How To Start Community Centers In Your Area

Does your local community have a hub for social, educational, and recreational activities? What classes, events, and programs are available to you that are designed to improve your quality of life? If you’re struggling to come up with an answer, you may want to consider lobbying for a local community center in your area.  

 Why should you start a community center? 

Community centers are designed to fill gaps in your community. For many young people, community centers are a safe place to stay out of trouble and find resources for hugely transitional times in our lives. Many have a focus on sports and fitness, promoting healthier lifestyles for locals of all ages. Others can be tourism-focused. Areas with high vacation traffic often require a variety of community centers available for reservation and rent, including amphitheaters, parks, or flexible indoor spaces for groups to convene. The idea is to encourage local individuals, businesses, and organizations to put on events that foster community and keep locals and tourists alike active and engaged.   

Is public funding available for community centers? 

No matter where you are starting a new community center, the first thing you will need to start petitioning for funding is a thorough proposal. Your city or town will be looking for a niche idea that will have an impact on the community at large rather than a specific group of people in the community. You probably have ideas in mind about the types of programs and services you would like the center to provide. It’s still essential to put together a diverse committee to look over those ideas and provide fresh insight. Choose from a few trusted names in your community who all have different vested interests. If your proposal is designed and supported by the values of the community as a whole in mind, you’ll be more likely to receive funding.  

 Other items that should be included in the proposal are: 

• A list of the types of programs and services that the community center will offer

• The approximate space required for those programs, both indoor and outdoor

• Any necessary equipment, infrastructure, or staffing

• Estimates for the initial cost of construction

• Approximate operating costs

• A breakdown of recommended marketing and advertising costs to get the word out to the community 

How much does it cost to run a community center? 

For the sake of the proposal, you’ll need to estimate the initial cost of construction, plus operational numbers for approximately 2-3 years. Community centers will also need a cash reserve for maintenance and unforeseen circumstances upwards of 20%. Once you have those numbers on hand, it’s time to decide what you are prepared to ask the town for. Will you expect your local town governance to provide 100% of the upfront cost? Will you need to crowdsource funding from local business owners and families? Will you charge a fee to businesses and organizations who want to use the space privately to cover your annual operations costs? 

If your township chooses not to fund your community center, that isn’t the end of the line. You can start a nonprofit or partner with an existing nonprofit to fund and manage the project through a board of directors. State, local, and federal grants are also available for application virtually everywhere. Bulk mailers and social media advertising are also great ways to stir up interest in your local community for volunteers and cash donations throughout the process.  

For long term capital, consider property sponsorships. Signage and marketing can entice larger businesses to hop on board with long term sponsorships of community projects. Most larger organizations have annual budgets specifically for community outreach and nonprofit donations like these. With the right organizations ready to back a community project with a significant impact, you’re prepared to begin construction.  

The best community centers will always be flexible. 

When it comes time to design and erect your community center, the most critical aspect of the building should be its flexibility. While these centers are meant to work for a variety of different purposes, from entertainment to education, business meetings to birthday parties, that doesn’t necessarily mean they should just be a blank slate.  

Prefabricated metal buildings are a popular option for community centers because they offer both wide-open spaces and flexible room design. Prefab metal building kits are steel components assembled with bolt-together technology, securely anchored to a concrete slab. The result is a durable frame, able to support up to 200 feet of width without the need for interior support columns. That leaves an incredible amount of space open for charity galas, indoor concerts, festivals, trade shows, and more.  

But the more important aspect of the building design is the ability to redesign the space in a single day. Flexible wall panels are the perfect tool to separate your open concept floor plan into multiple private rooms. If you’re funding your operating costs by charging for room reservations, this is a great way to collect more cash by renting to more than one organization at a time.  

For nonprofit and state-owned buildings, prefabricated metal building kits are a great option to keep costs down long term. After the initial cost of construction, steel buildings have significantly lower maintenance costs than those made with organic building materials. They are pest resistant, fire-resistant, and energy-efficient. Plus, the strength of the frame against storms and other natural disasters translates into lower insurance premiums over time.