You can have your stake and eat it too at this local micro-funding event.
Philly Stake provides fast funding for great ideas, with a heaping helping of local cuisine and good cheer. On July 17, the group set up at
Historic Bartram's Garden on the banks of the Schuylkill River in Southwest Philadelphia.
A sliding scale admission fee of up to $20 gave over 250 attendees the opportunity to hear about 10 local startup projects while enjoying a locally sourced organic dinner. It was immediate gratification. At the end of the night, three groups were handed cash to carry out proposals.
Tidal Schuylkill River Tour received $1,000 to collaborate with the Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory in creating a vessel that will go out on a river tour;
Fair Grounds won $600 to build a food and sculpture garden in East Kensington; and
Sunday Suppers received $500 to encourage family dinners in low income areas of Philadelphia.
Theresa Rose, who by day works for the City of Philadelphia's
Office of Arts, Culture and The Creative Economy, is the founder of Philly Stake, which is not connected with her work for the government. "I was excited about the idea of having a platform for people to get together and share ideas," says Rose. "There's so much going on in Philadelphia, but not so many outlets for us to share with each other." The July event was the third in the growing series, which began last September.
A shorts and sundress clad crowd set up blankets on a grassy bank overlooking the 46-acre botanic gardens and enjoyed a summer menu that included veggie and meat tamales, salads, dessert, beer and wine served on vintage plates collected at local thrift stores. Ten fundraising hopefuls, chosen randomly from a pool of 21 applicants, presented projects. Voting ballots were collected and tabulated on the spot to determine the night's winners.
It takes a lot of volunteer effort to orchestrate Philly Stake. There are 18 dedicated core organizers, according to Rose, who donate time and skills, including chefs Eliot Strathman and Eric Blasco. Rose got the idea for the program after attending
Feast in Brooklyn and says it fulfills a need for a place to exchange creative ideas and foster connections. The next Stake dinner is planned for this fall in Center City.
Source: Theresa Rose, Philly Stake
Writer: Sue Spolan