City money is available to green your neighborhood
Event: Clean & Green City Summit
Date: February 15, 2006
The Scene: Marshall Foster takes a few minutes away from the frenzy of the conference to tell us about the new Challenge Grant Program
Visuals: Video
The "Neighborhood Beautification Fund" has a new name and new money! Now known as The Community Challenge Grant Program, the fund provides matching grants to San Francisco residents and businesses who want to "create green spaces, gathering places, public art, and other neighborhood amenities." Marshall Foster, Director of City Greening, described the program at the recent Clean & Green City Summit.
We're talking real money here. The program has $500,000 to distribute this year to:
- Small Projects - up to $10,000
- Medium Projects - $10,000 to $25,000
- Large Projects - $25,000 to $100,000
The grants are given out twice a year. The March 31, 2006 grant cycle brought in 43 applications. The grant applications are taken for about 6 weeks prior to the deadline. The next deadline is sometime in September, so you have time to go to the site, read the application and guidelines, and get together with your neighbors to dream up a great project to clean and green your neighborhood!
Grant Application and Guidelines can be found at http://www.sfccgp.org .
Who Can Apply?
Groups of residents or businesses, community groups, and non-profit organizations are encouraged to apply. Neighborhood residents or business owners who form a committee or group solely for the purpose of performing a project in their neighborhood must have a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization to serve as their fiscal sponsor. If you or your neighborhood group needs help locating a nonprofit agency to serve as a fiscal sponsor, please contact Lanita Henriquez, Program Manager at (415) 554-4830 to be connected with a fiscal sponsor. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend an Informational Workshop to discuss the application process and the proposed project prior to submission of their application.
Note: Groups applying for a Large Grant are required to demonstrate the ability to successfully carry out projects similar to the type and scale of the proposed project as part of the application process, and may be asked to review their proposal in detail with the CCG Advisory Committee.
What Kinds of Projects Are Funded?
A project should directly result in the physical improvement of a public space. The project should emphasize self-help and should involve neighborhood residents in the planning and implementation of the project. Applications must include a five-year maintenance plan that demonstrates how the group will maintain this investment after completion of the project. All funded projects should generally fall under one of the types listed below.
Project Types:
1. Urban Forestry and Landscaping – tree planting, sidewalk landscaping, creation of an open space area and/or community garden(s) with excess or unused public space;
2. Community Art – mural, sculpture or other public art projects;
3. Gathering Places – benches, ledges, planters and other forms of seating, community boards, special paving/mosaic treatments, and other amenities which create spaces that attract people to make use of the public space in their neighborhood;
4. Neighborhood Beautification – projects that improve the appearance and/or enhance the unique character of the area (e.g. banners and other items that promote identity, gateway and other neighborhood identifiers, decorative lighting, etc.);
5. Graffiti and Litter Abatement – projects that address urgent graffiti and litter problems within the neighborhood and engage local residents and/or businesses in the graffiti or litter removal process;
6. Street and Sidewalk Maintenance – preference will be given to projects that pilot an innovative approach to street and sidewalk maintenance and engage local residents and/ or merchants in these activities. Projects must not duplicate current City maintenance in this area.
