Downtown Springfield Association

What Downtown Springfield Association does

The Downtown Springfield Association (DSA), operating under the DBA "It's All Downtown," is a nonprofit community development organization founded in 1965 and headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. The DSA drives downtown revitalization through three principal programs: (1) a membership program with Visionary and Corporate tiers that includes more than 40 member organizations spanning banking, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and entertainment; (2) signature and community event programming, anchored by the annual Cider Days festival on Historic Walnut Street and a centralized downtown event calendar; and (3) the ASCEND small-business grant program, which awards five $5,000 grants to qualifying downtown storefront businesses. The organization serves a defined downtown catchment that includes ~1,500 residents across 800+ recently renovated lofts, five walkable neighborhoods, five live theatres, 16 movie screens, and dozens of restaurants and retailers.

DSA's primary digital asset is itsalldowntown.com, a content-and-directory hub covering downtown living, working, playing, and transportation resources, including real-time street closures and parking information. Revenue mechanics are subscription-recurring membership dues supplemented by event-based transaction revenue (sponsorships and participation fees) and grant-funded small business support. Customer segments include Downtown Residents, Small Businesses, Property Owners, Community Organizations, and Visitors/Tourism, with primary focus on residents and small businesses. The organization maintains core strategic partnerships with Historic Gillioz Theatre and Missouri State University, and minor partnerships with the Greene County 250th Commission, Springfield Greene County OEM, Jordan Valley Health, and Celebrate Springfield. In February 2026, former lawmaker Crystal Quade was appointed Executive Director, succeeding the prior leadership.

Name

Downtown Springfield Association

Legal name

Downtown Springfield Association

Website

https://itsalldowntown.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Downtown Springfield Association is a nonprofit community development organization in Springfield, Missouri that drives downtown revitalization through a 40+ member membership program, signature events like Cider Days, and the ASCEND small-business grant program serving residents, local businesses, property owners, and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development and Downtown Promotion Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Downtown revitalization
• Community development association
• Membership association services
• Event coordination
• Business promotion advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The DSA operates as a membership-based organization with Visionary and Corporate member tiers, generating revenue through annual membership fees from downtown businesses, property owners, and community organizations.
2. Event Revenue: The organization hosts signature events including Cider Days on Historic Walnut Street, providing event-based revenue through sponsorships and participation fees.
3. ASCEND Grant Program: Small business grant program offering five $5,000 grants for new or existing businesses with storefront locations in Downtown Springfield, funded through strategic partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Downtown Springfield Association is a nonprofit community development organization that provides downtown promotion, business advocacy, and event coordination services for Springfield, Missouri. It operates a tiered membership program (Visionary and Corporate levels) for downtown businesses and property owners, runs signature community events such as Cider Days on Historic Walnut Street, administers the ASCEND small-business grant program (five $5,000 grants), and maintains the itsalldowntown.com website as a centralized hub for downtown business directories, event calendars, neighborhood information, and getting-around resources.

Product overview

Downtown Springfield Association (operating as "It's All Downtown") is a community organization that promotes downtown Springfield, Missouri through an informational website and various programs. The organization does not offer a technology product or software platform; rather, it provides community resources including an event calendar, visitor guides, business directories, and development initiatives. Its primary offering is the itsalldowntown.com website which serves as a hub for downtown living, working, playing, and getting around information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DSA Membership Program Annual tiered membership program (Visionary and Corporate levels) offered to downtown businesses, property owners, and community organizations, providing marketing exposure through the DSA directory and event promotion, advocacy representation, and access to community programming.
• Cider Days on Historic Walnut Street Signature annual community event hosted on Historic Walnut Street in downtown Springfield, drawing regional visitors and generating event-based revenue through sponsorships and participation fees.
• ASCEND Grant Program Small business grant program offering five $5,000 grants for new or existing businesses with storefront locations in Downtown Springfield, funded through strategic partnerships with the DSA.

Quantifiable outcome

• Five $5,000 grants available through ASCEND program for small business growth
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Greene County 250th CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for public events including the Declaration of Independence reading and community celebrations.
• Springfield Greene County Office of Emergency ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for community preparedness programs including Prepared, Not Scared Storytime events.
• Jordan Valley HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for back-to-school health events and community wellness programming.
• Celebrate SpringfieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for community events including Celebrate Springfield annual event at Hammons Field.
• Historic Gillioz TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for movie matinee events and theatrical programming at the Historic Gillioz Theatre.
• Missouri State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership featuring Missouri State athletics events, theater productions, and university community programs.
• 5C GamingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVisionary and Corporate DSA member organization supporting downtown development.
• ABA Shrine MosqueminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVisionary and Corporate DSA member organization supporting downtown development.
• Great Southern BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVisionary and Corporate DSA member and financial supporter of community literacy and fire safety programming.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional business membership organization in the same Springfield, Missouri market — overlapping membership base with DSA and competing for some of the same SMB dues and event marketing spend.

Direct peers

• Downtown STL, Inc. Business improvement district and downtown revitalization organization for downtown St. Louis, Missouri — operates the closest analogous model to DSA in the same state, with membership tiers, event programming, and downtown marketing services.
• Downtown Memphis Commission: Community development organization operating downtown Memphis through membership, advocacy, and signature events — a directly comparable downtown association model in a similarly-sized Midwestern/Southern CBD.
• Downtown Denver Partnership: Membership-based downtown management organization running events, advocacy, and district marketing for downtown Denver — analogous service lines and member-tier structure to DSA.
• Downtown Kansas City: Downtown Council for Kansas City manages downtown revitalization, business attraction, and event programming in another Missouri-region Midwestern CBD — directly comparable membership-and-events service model.

Broad incumbents

• International Downtown Association: Industry trade association for downtown and urban-place professionals — represents DSA's peer category at the national level and provides benchmarking and best-practice frameworks used by local downtown associations like DSA.
• Urban Land Institute: Global research and education organization focused on land use and real estate development — addresses the same urban revitalization and downtown economic-development themes that drive DSA's mission.
• Main Street America: National nonprofit supporting downtown and commercial-district revitalization through a network of local programs — operates at a national scale over DSA's community-development niche and frequently partners with similar local associations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/tags/itsalldowntown
• Xx.com/downtownsgf
• Facebookfacebook.com/downtownspringfield
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/downtown-springfield-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Downtown Springfield Association