2. FMLY is an internationally recognized do-it-yourself (DIY)
501(c)3 organization
Community Resource Center
Today, major US cities are faced with some of the most chal-
leging issues of the 21st century. These include air/water
pollution, obesity, decreased access to important social and
city services, and unemployment just to name a few. Under-
served communities in these major cities are further challenged
by greater urban pollution, and lack of access to healthy/nutri-
tious foods resulting in poor health and high stress. Partnering
2 with Antioch University Los Angeles, FMLY has developed a
project focusing on urban sustainability, the arts and establish-
ing a live/work community resource center in an under-served
community. The center will reside in Inglewood, California, and
provide space and opportunity for community growth and sus-
tainability education through practical and creative sustainable
means.
FMLY is centered around a popular blog and a monthly
mass bike ride and concert series. For the last three years,
FMLY’s primary focus has been creating safe, fun environ-
ments for people of all demographics to safely interact
witth each other and decrease the use of cars in urban
communities. FMLY’s primary locations are in Los Angeles
and New York, with affiliates in 24 other cities in the US
and other countries.
Since its inception, FMLY has organized over 30 mass bike
rides at different sites around the world. The annual DIY arts
and music festival FMLY FEST, now in its third year, has attract-
ed thousands of people from across the country. Last summer
FMLY booked, produced, and promoted a ten-week concert
series sponsored by the city of West Los Angeles in an open
public bandshell. FMLY has also facilitated four community-
based arts and music venues across the Los Angeles area.
These events have been a driving force for inspiring a new mu-
sic and arts movement that focuses on critical thinking through
collaboration, the use of public space, and the basic needs for
human survival and intellectual and creative growth.
3. This year, in partnership with Antioch University,
FMLY is opening it’s first resource center
We are proposing a project in Inglewood, CA because it repre-
sents a microcosm of the problems faced by low-income urban
areas around the country.
3
Proposed Goals
bike co-ops
participatory music opportunities
sustainability education
support urban gardening
Antioch University Los Angeles is a fully accredited,
501(c)3 national university that has a long history of working
with under served communities. With a graduate program in
Urban Sustainability and an undergraduate major in Urban,
Community, and Environment, it can provide not only institu-
tional and faculty support for the project, but also a cadre of
do-it-yourself (DIY) 501(c)3 organiztion
graduate and undergraduate student interns who will fulfill their
internship requirements by working with this project.
4. FMLY Mansion is the first permanent manifestation
of the FMLY community.
Its mission will be realized through three programs: Urban Growth, Alternative Transportation, and Music.
Each program will be facilitated by its own local program board.
4
In Inglewood, CA, the Mansion will serve as an events space and
town square, and will be managed by both FMLY members and
its residents and volunteers from the community, with consulta-
tion from AULA faculty.
5. There are now seven bike co-ops in the Los Angeles area that teach
people bike safety and how to work on their own bikes, yet Inglewood
doesn’t have reasonable access to them.
At the start of 2011, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Los Angeles cut 300,000
hours of transit service. 5
Blacks have a 51% higher prevalence, and Latinos have a 21% higher prevalence of obesity in
comparison to whites (2011 CDC report).
Public school students, particularly in low income areas, are facing larger class sizes and the
reduction or elimination of art, music, career technical education programs, and transportation.
K-12 schools and higher education have already taken more than $20 billion in cuts over the last
three years. Inglewood was hit even harder than most Los Angeles County districts
A Columbia University study revealed that students in the arts are found to be more cooperative
with teachers and peers, more self-confident and better able to express their ideas.
Students who participate in school band or orchestra have lower levels of current and lifelong
use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among any group in our society.
Students of lower socioeconomic status who took music lessons in grades 8–12 increased their
math scores significantly as compared to non-music students. Just as important, reading, his-
tory, geography, and even social skills, soared by 40%.
Statistical data
6. Urban Growth Program
The Urban Growth Program will emphasize practical
education of sustainable urban agriculture as well as
provide creative services to South Los Angeles and the
Inglewood community.
By providing a hands-on experience training in an urban
6 setting, the Urban Growth Program will provide the platform
for partners to gain necessary knowledge through literature,
as well as the experience-based learning needed to pursue a
craft. By providing frequent workshops based on community
recommendations, as well as visiting lectures from neighbor-
hood professionals, the Urban Growth Program wishes to not
only meet the areas needs, but also better focus and define
community desires.
The Urban Growth Program will be managed out of the FMLY
Mansion Workshop (Wrk//Shp), a fully functional fabrication
shop and education center. All tools, resources, educational
aids, and gardening supplies will be provided and managed
from the Wrk//Shp by FMLY members who use and operate
the facilities daily. This space will be open for public use dur-
ing scheduled workshops taught by FMLY members and local
artists, instructors and experts. Members donate their time on
the same time/resource based exchange method that is imple-
mented throughout the FMLY Mansion.
8. Music Program
The Music Program will serve as a lesson space, re-
hearsal space, and live venue
In this program FMLY Mansion employees, volunteers and par-
ticipating local musicians will be employed to teach students
how to create, record and perform their own music. Weekly
8 jam sessions with the students and teachers will help foster a
young, budding music community.
Classes and workshops will focus on making music with what
equipment students can feasibly acquire and will be accessible
to students of any age or economic status, further solidifying a
healthy local music community.
The live concert venue will serve as a concert space for lo-
cal artists involved with the program as well as touring FMLY
bands from our long spanning affiliate communities. Shows
and concerts will be booked by FMLY Mansion employees and
volunteers in conjunction with the artists using the space.
In addition, practice rooms will be rented out to local bands at
hourly rates creating the revenue to upkeep the space allotted
to this program.
10. The Alternative Transportation Program
The Alternative Transportation Program will serve as a
center for free workshops
Provides a hands-on experience repairing and maintaining
10 bicycles and skateboards. Considering South Los Angeles is
one of the few places in the city without a bicycle co-op, the
presence of the Mansion/program in this area will provide an
open space for people to empower themselves and each other
through learning and teaching bike maintenance by providing
work space, tools, project bikes and instruction.
Giving access to alternative transportation resources has been
shown to increase ridership and promotes community cultiva-
tion.
