Matt Orr and Rich Swier, co-founders of
The
HuB Sarasota, the creative think tank and tech-business incubator,
have now set their sights on creating change in
philanthropy.
The duo launched
The HuB
Fund in May to encourage charitable giving to community projects
that are
innovative, sustainable and drive economic growth. The HuB Fund has been
established at Gulf Coast Community Foundation and will rely on micro
donations that will make a large impact on creative growth and
development in Sarasota.
Our theory is that there are small
donors who can afford maybe $100 a year and believe in the community
that we live in and want to see changes occur. The HuB Fund will produce
the ripple effect from minor donations that can make instrumental
changes in the community," says Orr.
Orr and Swier want
individuals
to know that they can make a difference in their community and spark
change by contributing anything they can. There will be no need to just
wait around for the government or legislation to implement the change,
people can contribute and make the changes occur. Orr points out that
$100
each from 10,000 people equals $1 million, enough to impact
change.
Some creative HuB-sponsored projects that have helped to
change such creative economic growth include:
s/ART/q for local contemporary artists;
I Love Downtown,
a campaign that supports patronage of downtown Sarasota merchants; and
the
Fringe
Film Festival which showcases and supports local filmmakers.
"We'll
be paying attention to what the community needs," says Orr. "We want
the money to be housed in a 501(c)(3) and it has to be granted out to
501(c)(3)s. It's a transparent process that's here to help the
community.
All donations made to
The HuB Fund are
tax-deductible. To learn more or to donate to the fund, visit
hubsarasota.com.
Writer:
Nancy VaughnSource:
Matt Orr, The HuB Sarasota
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