Mayor of London

How the partnership between Spacehive and the Mayor of London is fueling grassroots regeneration across the capital

The Mayor of London uses Spacehive to put more power into the hands of Londoners to propose, fund and deliver projects that bring local places to life

Crowdfund London is a groundbreaking partnership between Spacehive and the Mayor of London aimed at giving communities a bigger voice in regeneration and embedding a more collaborative way of shaping places. It was the world’s first city-wide civic crowdfunding programme and continues to go from strength to strength. To date City Hall have backed a total of 134 projects worth £4.4m – pledging alongside 16,000 other backers. From a new street market in Hackney to a plan to turn a railway line into a park in Peckham, Crowdfund London is acting as a springboard for civic creativity and bringing people, companies and public bodies together.

“Our crowdfunding initiative is a chance for all Londoners to take part in the regeneration of their neighbourhoods from the grassroots up. I am delighted to be supporting projects that will help strengthen local communities and help to make London an even greater city.”

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

A new way of funding civic spaces

The Mayor’s crowdfunding programme invites local community groups – from resident and trader associations to collectives and businesses – to pitch ideas on how to make their local area better places to visit, live and do business using Spacehive. They add their projects to the site and used social media to build support and enthusiasm for their ideas, amassing pledges from the community to achieve their funding target.

The Mayor pledges up to £50,000 to selected projects based on the quality of the idea, its potential impact, and strength of local support. City Hall’s regeneration team are also on hand to advise projects on delivery and make useful connections.

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Resulting impact

The Mayor acts as a catalyst for building wider support for the projects. On average there is an increase of 171% in the number of pledges received after he backs a project and an increase of 233% in the average monetary value. As a result of City Hall is turbocharging the success rates of the most promising project ideas – from an average of 54% on Spacehive to 90%.

Research into the programme has revealed many positive social impacts. Over 80% of projects come from more deprived areas of the city and 57% of project creators have never delivered a project in the public realm before. Both project creators and their backers report an increased sense of civic pride and local ownership within communities after a Spacehive project is delivered; project teams gain a rich mix of skills – from budgeting and digital marketing to project management; whilst 40% of projects lead to the establishment of a new community enterprise – a legacy that is equipping communities with the tools to do more in future. 

London’s crowdfunded future

The success of the programme over the last 4 years has revealed the enthusiasm Londoners to create places people love across the capital. Looking ahead, the Mayor and Spacehive are working to grow the impact of the programme by deepening engagement with new groups of potential project creators (for example young people and architects) whilst encouraging more companies, foundations and Boroughs to back projects alongside the Mayor, and developing ever more processes and technology to empower people to bring their ideas to life.

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