
Uptown Tampa Community Collaborative
Be Part of the Uptown Tampa Community Collaborative!
The Uptown Tampa Community Collaborative is a voluntary association of area businesses, nonprofits, individuals, and organizations interested in meaningful engagement in the University Area of Tampa. Together, we work to support small local businesses, create workforce, entrepreneurship and career opportunities, and join our combined experience and expertise to build intentional community that’s sustainable and resilient.
University area residents, agencies, and businesses are invited to join in our monthly Meetups at AMRoC, to catch up on the latest developments, and share news and updates from different corners of Uptown.

Meet the Uptown Tampa Community Collaborative
To be part of this growing, action-oriented collaborative working together in support of Uptown Tampa residents, families and businesses, click here or use the “Join” button at the top left. Click on any of the images below to learn more about the amazing members of this caring community.
How It Works
How It Works
Essentially, we’re offering AMRoC Fab Lab as a meeting and collaboration space for the group to participate in one another’s efforts and host their own, both virtually and onsite (within our COVID-19 safety protocols for the foreseeable future).
Cost – $0
There is no cost to be part of the Collaborative but members are expected to be active and engaged participants, mentoring, teaching, and supporting the Uptown community in various ways.
Monthly CC Roundtables
Every 4th Saturday, we hold Uptown CC Roundtables where members can share projects and programs, along with calls for volunteers, sponsors, or other needs. We also be holding Uptown Stakeholder Focus groups around topics of education, workforce and career, community resources, green spaces and sustainability, and more.
Community of Best Practice
We will set shared goals on a regular basis with the aim of building a peer-to-peer network and library of best practices that everyone in the group can access and employ in the service of the Uptown community.
The Uptown Tampa Community Collaborative is guided by the Kauffman Foundation’s seven ESHIP Goals , modeled after the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
- An Inclusive Field
- Collaborative Culture
- Shared Vision
- Practice Methods and Metrics
- Universal Support
- Sustainable Work
To these ends, we invite organizations, business and individuals authentically interested in generating positive change in the University Area of Tampa through active engagement in the community through solid ecosystem building to come together to be part of the Uptown Tampa Community Collaborative Work Group.
The operative phrase here is “Work Group” . This is not a social club, nor a shell organization for people to feel better about joining without doing the hard work required to effect meaningful change. While headquartered at AMRoC Fab Lab, we are calling this effort the Uptown Tampa Community Collaborative to keep the focus where it belongs – on the Community.
People cannot be what they cannot see. So we invite you – Black, Hispanic, LGBTQ, People of Color and varied national origins – to be seen, to share your stories, your time, your expertise, to inspire others and help give Uptown residents ownership and authorship of the community they live in. A community’s success is not just good for the community, but for our city and our county and our state and nation.
Members of the Uptown Tampa CC are invited to:
- Provide mentorship in our youth and adult STEM and workforce education programs, youth robotics and Equity in Entrepreneurship program, and each other’s programs;
- Volunteer at events and programs representing their organizations and speaking to issues of equity and access;
- Organize and own at least one meaningful program or project annually at AMRoC Fab Lab that expands access and opportunity for community residents;
- Share skills and expertise to help teach and inspire others;
- Provide some level of fiscal, material or equipment support for youth and adult programs at AMRoC and Uptown;
- Participate actively in quarterly Uptown CC meetings;
- Participate in the Forward Cities equity in entrepreneurship ecosystem roadmap development.
In return, FCDI/AMRoC Fab Lab will:
- Provide meeting and classroom space for active members, including online meeting and gathering spaces;
- Be active in community engagement and improvement initiatives organized by members;
- Promote member organizations or businesses on our website and social media;
- Include member organizations or businesses in program planning opportunities;
- Invite member organizations or businesses to be part of grant and funding efforts.
If you feel you can be an active, roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-to-work part of the Uptown Tampa Community Collaborative, click the “Join” button above!