Cincinnati's Department of Community Development (DCD) has adopted best practices from a City of Seattle program to promote resident-driven, place-based projects in the City's neighborhoods.
Funding was approved for the Neighborhood Grants Program in the Office of the City Manager's 2010 budget. A community match of at least 20 percent of the project's cost would be required to leverage City money.*
The program is modeled on Seattle's Neighborhood Matching Fund Program, which since 1988 has awarded more than $45 million to 3,800 community projects, leveraging $68 million in matching funds and enlisting the help of more than 80,000 volunteers.
That program identifies residents and business owners as the most valuable resources in a neighborhood, arguing that they are the people best able to identify and solve localized problems.
Up to $4,000 for individual neighborhood projects or up to $6,000 for projects crossing neighborhood lines will be made available. The City anticipates funding 28-35 neighborhood groups per year through the program.
Money will be available to any nonprofit project that is resident-driven, implemented by volunteers, open to public participation, and beneficial to the neighborhood as a whole. These include neighborhood improvements; organizational development and capacity building; crime and public safety initiatives; and improvements in recreation, education, and cultural offerings.
Grant cycles end on March 5 and June 4. A scoring and ranking system will be used to choose winning first-round projects on May 15.
Building Cincinnati has been unable to verify, but a draft overview of the program said that a mandatory workshop about the Neighborhood Grants Program's application, review, and reporting process will be held on January 7 at 6 p.m. at DCD's Conference Room, Two Centennial Plaza, .
* I wasn't able to find the exact number in the budget. However, between 28 and 35 projects at between $4,000 and $6,000, averaged out, comes out somewhere around $150,000. This would have to leverage at least $30,000 in community match
Previous reading on BC:
DCD develops action plan for GO Cincinnati report (12/3/09)
DCD will not increase number of properties eligible for rental rehab program (8/4/09)
Cincinnati DCD wants three new inspectors (3/11/09)
$110K, new staffer needed to administer neighborhood support funds (3/4/09)
Hartwell Armory site chained off (5/19/08)
The Power of Community
1 hour ago
4 comments:
This would appear to be a step in the right direction. It would also appear to be seriously under-funded based on community need.
Why the city would choose to allocate 1.1 million dollars in CDBG funding for demolition in 2010 rather than allocate those funds for a program like this is beyond me.
Unless we stop the "Blight = Bulldozer" mentality of city government the efforts of neighborhoods will be at odds with the city VBML ordinance which amouts to a "death sentence" for properties and neighborhoods the way it is being used now and the city 'Nuisance Board" which 'rubber stamps' demos in spite of neighborhood opposition to them.
We need more funding for progams like this that puts control of neighborhood issues in neighborhood hands rather than funding for demo, with little or no resident input. If the city can ever hope to move forward, we need a fundamental change in approach, and we need to properly fund it.
Per the City of Cincinnati:
"Apparently there is incorrect information posted regarding a meeting for a Neighborhood Matching Grants program. This program was proposed during the budget process. The City will continue its current funding structure to communities via the Neighborhood Support Program and the Neighborhood Business District Support Fund; therefore, there is no meeting on January 7, 2009 at the Department of Community Development."
Correction posted.
Sorry Pauly, but nobody is going to give you a big fat check to do one of your rehab and sell jobs. 'Fraid you'll have to keep going hat in hand to the bank for funding. Or you could leave town and go some place that might appreciate your Delicate Genius.
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