Sometimes some of the most inspirational projects come in the form of simple grassroots beautification initiatives. But where does one start when the decision has been made to spruce up a public space? Actually, there are a bunch of different resources out there, such as the 2019 Love Your Block Grant, which is administered by Mayor Byron W. Brown and the City of Buffalo Division of Citizen Services. Through a grant application process, volunteer-led community groups are able to compete for a chance to win cash grants up to $1,000, and project planning assistance to help create the neighborhood oasis of your dreams.
“As we continue to build an equitable city of opportunity, I continue to support programs that leverage community engagement and volunteerism to further improve and beautify our diverse neighborhoods. Through the Love Your Block program, we have an opportunity to continue to connect residents to government to further enhance public spaces and boost levels of civic engagement,” said Mayor Brown. “I encourage all residents interested to apply for these grants.”
The Love Your Block Grant came about thanks to Cities of Service, a nonprofit organization. In 2018, the organization provided the City with two AmeriCorps VISTAs in the Mayor’s Division of Citizen Services, as well as $25K (over two years) to initiate the beautification effort.
“For the past year, the Division of Citizen Services has worked tremendously hard with the AmeriCorps VISTAs to go into neighborhoods and develop the Love Your Block initiative alongside community stakeholders,” states Oswaldo Mestre Jr., Chief Service Officer and Director of Citizen Services. “We have seen, day in and day out, the commitment that engaged residents bring to making their communities stronger, and we aim to empower them even more by building relationships between residents and city officials, as well as increasing communities’ access to city resources. With the Love Your Block mini-grant program, we trust that the residents know what is best for their neighborhoods, and we hope to cultivate a sense of responsibility and power in Buffalo’s communities, block by block.”
Small-scale grants, ranging from $750- $1,000, are now available to neighborhood associations, block clubs, and community-based organizations for projects located in the Kensington-Bailey, Broadway-Fillmore, Lower West Side, and Masten Park neighborhoods.
The Love Your Block staff will host a series of technical assistance workshops to help applicants fill out the application:
March 5, 2019
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
The Belle Center – 104 Maryland Street
March 6, 2019
4:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Kensington-Bailey NHS – 995 Kensington Ave
March 23, 2019
1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Kensington-Bailey NHS – 995 Kensington Ave
March 26, 2019
5 pm – 6:30 pm
Frank E. Merriweather Jr. Library – 1324 Jefferson Ave
“The Love Your Block mini-grant program is an excellent opportunity for block clubs and community groups to become more engaged in their neighborhoods by taking the lead on beautification projects, which will ideally create momentum for residents to tackle larger quality-of-life issues,” says Ada Hopson-Clemons, President of the Masten Block Club Coalition, Inc. and Vice President of the Board of Block Clubs, Inc. “With the Love Your Block program, residents will also have the necessary support to learn about and practice Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles in order to make their neighborhoods safer.”
*The winners of the grant will be announced this in April, and community members will be poised to implement their funded projects starting in May.
For more information, visit buffaloveyourblock.org, email loveyourblock@city-buffalo.org or call (716) 851- 5515.
