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Chicago Launches A Curated Kickstarter Page

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 10, 2013 1:45PM

2013_4_10_seedchicago.jpg Do you have trouble keeping track of all the local Kickstarter projects you want to help fund? Gapers Block has a list that's frequently updated. Now the city has its own curated Kickstarter page via World Business Chicago, the non-profit business group chaired by mayor Rahm Emanuel to spur economic development in the city.

The aptly named Seed Chicago evolved from WBC's "Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs’ " strategy "to nurture neighborhoods and foster continuous development of local talent, business and real estate assets." Among the featured projects on the page are the Tamale Spaceship's plan to fund a storefront space in Pilsen; Englewood Codes, a project where youth in the troubled South Side neighborhood go through a 10-week educational project to learn computer coding; a fresh food market by the Garfield Park Community Council; a project intended for Growing Home to build a new hoophouse for its South side urban farm; and Unisono en el Zocalo, a planned public arts festival in Pilsen.

WBC personally selected the projects and guided them through the Kickstarter process.