Strong Neighborhoods grants to fund $25,000 in local projects

Civic Nebraska and members of the Community Builder Coalition announce the Strong Neighborhoods Grants program to support neighborhood-based, resident-led programs and projects across Lincoln. Lincoln Community Foundation has provided $25,000 to support and equip neighborhood stakeholders to achieve neighborhood development goals.

Civic Nebraska will serve as the fiscal agent and distribute the funding at the discretion of the Community Builder Coalition, a group of community builders and organizers from local organizations developed out of Prosper Lincoln’s Strong Neighborhoods initiative.

The coalition will review applications monthly and includes representation from Civic Nebraska, Collective Impact Lincoln, Lincoln Community Learning Centers, F Street Community Center, Lincoln Community Foundation, Lincoln Public Schools, Lutheran Family Services, Nebraska Appleseed, NeighborWorks Lincoln, and the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center.

Strong Neighborhoods grants may include neighborhood events that bring neighbors together and strengthen relationships in the community; projects that enhance the safety, beauty, or social connections within a neighborhood; and/or develop leadership skills and roles of neighborhood residents. The maximum amount available is $1,000 for each project.

Grant recipients are required to submit a brief report at the end of their project and submit receipts for purchases made with grant funds.

Grants are open to neighborhood organizations/groups or individuals within the city limits of Lincoln. They can be formal neighborhood associations, School Neighborhood Advisory Committees at Community Learning Center schools, or informal groups of neighborhood residents. It also can include neighborhoods where a member of the Community Builder Coalition is currently working.

Grants may not be used for private programs or events, including private religious celebrations; political activities; alcohol, tobacco, or gambling, which includes raffles or other games of chance; and inflatables or bounce houses.

For more information, visit StrongNeighborhoodsLNK.org or contact Nancy Petitto, Civic Nebraska’s director of civic health programs, at nancy.petitto@civicnebraska.org.