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Neighborhood Planning Grants
Neighborhood Planning Grants are designed to support neighborhood plans that address root causes of inequality and address any number of community development priorities including but not limited to affordable housing, workforce development, human services, commercial corridor initiatives, environmental justice, transportation, and education.
Comprehensive neighborhood planning initiatives typically address several development domains; however, the foundation recognizes that smaller, more targeted plans may be a catalyst for long-term neighborhood health and resiliency.
The foundation supports organizations in their capacity to define “neighborhood” as they see fit, regardless of population density—rural, suburban, small town, small city and large city neighborhoods are eligible to apply.
Requests may be made between $50,000 and $125,000 for a period of 12-18 months.
Grants typically culminate in the delivery of a written plan, detailing the process by which the plan was developed with the community, and outlining strategies for future plan implementation with partners.
How Funding May Be Utilized
The Regional Foundation encourages applicants to consider their plan scope in breadth and depth when requesting funds. Expenses may include staff time, consultants, community outreach and organizing costs, resident stipends for steering / advisory committee membership, meeting expenses and related costs.
The Regional Foundation invests in non-profit entities engaged in resident-driven community development activities. For example, current and former grantee partners include, but are not limited to, community development corporations, healthcare institutions, municipal level planning non-profit agencies, and creative placemaking organizations.
Our Priorities
- Fall within our 62-county service area;
- Geographic and demographic diversity – rural, small town, small city and dense urban areas.
- Center resident-driven process and the building of community leadership throughout the course of the investment, from start to finish;
- Support wealth creation and neighborhood stabilization in communities that have experienced historical disinvestment and experience concentration of poverty;
- Support for place-making, place-keeping, and anti-displacement efforts through community development tactics;
- Feature collaborations with allied organizations, government entities, and other institutions to support long-term buy-in.
- Inclusion of newer, smaller, historically underinvested BIPOC-led initiatives in underinvested rural, urban, or other geographies.
Eligibility
- Geography
- Registered 501c3 organization
- Organization utilizing a 501c3-registered fiscal sponsor
- Current Regional Foundation grantee partners may be eligible in certain situations (e.g. to create a plan for new neighborhood, as part of a joint collaborative. These requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.)
How to Apply
Letters of intent (LOI): Letters of intent may be submitted until 11:59 pm on Thursday, June 22. To submit an LOI, click here.
Full proposal: Applicants whose letters of intent meet the Regional Foundation’s priorities will be invited to submit a full application through our web-based portal beginning July 10. Those not invited for a full application will also be notified of their status. Applications will be due by 11:59 pm on August 18, 2023.
Informational Zoom Sessions: To learn more about the Regional Foundation’s Neighborhood Planning Grant, two virtual information sessions will be held. Click on links below to register.