Educating ION DIT Cit ies ARY E ERS NNIV FOCUS 0th A 3 EXPERIENCE CI AL 38 SP E Crowdfunding Tampere PARTICIPATORY FUNDING OF COMMUNITY-LED PROJECTS Summary Crowdfunding is an established The model stands out as a way Some initiatives that have form of financing projects, where to support the activities of a new been funded so far include: people gather to support an kind of urban activism that is self- a community sauna, the initiative that will respond to an organized and based on voluntary rehabilitation of an old cattle issue relevant to them. To do so, cooperation among citizens. This building to serve as a community they contribute small amounts of kind of proactive activism usually centre, an urban garden in a money so that the project can get takes place outside associations pedestrian street, etc. started. and organizational activities, and is hence typically excluded In the Crowdfunding Tampere from traditional types of grant The model (inspired by the London systems. city of Crowdfund programme), the local Tampere has ed in government participates as one of Therefore, the Crowdfunding been involv ating Cities the donors of the community-led Tampere project is conceived City: the Educ ment since 1990 projects. In addition to financial as an addition to the City’s Tampere move nd is a member of the support, the City offers visibility current aid system, and provides Country: a Executive for the crowdfunding campaigns residents and communities Finland Committee and advice on the planning and with a new way of applying for Inhabitants: implementation of the projects. public funding, offering more 241 884 The main goal of the experience possibilities for different groups is to enable projects that and organizations to get involved Topics: revitalize the city and strengthen in the creation of a better city for Citizen participation, Living its social bonds, by encouraging all. together, Governance, residents and communities to Community development become active in developing their living environment. Goals X To enable and support the implementation of community-led initiatives that will have a positive impact on the city by providing them with an innovative modality of public funding. X To foster an active role for citizens and communities in identifying and proposing projects to improve quality of life in their local communities. X To reinforce self-organized activism and voluntary cooperation among citizens that may take place in non-formal ways, outside of the associative network of the city. Context Tampere is the third largest city in Finland and the largest inland centre in the Nordic countries. It is currently home to 241,884 inhabitants (year 2021), and close to half a million inhabitants in the Tampere Region, which comprises Tampere and its neighbouring municipalities. Tampere is located in one of the three most rapidly developing regions in Finland, and it is a centre of cutting- edge technology, research, education, culture, sports and business. Tampere and its Region are jointly applying to become European Capital of Culture in 2026. Methodology The City of Tampere launches the call for Then, each crowdfunding initiative begins its crowdfunding campaigns once a year. To be eligible outreach campaign in order to raise funds to participate, initiatives must comply with an from other citizens or private sponsors, such established set of criteria, including: preferably as organizations or companies. The campaigns being a one-off event or project; aiming to bring include activities in public spaces in order to joy, comfort and a sense of community; and being foster awareness about the initiative, door-to- implemented by an association, community or door communication, online mobilization, writing working group whose regular activities take place articles, etc. The City of Tampere also contributes in the city of Tampere. The campaign leaders must to the dissemination of the initiatives through their also ensure that they have the required licenses to own communication platforms (website, social run the project, should this be necessary. networks, etc.). The Crowdfunding Tampere project offers The funds have to be donated through the support to the initiatives right from the outset. aforementioned website in a process that allows Even before the launching of the call, the City for full transparency. All the initiatives have a pre- organizes events to share information about determined period of time to raise up to 60% of crowdfunding and to invite citizens to think about their minimum target. If they do, they will obtain initiatives that could be carried out within this the funding from the City, which represents the framework. During the application phase, applicants remaining 40%, or a maximum of 5,000 euros. can ask for a pre-evaluation of their proposal, so If they do not reach the minimum target, the that they can get feedback on their project idea donated funds are automatically returned to all the and see if it could be eligible for funding from the sponsors. City. In addition, the city organizes meetings for the campaigners, where they can meet with each To ensure accountability, the projects that get other, ask questions about the programme and funding from the City must adequately report on discuss relevant issues about their campaigns. They the use of the funds through specific forms and can also participate in specific training sessions instructions in a timely manner. about marketing for social mobilization, during which good practices on campaigning and outreach The Crowdfunding Tampere project is led are shared and analyzed. by the participation team of the Strategy and Development Unit, in coordination with other Once the call for applications is closed, all the City departments, such as Culture, Sustainable proposals received are assessed by a working Development, Finance, Urban Environment and group of city officials from different units in order Infrastructure. to determine whether they fulfil all the eligibility criteria. If they do, the campaigns are published on a specific website specialized in crowdfunding services (http://www.mesenaatti.me/mun- tampere). Evaluation The first edition of the Crowdfunding Tampere project was carried out in 2019, and it was the first time that crowdfunding was used in Finland as a tool for a city to aid and support citizen and community-based activities. It resulted in 14 applications that finally led to 11 crowdfunding campaigns, of which 10 received funding from the City in order to develop their projects during 2019. The experience continued in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during the second edition, some adjustments had to be made, especially regarding the informative meetings and trainings, which had to take place online. Luckily this was not an obstacle, and up to five informative webinars were organized. They allowed the project to be disseminated and encouraged further participation. euros, of which €600 was funded by the City. Another example is the creation of a communal So far, as a result of the Crowdfunding Tampere space in Tampere where international residents programme, 17 citizen and community-led and locals could meet each other, share their ideas crowdfunding campaigns have succeeded to and experiences and enjoy each other’s company. raise a total of 80,000 euros. In addition to the This project raised a total of 12,020 euros, of which City’s funding, the campaigns have raised money €4,800 was funded by the City. from 433 private and organizational donors. It is also important to highlight that involvement The project also encourages co-responsibility and in the campaigns it is not limited to economic engagement in the improvement and governance contributions. In fact, when this is not possible, of public life, and helps to identify social needs people can participate in other forms, such as: that might not have been detected by the public helping spread the word, preparing communication institutions. Some examples would be the materials, offering voluntary work once the project rehabilitation of a 100-year cattle building owned is funded, etc. To do so, they can reach out to the by a local association to serve as a diverse hobby, campaign organizers through the crowdfunding culture and exercise facility for the local community platform. (which raised 13,900 euros from 49 sponsors and an additional 4,000 euros from the City). Besides raising funds for initiatives aimed at increasing the well-being of City residents, the Some difficulties encountered comprise the lack of project fosters citizens’ active involvement and understanding of the crowdfunding model, which promotes social bonds and peaceful coexistence. is still relatively innovative as a way of financing For instance, it allowed for the creation of an urban public initiatives. To remedy this, it is foreseen garden in a pedestrian street where residents could to intensify the information and communication stop by, socialize and also get involved in keeping campaigns about the project. up the garden. This initiative raised a total of 2,645 Future proposals Looking to the future, the project is working on Contact developing specific communication strategies to reach new audiences in order to catalyze social activism. The project also aims to intensify the Organisation: City of Tampere information and support provided by the City, (Strategy and Development Unit) in order to help campaigners to undertake the required procedures and obtain the necessary Contact Person: Ms. Lilli Siikasmaa licenses to effectively implement their projects. (Planning Officer) E-mail: lilli.siikasmaa@tampere.fi View the experience in the Bank edcities.org