Neighborhood Empowerment Grant Recipients Announced

The Corvallis City Council has awarded $5,000 in grants to neighborhood groups that submitted applications earlier this year through the Neighborhood Empowerment Grant program. The announcement came at the Council’s June 18 meeting.

Empowerment grants are cash grants from the City, typically in the range of $500 to $1,000 each, intended to fund livability improvements and foster neighborhood connectivity throughout Corvallis.

The grant applications were collected and evaluated by the Community Involvement and Diversity Advisory Board (CIDAB). CIDAB members reviewed grant materials and conducted interviews with prospective grant recipients as part of the application process. This year’s application period brought in 13 applications totaling $10,350 in requested funding. From that pool, CIDAB was able to fund eight projects with the available money.

The grant recipients represent a broad cross section of neighborhoods and community groups in Corvallis.

• Tunison Neighborhood Association - $1,000 to create a mural behind a community garden space in the neighborhood. Area students and families will be involved in the painting and installation.
• Central Park Neighborhood Association - $750 to help neighbors, in partnership with OSU students and the Parks and Recreation Department, renovate the landscaping around The Arts Center in downtown Corvallis. The project will also include a new irrigation system for the site.
• Arnold Park Neighborhood Association - $375 to improve disaster preparedness at the neighborhood level by teaching neighbors to rely on each other during the hours or days before first responders arrive. Local leaders will use the Map my Neighborhood program develop a map, create a contact list, and compile skills and equipment.
• Edgewood Park Estates HOA - $590 to host three neighborhood social events in the coming year: a block party, a guest speaker, and a pool cleanup. The social events are designed to be opportunities for neighbors to get to know one another and build a stronger sense of community in the area.
• Skyline West Neighborhood Association - $1,000 to take part in National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day by hosting a neighborhood cleanup day to remove fire hazards such as debris, dead branches and brush on properties. Grant funds will be used to pay for dumpster and tool rental.
• Birdie Neighborhood Group - $440 for the second annual “Birdie Trimming Party,” focusing on removing blackberries and other invasive plants in southwest Corvallis. Grant money will be used to rent power tools and a trailer for debris.
• Corvallis Multicultural Literacy Center - $400 to conduct a study to research parking and transit availability in the College Hill, followed by an action plan to address any identified issues related to the Center’s pending move to the neighborhood.
• Neighborhood Alliance Cooperative – $445 to host a series of classes and workshops on sustainability, growing food and green building. The classes are intended to build and strengthen bonds within the neighborhood.

As part of the grants, recipients will present the outcomes of their projects to the board and share lessons learned once completed.

CIDAB meets on the first Wednesday of the month at the Madison Avenue Meeting Room. Meeting materials and past minute are available on the City’s website.

For more information on the Neighborhood Empowerment Grant program, go to www.corvallisoregon.gov/empowerment.