The Beautiful Blocks program gives Scranton and Carbondale residents an opportunity to improve their homes and their neighborhoods with the help of a matching grant for exterior improvements.
Donor Name: NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania
State: Pennsylvania
City: Carbondale and Scranton
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/27/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $1,000
Details:
Funding Information
Beautiful Blocks provides matching grants of up to $1,000 per property to groups of five or more residents to help them make exterior improvements to their homes. The program is entering its fifth cycle for Scranton and third cycle for Carbondale.
Eligible Improvements
Eligible exterior improvements include everything from landscaping and painting to larger projects like sidewalks and lamp posts. Grants will be awarded through a competitive application process. Applications will be judged on the number of participating residents, project impact and coordination, and the likelihood of neighbors continuing to work together in the future.
Examples of Improvements
- Sidewalk repairs and replacement
- Porch repairs Front doors and screen doors
- Exterior lights
- Exterior painting
- Front yard landscaping
- Awnings
- And many more!
Eligibility Requirements
- All homes must be located in the City of Carbondale and Scranton. Both owner-occupied and rental properties are eligible.
- Residents must match their grant awards dollar-for-dollar, unless they meet certain income guidelines. If your household income is less than 80% of the area median income, however, you are only required to provide a 20% match. For example, if you meet these income guidelines and receive the maximum $1,000 grant award, you must personally contribute at least $200 towards your project. Otherwise, you must match the $1,000 grant with $1,000 of your own funds.
- Grants must be used for exterior home improvements. Work may be completed by the resident or a contractor. Any contractors used must be licensed (if required) to work in the City of Scranton and Carbondale, and must carry current business liability insurance.
- If using a contractor, residents must pay their contractor in full, then submit proof of payment to NeighborWorks before grant funds are issued. No payments will be issued to contractors directly.
- Work completed before the approval of grants will not be eligible for grant funding.
- Grant funds may not be used to purchase tools or equipment.
- Homes must be located near one another, preferably on the same block or street.
- If you have received a Beautiful Blocks grant in the past, you are welcome to apply again. However, at least 25% of the residents in your group must not have participated in their 2022 program cycle.
- Once your pre-application is submitted, additional homes may not be added to your group.
- Participating homeowners may not have delinquent taxes, garbage fees or gas/water fees.
- Applicants are allowed to enter one property per group. If an applicant wishes to enter an additional property (i.e. rental property) the individual application would need to be the responsibility of a tenant or other occupant.
- Only residential properties are eligible for Beautiful Blocks funding; each applying property must contain a residential structure. Vacant/side lots, commercial properties, parking lots, and other nonresidential properties are not eligible to participate.
For more information, visit NNP.
