Great City, the green urbanist nonprofit founded by now-Mayor Mike McGinn, has switched to an "all-volunteer" model, according to an email sent to supporters by Great City executive director Joshua Curtis. The group, which previously had two paid staff (Curtis and program coordinator Paul Chasan), has reportedly had difficulty raising money in recent months.

In an email, Curtis said he and Great City's board "felt the best strategy for us right now would be for me to transition back to the board level and really focus resources on our respective issue areas – land use and housing ... green infrastructure ... and arts advocacy."

"While it’s not ideal that we (and many other groups) are having to trim down to respond to economic realities, the board and I feel really positive about some opportunities over the next 6 months to become both more efficient and effective in the long run," Curtis said.

McGinn was the main speaker during a major fundraiser for Great City back in February. It's unclear whether the group approached him to help them raise money this time around. McGinn has not yet returned a call for comment. We also have a call in to the Vulcan development company, one of Great City's funders, to find out if the company reduced or pulled its funding.