Danville starts Matching Grant Program for local Neighborhood Associations

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — The City of Danville is launching a Matching Grant Program for registered neighborhood associations within the city.

Some neighborhood projects are too small for city governments to prioritize, but big enough that it can be challenging for a neighborhood to address on its own. To amend this, the City of Danville is matching 50% of grant funding between $100 and $2,500 for these projects.

The City hopes that the Neighborhood Association Matching Grant Program will help neighborhoods improve more and more each year.

“We are hopeful that the NAMGP will increase Neighborhood Association activity in the City of Danville, empowering them to complete projects in their communities to enhance their quality of life and the overall quality of life for the citizens of Danville. We want to foster strong and vibrant communities along with camaraderie in neighborhoods.”

In addition to this, the City hopes that the funds and resources provided can help build a strong relationship between residents and the city government.

To apply, a neighborhood association must match the following requirements:

• Must be registered with the City of Danville.
• Proposed project must fall into one of these Matching Grant Categories:
  • Art & Beautification
  • Festivals & Cultural Events
  • Signage
  • Recreation
  • Safety
  • Healthy Lifestyles
  • Property Enhancement
  • Neighborhood Clean Up
  • Image Enhancement (Marketing and Branding)
• Must match the grant with money, in-kind donations, or service hours valued at a state-determined rate of roughly $32 per hour.
• Project must be completed within the fiscal year that they are approved in, which runs from May through April annually.

Neighborhood associations that have not received a grant in the past or have well-planned, urgent projects will be given priority, city officials said.

The City of Danville added that they will pay the provider of services or supplies directly through their payment processes, and Neighborhood Associations will not be written checks for projects.

Interested neighborhood associations can fill out an application and forward it to Community Relations Administrator Rheanna Ollis. This can either be submitted in-person at City Hall’s Community Relations Department at 17 West Main Street, or through email at rollis@cityofdanville.org .

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