of that goal, which would be matched as you fundraise, for as long as matching funds are available.

How does match funding on ioby work? When you fundraise on ioby with match funding, donations to your campaign will be doubled instantly, so you move toward your goal twice as fast. So if someone donates $25, your page will reflect a donation of $50!

How do I get approved for this match program? Just submit this intake form and our team will be in touch by email!

If I’m approved for match funding, am I guaranteed to receive a specific amount? No, this is not a grant program. ioby matching funds are won by donors to your campaign, and donors are matched on a first-come basis to all participating campaigns so that funding flows toward projects with the most urgent funding needs and active teams. Your team needs to raise a dollar to receive a dollar, and no amount of match funding is guaranteed in advance. If you begin a campaign, but then stop fundraising for several weeks, there is no guarantee that match funding will still be available.

Who is eligible to receive matching funds? Individual residents, volunteer groups of friends and neighbors, 501c3 nonprofits, schools, places of worship, and other civic organizations.

You do not need to be a formal nonprofit to access match funding and raise tax deductible donations on ioby. ioby is a 501c3 nonprofit and can serve as the fiscal sponsor for projects led by individuals or informal groups. ioby can also disburse funds to your local nonprofit fiscal sponsor if you prefer (including 501c3's, schools, municipalities, government agencies, and places of worship).

What if I have more than one eligible project idea? It’s best to pick one thing to crowdfund for at a time. If you’re trying to decide between several possible funding needs, keep in mind that crowdfunding works best for projects that are concrete and specific, where residents will be able to see the results or participate in the project they helped fund.

How do I know if match funding is still available for my project? When you share your project idea, our team will alert you in the case that match funds are running low and you may not be able to access the maximum amount; then you can decide if you would like to go forward with fundraising or not. We'll also alert you if matching funds begin to run low while you are fundraising with us.

How long will the match fund be available? This will depend on how many projects participate, and how much they raise. Funding will be distributed on a first-come basis as participants crowdfund. We update you by email.

Match Campaign Budget Questions

Does it cost anything to fundraise on ioby? For projects participating in this ioby match program, the only required cost is the 3% processing fee we pass on to our secure third-party processor. This 3% is retained from the total you raise at the end of your campaign, nothing is paid up front. ioby's fiscal sponsorship service is optional and available at 5%. ioby fees are explained here.

How much match funding can I receive on my campaign? $5,000 is the maximum amount that can be match to any individual or organization in this program. This cap helps ensure that many community leaders will have access to ioby match funding.

What if my project is small and I don't need $5,000? Or what if I don't think I can raise that much? That's totally fine! This program is appropriate for small-scale, grassroots projects and ioby has lots of experience supporting smaller campaigns. You are not required to try to use the full $15,000 in match funding.

Shouldn't I set a really big goal and hope for the best? You will only receive match funding equivalent to what you raise, so we encourage you to aim for an amount of funding that fits your team’s fundraising capacity and immediate budget needs. Also, it makes crowdfunding more difficult to set a larger goal than you have a plan to reach, because donors are less likely to give to campaigns that don't look likely to meet their goal. Our webinars, campaign planning tools, and your Leader Success Strategist can all help you set a goal that fits your team size and fundraising plan.

Does match funding apply to any donation? Match funding is meant to make it easier for you to reach out to your networks broadly to ask for donations, and not meant for doubling just one or two large gifts. For that reason, we’ll only be matching up to the first $1,000 of any single donation.

Does ioby accept checks and can they be matched? Yes. It's not standard practice, but if you have a donor who prefers to give by check instead of credit card, they can send their check to ioby to be applied to your campaign. ioby's donation processing fee of 3% also applies to check donations, and check donations can be matched. We won’t be able to match a check donation until we receive and process the check, whereas online donations are matched instantly.

What if I use up all the match funding I was originally planning for, but want to keep fundraising? Great! With ioby’s flexible finish policy you can always raise your goal mid-campaign if needed. If you meet match maximum, you are also welcome to keep fundraising additional unmatched dollars.

What happens if I don’t meet my goal? Our trainings and one-on-one support are intended to give you and your team the best shot as success. However, if you fall short of your goal, you'll still keep anything you raised and match funding you've earned. When you close your campaign, your Leader Success Strategist will ask you to adjust the budget on your page to show how you’ll use the smaller amount of funds toward your project.

Here are some examples of possible budget scenarios (NOTE: projects may be eligible for a maximum of $2,500 or $5,000 in matching funds through this program, depending on their location):

Your goal: $2,000
You raise: $1,000
Match funding: $1,000
Total disbursed at the end of this campaign: $2,000*

Your goal: $5,000
You raise: $2,500
Match funding: $2,500
Total disbursed at the end of this campaign: $5,000*

Your goal: $6,000
You raise: $3,000
Match funding: $3,000 (if project is located in one of this program's priority places)
Total disbursed at end of campaign: $6,000*

Your goal: $10,000
You raise: $5,000
Match funding: $5,000 (if project is located in one of this program's priority places)
Total disbursed at end of campaign: $10,000*

*Minus ioby fees.

Your page will continue to accept donations after your goal is met and you can raise your campaign goal at any time during your campaign. When the maximum in match funding has been applied to your page, the match will automatically shut off. At that point, donations will no longer be matched but you are always welcome to continue fundraising additional unmatched dollars.

Reporting and Receiving Your Funds

When will I receive my match funding? Donations to your ioby campaign page will be doubled instantly as people donate to your page. When you decide to close your campaign, you’ll receive the total you raised plus match funding as one lump sum, via check or e-payment. The 3% fee for our secure payment processor will be retained from that total. We will ask you to electronically sign a simple project agreement or fiscal sponsorship agreement before sending your payment.

What reporting is required if I participate? All ioby project leaders are asked to complete an online survey that we'll ask you to fill it out at the point that you close your campaign and request your funds. It should take about 10 minutes to fill out, and helps us consistently improve our crowdfunding coaching services.