Citizinvestor: use this civic crowdfunding tool to help Philly plant 15k trees this year

If a video game can be crowdfunded, why not a citywide initiative to plant 15,000 trees by the end of the year?

That’s the idea behind Citizinvestor, a Tampa, Fla.-based crowdfunding platform for government projects.

The startup launched in Philly, its first city, last week.

Fund the tree-planting campaign here.

In just one week, the Philly tree campaign has raised more than $1,000 with more than $10,000 to go to reach its goal.

Cofounder Jordan Raynor says Citizinvestor reached out to cities around the country about the project, and Philadelphia – specifically Jeff Friedman and Story Bellows at the Mayor’s Office – was one of the first to get back to the company.

Over on Philadelphia magazine’s Philly Post, Joel Mathis writes about the tool and how it raises the tougher question of: Are we moving toward the kind of civic engagement for only those who can pay for it?

In response, Raynor wrote in an email to Technically Philly: “It’s […] important to note that municipalities have a set amount of money that is allocated to various civic projects across all socioeconomic groups and neighborhoods. If the projects in the wealthier neighborhoods are funded at a higher rate through Citizinvestor, this will only increase the portion of government funds that can be allocated to the projects in less affluent neighborhoods.”