Shared spaces can be platforms for your community to access new funding sources. I’ve come across a few new initiatives that could be a great fit for you. As shared spaces, you are running centers that are at the crossroads of many organizations, issues areas and constituencies. These are great opportunities to demonstrate the impact of the diversity of your tenants/members and to provide a value back to them by bringing them potential new resources.
For those of you with tenants/members who are involved in health care, please take a look at InvestHealth, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Reinvestment Fund. This is a great opportunity for those of you located in small US cities (50,000-400,000) to “think big and become part of a movement to create communities where everyone has a chance to live the healthiest life possible.” They are looking for cross-sector collaborations and I think shared space is a great platform for this work.
Likewise, please share the following with your tenant/members or others in your community who are interested in creative placemaking: http://www.artplaceamerica.org/blog/national-creative-placemaking-fund-accepting-project-proposals. This is a wonderful grant opportunity to pair your skills at building a hub for your community with the artistic resources among your partners. I love it when funders provide resources to build collaborations that benefit and expand current definitions of community and place.