Building Neighborhood Strength, Supporting Food Security, and More: 2025 Neighborhood Grant Program is Now Open!
posted
From now through February 18, 2025, small groups of five or more residents, centers of worship, nonprofits, neighborhood associations and other groups serving neighborhoods can apply for the Neighborhood Grant Program to help make small improvements to the local area or to organizations.
The program has been around since 1999 and has provided funding for more than 350 projects that have helped neighborhoods beautify gateways, create public gathering places, build leadership skills, or plan for the future. The program gives out $25,000 of grant money, generally in amounts of $1,000 to $5,000.
On the northside, neighborhoods want to build capacity.
“It has become apparent that many residents and neighborhood groups are feeling fearful, isolated and discouraged about the waning level of engagement and participation in public life including at the most local level of neighborhoods,” the Northside Planning Council (NPC)’s Justin Markofski said.
In response, NPC used its 2024 Neighborhood Grant to gather neighborhood groups for a meal where they learned about current efforts to strengthen and support the health, safety and well-being of neighborhoods, and they started planning events and activities to create a sense of place, advocate around issues, and build new relationships.
In the heart of the Greenbush Neighborhood, the Neighborhood House Community Center (NH) has provided important community programs and services for decades. In 2024, NH received a Neighborhood Grant to help alleviate food insecurity and add art to the community. Their project involved building brightly decorated wooden boxes called Little Free Pantries and a mobile food cart. They installed both in the neighborhood and are stocking them with free food for residents.
In the Summit Woods Neighborhood, folks are building social connections in many ways with their 2024 grant including hosting a “Back to School Ice Cream Social”, Halloween Party, and “Snow Moon” walk along the Summit Woods bike trail. More social activities are coming up, along with a survey to find out what people value most and what they would like to change.
Also in 2024, the Lake Edge Neighborhood sought to beautify the neighborhood and provide wildlife habitat, particularly for pollinators. To do this, they converted approximately 280 square feet of lawn in the median end caps on Lake Edge Boulevard to a native wildflower planting.
“We are excited to see the flowers bloom next spring, when we plan to host a community weeding activity in the planting beds for Earth Day 2025,” Lake Edge Neighborhood Association President Bentley Wolfe said.
Planners with the City of Madison have seen the big impact these small grants can have.
In 2023, the Bayview Foundation used its grant to further brighten and beautify its new apartment building at the corner of Regent Street and West Washington Avenue with the dynamic “Hope Finds a Home” mural. A trio of artists – Amy Zaremba, Sharon Tang and Alicia Rheal - was enlisted to work with the neighborhood on the mural. The piece was designed and completed with the input and artistic efforts of over 100 residents.
“At this high-traffic intersection blocks from the Capitol, the mural projects a message from Bayview residents about who they are, and what Bayview is to the rest of Madison,” Bayview Foundation Executive Director Alexis London said.
When the pandemic hit businesses hard, Tara Wilhelmi applied for and received a grant on behalf of Ujamaa Business Association. As pandemic restrictions began to lift, Ujamaa used its grant to support vendors in selling their wares at places like Madison Night Markets and Carts in Parks. They were also able to more than double their core membership and host over 100 engagements with the help of their grant.
One strength of the program is its ability to promote community cooperation. It strengthens an organization and neighborhood, and as a result, helps make a more appealing place to live. Brian Andersen experiences this every time his Sunset Village neighbors head down to the orchard they created with a grant a number of years ago.
“It kind of brings us together, and we can go down there and see what things are growing, see what kind of fruits are coming up,” Andersen said.
Steps to apply for the grants are outlined on the city’s website. They include a conversation with the neighborhood’s alderperson, and an informal pre-application discussion with Planning Division staff. Applications are due by February 18 at 4:30 p.m.
Departments:
