Thomas Breen photos
Two of the three “Could Be Fund” co-chairs: Caroline Smith and Ben Berkowitz. Long Wharf Theatre’s Elizabeth Nearing is the third.
A new $152,000 fund from the city’s entrepreneurial incubator is looking for project proposals that will better connect three adjacent but economically and racially disparate city neighborhoods.
The new “Could Be Fund,” managed by the Elm City Innovation Collaborative (ECIC), is responsible for overseeing and distributing $152,000 in one-to-one matching funds for public art, infrastructure, and design projects that better connect Science Park/Newhallville, Upper State Street/East Rock/Fair Haven, and Ninth Square/Downtown.
“Our goal is to prompt people to dream about what New Haven could be if our communities, economic sector, and neighborhoods saw one another as part of a larger whole,” the fund’s website reads.
Click here to learn more about the fund.
According to ECIC Chair Michael Harris, local entrepreneurs Caroline Smith and Ben Berkowitz and Long Wharf Theatre’s Elizabeth Nearing will oversee the new Could Be Fund.
Elizabeth Nearing, also a co-chair of the project.
The fund will give out grants in two sizes: under $2,000 and between $2,000 and $25,000. Each project must raise one dollar for every dollar it receives from the fund.
Mayor Toni Harp created the Elm City Innovation Collaborative in 2016 to be the local planning, networking, and distribution arm for the $2 million CT Innovation Places Grant that the city received from the state in 2016.
The Could Be Fund application period begins on Dec. 1. Contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with questions about applying.
In addition to co-chairs Smith, Berkowitz, and Nearing, the rest of the Could Be Fund team includes: Kim Harris, chair of the Newhallville Management Team; Sarah Fritchey, curator at Artspace; Ruby Gonzalez, artist; Michael Harris, ECIC chair; David Budries, chair of East Rock Management Team; Keivon Jones, chief creative officer of Fitscript; Aicha Woods, deputy City Plan director; Jay Brotman, architect; Hojung Kim, Homecooked.
“Fueling Innovation In Life Sciences”
ECIC also released a new video on Thursday afternoon that spotlights some of the life science startups that the Innovation Places grant has helped fund in the city over the past two years.
Local entrepreneur Shana Schneider takes viewers on a walking tour that includes stops at Health Haven Hub, S*Park Innovation, and DISTRICT.
Click here to read the full press release.