The City of San José’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services is now accepting applications for the 2024 BeautifySJ Grant Program (Cycle 6).
Donor Name: City of San Jose
State: California
City: San Jose
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/11/2024
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The mission of the BeautifySJ Grant Program is to support residents’ efforts at reclaiming their public space and to empower residents to aesthetically demonstrate their pride in the City.
The grant program will provide financial support to projects that will:
- Collectively create a cleaner, safer, and more vibrant City;
- Build or strengthen the neighborhood organization;
- Address issues important to neighborhood quality of life by creating more engaged neighborhoods;
- Improve neighborhood conditions through beautification;
- Engage with neighbors to reduce trash, graffiti, and other sources of blight.
What types of projects can be proposed?
There are 3 types of categories for projects that can be proposed.
- Category 1: Beautification Projects
- Adopt-A-Park
- Adopt-A-Park is a one-year commitment to help with picking up litter, removing graffiti, removing weeds, and trimming bushes.
- Landscaping
- Landscaping (design, planting, trimming, mulching) in public spaces and city parks.
- Garden Spots
- A Garden Spot is a small area in a City of San José park, where residents register to plant and maintain a flower garden. Garden Spots can be community projects.
- Neighborhood Clean-Up
- Dumpster Days, Litter Pick-Ups, Graffiti Abatement.
- Planting
- Planting of trees and/or any other type of planting.
- Adopt-A-Park
- Category 2: Neighborhood Quality of Life or Organization Building Events/Projects
- Neighborhood-Led Events
- National Night Out, Cultural Festivals, Community Building Events, public safety activities, neighborhood celebrations, community projects, etc.
- Neighborhood Organization Support
- Newsletters, PO Boxes, United Neighborhoods of Santa Clara County Membership Fees, special events insurance, association web pages/domains.
- One-Day Volunteer Event at a Park
- Your neighborhood group can work with Parks Division Volunteer Management Unit to choose a project based on the number of participants and the work that is needed.
- Neighborhood-Led Events
- Category 3: Support & Capacity Building Events/Activities
- Neighborhood Group Outreach & Communication
- Connecting neighborhood leaders to City Council and City of San José staff. Communicating and sharing resources, including funding opportunities. Conducting outreach to identify neighborhood leaders, in Priority Project Locations to establish new emerging groups. Communicate and coordinate BeautifySJ funded projects that enable multiple groups to better utilize resources. Conducting outreach to community members to foster greater engagement in joining or establishing neighborhood groups where there are no groups
- Capacity Building
- Regular engagement meetings with emerging groups and neighborhood associations to provide coaching on how to develop Bylaws, meeting agendas, and grant proposals. Provide neighborhood groups with “How to Guides” for Beautification projects. Support residents, emerging groups and associations by providing language interpretation services.
- Neighborhood Group Outreach & Communication
Funding Information
The current total funding for the BeautifySJ Cycle 6 is $349,924.
- Neighborhood Associations: Eligible to receive up to $5,000 in grant funding.
- Neighborhood Groups: Eligible to receive up to $5,000 in grant funding.
- Property Owner / Tenant Associations: Eligible to receive up to $5,000 in grant funding.
- District Leadership Groups: Eligible to receive up to $2,500 in grant funding.
- Community Partner Groups: Eligible to receive up to $1,500 in grant funding.
Period of Performance
Cycle 6 term begins April 1, 2024 and ends March 31, 2025.
Priority Project Locations
Priority Project Locations are areas that fall within Equity Priority Communities, 18 Priority Neighborhoods (formerly known as Hot Spots), or 9 Project Hope Neighborhoods. Key factors that have been used to define these areas include, but not limited to households with low incomes, people of color, limited English proficiency, higher percentage of single parent families, higher percentage of Seniors 75 years and above, higher crime/violence rates, etc. Bonus Points will be given to eligible groups located in areas defined as BeautifySJ Priority Project Locations.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible groups are:
- Neighborhood Association, Emerging Neighborhood Groups, Property Owner / Tenant Associations, District Leadership Groups, Community Partner Groups.
- Live in or are residents within the City of San Jose
- Operate free of charge
Who does not qualify?
- Government Agencies and/or Government employees;
- Private for-profit businesses, business associations, neighborhood business districts, and corporations;
- Organizations or groups that are in arrears for BeautifySJ Grant Cycle 1 2017-2018, Cycle 2 2018-2019, Cycle 3 2019-2021 and/or Cycle 4 2022-2023 at the time of proposal deadline.
For more information, visit City of San José.
