OurTopia lets neighbors propose local improvements — parks, murals, sidewalk repairs, community events — build support, fund them together, and see the work through to completion.
OurTopia is a community platform and mobile app for proposing, voting on, funding, and delivering small-scale local improvement projects within a defined neighborhood or community group. It replaces the usual scattering of a group chat for discussion, a separate crowdfunding page, and word-of-mouth for finding a contractor, with one connected process: an idea becomes a proposal, a proposal earns community support, support becomes funding, and funding is released to a vetted contractor only as work is verified.
OurTopia is currently in an early pilot with a private community group, ahead of a broader public rollout.
A resident submits an idea — what it is, roughly what it costs, and where it would happen.
Neighbors discuss and vote, so funded projects reflect real community interest, not just one person's idea.
Contributors pledge toward the project's budget. Funds are held until the project is ready to begin.
A contractor is selected and paid in milestones, each released only after the completed work is verified.
Photos and updates are posted through completion, so contributors can see exactly what their money became.
OurTopia is a money-and-outcomes app before it is anything else. These are the mechanics behind that:
Contractor payments are split into milestones and released only after verified completion of each stage — funds are never handed over in a single lump sum up front.
All contributions and contractor payouts are processed through Stripe. OurTopia does not directly store payment card details.
Every project shows its current stage — proposed, funded, in progress, milestone verified, or complete — along with an itemized record of funds raised and released.
Contractors are reviewed before they can bid on or be paid for a project, and build a visible track record across the projects they complete.
Questions about a project, a contribution, or a payment can be sent directly to our support team.
By using OurTopia, you agree that the platform is a facilitator connecting community members, project contributors, and contractors — OurTopia itself does not perform construction, installation, or event services. Contributions are made toward a specific proposed project and are pooled toward that project's stated budget. Contractor selection and milestone verification are handled through the process described above. Continued use of OurTopia during the pilot period may be limited to members of the participating community group.
OurTopia collects the information needed to operate the platform: account and profile details, project proposals and votes, contribution records, and communications with support. Payment information is collected and processed directly by Stripe under its own privacy and security terms — OurTopia does not receive or store full card numbers. Information is used to run the proposal, funding, and delivery process, and is not sold to third parties.