Uruut, a crowdfunding platform that helps transform local communities, announced their public beta launch today. Simultaneously they acknowledged receipt of $200,000 in seed funding for the crowdfunding portal.
Atlanta based Uruut invited individuals, businesses and foundations to visit and contribute to their offerings via their unique crowdfunding technology.
“Ten years ago I began contemplating how our country could revitalize underfunded communities by giving critical projects a chance at success,” said Mark Feinberg, Uruut’s co-founder and chief executive officer. “Along the way, Uruut was born and our talented team developed an extraordinary tool that achieves this vital need. Today, I’m proud to give the public a chance to experience Uruut and contribute to our first project owner, Ashford Park School Education Foundation (APSEF).”
Located in the Atlanta suburb of Brookhaven, APSEF aims to raise $100,000 through Uruut to construct an outdoor classroom where students can get dirty with hands-on science experiments, gardening lessons and nature explorations. This classroom will also double as an amphitheater that will showcase student theatrical productions, school lectures, and a range of community-wide events.
“We’re proud to be Uruut’s first project owner and excited to share our vision for an outdoor classroom and amphitheater with
the community,” said Shawn Keefe, co-president of APSEF and parent of first and fourth graders. “We currently have a deteriorating and hazardous outdoor structure, but we believe the outside of our school should match the vibrancy of the inside. This project is core to APS’ curriculum, our students and the vitality of our community, and Uruut is perfect for helping make our dream a reality.”
“Uruut not only provides individuals with a chance to change lives, but it offers businesses, corporate social responsibility (CSR) groups and foundations a transparent marketplace where they can search for and self-select vetted ideas,” said Donovan Lee-Sin, program officer at the Arthur M. Blank Foundation and Uruut advisory board member. “As a foundation professional, I’m confident these private entities will quickly realize that Uruut gives them a direct, meaningful connection to their local communities while increasing their brand exposure and social responsibility reach.”
