The City of Covington is holding an informational meeting Monday (April 22) to explain a new grant program designed to help neighborhoods fund things like banners and signs, planters, and clean-up and beautification initiatives and events.
At the meeting – which will be held 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. at City Hall – officials will review the guidelines for the program and answer questions ahead of the May 13 deadline for the first round of funding.
The grants are small – $250 to $5,000 – and are designed to help neighborhood-oriented groups who want to improve the look of their surroundings.
“Covington is a city of neighborhoods, and we want to partner with residents to make them stronger,” Neighborhood Services Director Ken Smith said.
Guidelines for the $60,000 Neighborhood Grant Program – as well as a blank application and sample scoring sheet – can be accessed HERE.
Smith reiterated that the City was not looking to fund complex projects that take a long time to carry out.
“We will be looking for proposals that can be accomplished quickly without a lot of administration,” he said. “Ideas that require capacity building or have a long timeframe for implementation would not be a good fit.”
Details about the program:
• Two rounds of funding, in the Spring and Fall.
• Two categories: Small grants will be $250 to $1,500; large will be $1,501 to $5,000.
• Applicants must be an existing neighborhood association or a group that is organizing to become one. Not eligible are individuals, businesses, social service agencies, fraternal and religious organizations, schools, and public agencies, although these groups can collaborate with neighborhood groups.
• Scoring by a committee will focus on factors like feasibility, impact, need, support, sustainability, and leveraged investment.
• Neighborhoods are restricted to one large or two small grants per year.
City of Covington
