Increase residents’ involvement and pride in their neighborhood
- Build on strengths the neighborhood currently possesses
- Fund and support sustainable projects that build neighborhood capacity and continue to develop leadership
- Encourage development of creative and innovative ideas that enrich the neighborhood and the lives of its residents
- Fund projects that strive to move beyond a one-day event or physical building projects toward longer term projects that will inspire residents to come together and make their neighborhood a safer, more close-knit place to live
The OCF Grant Committee will look for project proposals that meet the following criteria:
- Involvement – residents are active in identifying neighborhood concerns and work together to create, implement and follow through on a plan to address these concerns
- Investment – the finished product is a long-term contribution to the improvement of the neighborhood and to the lives of its residents
- Innovation – residents lead a project this is “outside-of-the-box” and will revitalize their neighborhood
- Impact – project creates a sense of pride among the resident and has viable, lasting effects on the community
What are the greatest strengths of your neighborhood?
Examples of a neighborhood’s strengths:
· Residents watch out for one another
· There is open community space
· Neighborhood youth are active and like to participate in community projects
· Residents share a desire to improve the quality of life in their neighborhood
- What are your neighborhood’s greatest needs?
Examples of what a neighborhood needs:
· More participation by community adults to inspire their children to become active
· Stronger relationships between neighbors
· Opportunities to share ideas and skills, and to channel these resources into a good, tangible “something” for the neighborhood
· Pride in their neighborhood and in each other
- What is your greatest hope for the future of your neighborhood?
Examples of what residents might hope for:
· That all residents learn the skills necessary to work together and take action to address neighborhood issues
· That the youth of the neighborhood are viewed as valuable and essential participants in community affairs
· That all residents have a chance to develop interpersonal and leadership skills to drive their neighborhood forward Organizations that work closely with neighborhoods OR are a 501(c)(3)
- A desire to improve the lives of your neighborhood’s residents and the future of the neighborhood
Capacity-Building Grants (3): Up to $5,000; distributed over a period of 3 years
For resident-led projects specifically geared toward increasing resident involvement in the neighborhood and in the ownership of its future. Projects should address community priorities identified by the residents, and should incorporate strategies for community-building. Project ideas are to be conceived primarily by the residents and the applicants must demonstrate how the project will achieve this result.
Leadership Grants (1): Up to $10,000; distributed over a period of 3 years
For resident-led projects geared toward developing leadership and initiative skills among more established neighborhood associations. The project should involve some aspects of capacity-building within the neighborhood, but should focus on developing and strengthening leadership skills among the residents, especially among neighborhood youth. Project ideas are to be conceived primarily by the residents and the applicants must demonstrate how the project will achieve this result.
NOTE on multi-year grants: As mentioned above, each of these grants is a multi-year grant, which means that the total sum of money will be distributed to the grantee over 3 years. For instance, a neighborhood association that receives the $10,000 Leadership Grant might receive the full amount of the award as follows: 50% ($5,000) for the first year “phase” of the project; 35% ($3,500) for the second year; and 15% (1,500) for the third year. Continued receipt of the grant for years two and three in order to carry on the project is contingent upon the neighborhood meeting a few established goals for each phase of the project.
The Omaha Community Foundation feels that a grant that is distributed over a period of time, rather than one that is a one-time lump sum, allows the neighborhood to successfully carry out sustainable projects that are more likely to have a lasting impact in the neighborhood. Ensuring that the project continues to involve the community over a period of time is one way to reach the goals set by the neighborhood and OCF’s priorities as described in the previous section. In addition to project funds, OCF will offer support for grantees and their projects by providing coaches to work directly with the association to assist with:
- Forming project ideas
- Writing the proposal
- Planning logistics of the project (the “who, what, when, where, how” factors)
- Offering guidance, as well as technical assistance, to their neighborhood association
These coaches will also be available to come on-site with the neighborhoods during their project.
Neighborhood Associations are encouraged to attend the Neighborhood Builders’ conference in February, and the follow-up session in March. This conference will be especially invaluable to neighborhood associations that wish to apply for a Neighborhood Innovation Award for several reasons:
- It offers networking opportunities with other neighborhood leaders
- The consultants will be on hand at Neighborhood Builders to talk with all neighborhood associations that are thinking about applying for one of these two grants
- There will be roundtable discussions of real-life scenarios that neighborhoods today all face, and neighborhood associations will be able to discuss in-depth how the problems these scenarios present can be solved
- Through the discussions and suggestions that will arise during the conference, each neighborhood association will discover ways to reinvigorate their neighborhood and learn to make smart investments in its future
Neighborhood Associations then complete a grant proposal and present it to the Grant Committee. The committee may also elect to hold an on-site visit with the neighborhood after their proposal has been submitted.
As you fill out your application, the OCF encourages you to keep the following in mind: The Omaha Community Foundation anticipates that, through the community projects that these grants will make possible, neighborhoods will learn to build resident involvement and develop creative problem-solving skills that will revitalize the entire community for both present and future generations. Participants will be able to embrace the skills they acquire through this process and utilize them in several capacities for the future, striving always for excellence for themselves, within their own community, and beyond.
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