The City of Valparaiso has awarded 20 new grants in the 2021 Neighborhood Improvement Grant program, providing $205,000 in funds to support neighborhood unity and community improvements. Coupled with the matching investments by the neighborhoods themselves, this grant cycle will result in more than $275,000 in positive impact for the community.
“It’s rewarding to see so many neighborhoods coming together to plan projects that improve their quality of life. These grants are a positive way the City can support neighborhoods with the projects that matter especially to them,” said Valparaiso Mayor Matt Murphy. “We’re awarding the Neighborhood Improvement Grant funds earlier this year, giving neighborhoods a jump in completing projects for the season. We were also very excited to meet some new neighborhoods this year, coming forward with great ideas that will gather them together,” said Maggie Clifton, Valparaiso’s Director of Community Engagement and administrator of the grant program.
The projects funded this year include tree plantings, common area upgrades that give neighbors a fresh space to gather and enhancements to neighborhood parks, among other beneficial plans. The neighborhoods receiving grants in 2022 include Audubon Estates, Banta, Bicentennial Square, Bridgewater Estates, Brigata Hills, Central, College Hill, Courtyards of Pepper Creek, Greenfield Creek, Hatch Lake, Hawthorne, Jessee-Pifer, Keystone Commons, Kingsridge, Lakepointe Gardens, Mistwood, Oak Grove, Shamrock, Sunnybank and Villas at Vale Park.
The City of Valparaiso introduced the Neighborhood Improvement Grant program in 2018. Since that time, 79 grants totaling more than $785,000 have been awarded to neighborhood groups, supporting individual projects with community-wide impact. With matching contributions from the neighborhoods themselves, the Neighborhood Improvement Grant program has resulted in a positive impact of more than $1 million citywide since 2018. To learn more about the Neighborhood Improvement Grant program, including how to apply for funding next year, visit the Community Engagement page at Valpo.us.