Mindful Metropolis March 2010 : Page 12
did you hear? Grants for Good LivingRoom Realty’s micro-grant program funds art, music and sustainability betterment project. They will award multiple grants of up to $1,500 each and funding will come from a donation of one percent of Liv- ingRoom Realty’s 2009 profi ts, as well as from donations cultivated at LivingRoom events. The application process is simple—download a form from the website and submit it by April 1 for consideration. Coleman and McClurg have been leading up to this moment since opening the LivingRoom doors almost three years ago. “We think com- munity is an essential part of a healthy city and we want to promote that. When we fi rst started, we had the idea of donating a portion of our profi ts but hadn’t fi gured out the best way to do that,” McClurg says. They started during the 2008 political cam- By liBBy loWe carol ng-He is out to change the way people see museums—and teenagers. But she needs a fi nancial boost to meet her goals. An artist and adjunct humanities professor at Co- lumbia College and Roosevelt University, Ng- He is a volunteer art teacher and project devel- oper for Chicago Teen Museum, a non-profi t dedicated to preserving teen culture while in- troducing teens to the museum profession. She works with kids from all over the city— from a wide variety of neighborhoods. Her hope is to bring them together to create a full- scale replica of a bedroom, fi lling it with rep- resentations of teenage life all over Chicago. But her staff is small and her budget is non- existent. While her project probably wouldn’t qualify for a Bill and Melinda Gates-style grant, she’s hop- ing that Annie Coleman and Abraham McClurg, owners of LivingRoom Realty and newcomers to the micro-grant scene, might feel differently. LivingRoom Realty will give grants to peo- ple like Ng-He who are looking for funding to launch an art, music, sustainability or world 12 march 2010 paign by hosting the Obama-thon, a fundrais- ing event that was part craft sale, part bake sale, part auction, part concert and part party. With a match from the campaign, the team raised $11,000. So what kinds of projects are Coleman, Mc- Clurg and executive assistant Sarah Frier look- ing for? “We’re looking for people doing cre- ative things that build community, improve the environment—things that are fun and effective but might not get a larger grant because they don’t fi t the mold,” McClurg says. Applicants should keep in mind that the grants won’t always fund an entire project— and that’s okay. They are really designed to be a stopgap and give people a way to go for- ward or get something off the ground. In fact, says Coleman, they are hoping to give out nu- merous small grants rather than a single large one. So in some ways, thinking small might work out. “We’re excited about the ideas that people are really passionate about. We are promoting people coming together as a com- munity rather than living individually,” she says. The LivingRoom space itself is a gathering spot for like-minded Chicagoans. McClurg and Coleman often donate the storefront offi ce to artists looking to show their work, spon- sor open-invite talks about sustainable build- ing, host fi lm screenings and allow commu- nity groups, such as the Green Fest organizing committee, to meet there. In fact, if awarded a grant, Ng-He is hop- ing to use the LivingRoom space to house her teenage bedroom project. “For the teens, it would be amazing to see their ideas come to life and have their voices heard in the public sphere,” she says, grateful that grants like this exist. “Two people with a small business can make such a difference and this is a great op- portunity for us.” As Coleman and McClurg see it, the idea of opening their space and giving grants to peo- ple in the community is intricately connected to the work they do every day. “Part of our role as agents is helping people fi nd homes, which is part of creating communities. We don’t see this as a sales job—it’s a service job. We guide people through one of the biggest transac- tions and transitions of their lives and when we help clients fi nd homes, we want them to know that we are truly invested in the communities of Chicago,” Coleman says. For applications and more information about the micro-grant project and upcoming events visit LivingRoomRealty.com. Living- Room is also accepting donations from indi- viduals who want to support the program. Libby Ellis Lowe is a freelance writer and edi- tor. You can read her stories about Elvis, cy- clone relief and more at redbirdeditorial.com.
Grants for Good
Libby Lowe
LivingRoom Realty's micro-grant program funds art, music and sustainability.
Carol Ng-He is out to change the way people see museums—and teenagers. But she needs a financial boost to meet her goals. An artist and adjunct humanities professor at Columbia College and Roosevelt University, Ng-He is a volunteer art teacher and project developer for Chicago Teen Museum, a non-profit dedicated to preserving teen culture while introducing teens to the museum profession.
She works with kids from all over the city— from a wide variety of neighborhoods. Her hope is to bring them together to create a full scale replica of a bedroom, filling it with representations of teenage life all over Chicago.
But her staff is small and her budget is nonexistent.
While her project probably wouldn’t qualify for a Bill and Melinda Gates-style grant, she’s hoping that Annie Coleman and Abraham McClurg, owners of LivingRoom Realty and newcomers to the micro-grant scene, might feel differently.
LivingRoom Realty will give grants to people like Ng-He who are looking for funding to launch an art, music, sustainability or world Betterment project. They will award multiple grants of up to $1,500 each and funding will come from a donation of one percent of LivingRoom Realty’s 2009 profits, as well as from donations cultivated at LivingRoom events.
The application process is simple—download a form from the website and submit it by April 1 for consideration.
Coleman and McClurg have been leading up to this moment since opening the LivingRoom doors almost three years ago. “We think community is an essential part of a healthy city and we want to promote that. When we first started, we had the idea of donating a portion of our profits but hadn’t figured out the best way to do that,” McClurg says.
They started during the 2008 political campaign by hosting the Obama-thon, a fundraising event that was part craft sale, part bake sale, part auction, part concert and part party.
With a match from the campaign, the team raised $11,000.
So what kinds of projects are Coleman, McClurg and executive assistant Sarah Frier looking for? “We’re looking for people doing creative things that build community, improve the environment—things that are fun and effective but might not get a larger grant because they don’t ft the mold,” McClurg says.
Applicants should keep in mind that the grants won’t always fund an entire project— and that’s okay. They are really designed to be a stopgap and give people a way to go forward or get something off the ground. In fact, says Coleman, they are hoping to give out numerous small grants rather than a single large one. So in some ways, thinking small might work out. “We’re excited about the ideas that people are really passionate about. We are promoting people coming together as a community rather than living individually,” she says.
The LivingRoom space itself is a gathering spot for like-minded Chicagoans. McClurg and Coleman often donate the storefront office to artists looking to show their work, sponsor open-invite talks about sustainable building, host film screenings and allow community groups, such as the Green Fest organizing committee, to meet there.
In fact, if awarded a grant, Ng-He is hoping to use the LivingRoom space to house her teenage bedroom project. “For the teens, it would be amazing to see their ideas come to life and have their voices heard in the public sphere,” she says, grateful that grants like this exist. “Two people with a small business can make such a difference and this is a great opportunity for us.” As Coleman and McClurg see it, the idea of opening their space and giving grants to people in the community is intricately connected to the work they do every day. “Part of our role as agents is helping people find homes, which is part of creating communities. We don’t see this as a sales job—it’s a service job. We guide people through one of the biggest transactions and transitions of their lives and when we help clients find homes, we want them to know that we are truly invested in the communities of Chicago,” Coleman says.
For applications and more information about the micro-grant project and upcoming events visit LivingRoomRealty.com. Living- Room is also accepting donations from individuals who want to support the program.
Libby Ellis Lowe is a freelance writer and editor.
You can read her stories about Elvis, cyclone relief and more at redbirdeditorial.com.
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