The City of Tallahassee Neighborhood Award Program seeks to highlight and recognize the outstanding work being done by neighborhood leaders and residents to express the City’s appreciation for residents’ involvement in their communities.
Donor Name: City of Tallahassee
State: Florida
City: Tallahassee
Type of Grant: Award
Deadline: 06/05/2023
Size of the Grant: $500
Details:
The City of Tallahassee is made up of vibrant neighborhoods. Their neighborhoods and their residents are the foundation of who they are as a City. The City is committed to strengthening its neighborhoods and to provide neighborhood leaders with the resources and support they need to work with their neighbors. One component of strengthening neighborhoods and neighborhood leadership is the recognition of the initiatives and programs that neighborhood leaders and residents undertake to improve and enrich the quality of life within their neighborhoods, as well as the partnerships they have established with the City and other community partners to accomplish these projects.
The 2023 Neighborhood Awards program includes recognition in the following categories:
Outstanding Neighbor of the Year Awards
- Given to a resident or neighborhood leader who exemplifies the characteristics of leadership and service in making contributions to his or her community. The Neighbor of the Year award has been expanded to include two categories:
- Neighborhood Advocacy Award – Established to recognize a neighborhood leader or resident who has advocated for programs, policies, projects and initiatives that positively affect Tallahassee’s neighborhoods, whether for a single neighborhood or the entire community.
- Neighborliness Award – Established to recognize a neighborhood leader or resident who embodies a spirit of neighborliness, helping with efforts within or beyond their neighborhood that promotes community, taking care of others, and providing neighborhood/community services.
Neighborhood of the Year Awards
- This award recognizes a neighborhood or homeowners’ association that has facilitated improvement(s) in its community, kept neighbors actively engaged in community building activities, and/or lead projects to build or enhance neighborhood cohesion and communication. The focus of this award is the totality of all the efforts that a neighborhood has undertaken to build community and promote neighborhood stability.
- Small Neighborhood of the Year – Neighborhoods with fewer than 200 homes
- Large Neighborhood of the Year – Neighborhood with more than 200 homes
Best Neighborhood Program of the Year Awards
- This award recognizes neighborhood and homeowners’ associations that have facilitated projects which improved the social aspects of a neighborhood, such as safety projects (i.e., Neighborhood PREP), block parties, neighborhood events, or other activities that foster teamwork and connectivity; and the physical aspects of a neighborhood, including recreational amenities, lighting, landscaping, signage, etc.
- Best Physical Neighborhood Improvement – A project focusing on enhancing the physical aspects of a neighborhood (parks, lighting, litter control, housing improvements, etc.)
- Best Social Neighborhood Improvement – A project focusing on enhancing the social or cultural aspects of a neighborhood (safety, youth and/or senior program, programs that foster teamwork, etc.)
- Best Neighborhood Communication – To highlight excellence and creativity in neighborhood-oriented publications and/or other neighborhood communication outreach activities, The Best Neighborhood Communications award will recognize neighborhood groups who are diligent in notifying residents, and/or promoting their organization and communication with members through printed newsletters, brochures, flyers, new resident guides, etc. and via social media communications such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, SnapChat, NextDoor, and other outlets.
Funding Information
For the 2023 program year, a cash prize in the amount of $500 will be awarded to the winners of Neighborhood of the Year to fund a neighborhood program/project.
Eligibility Criteria
- Outstanding Neighbor of the Year Awards
- Any resident who has facilitated improvement(s) in his/her neighborhood and/or any other neighborhood within the City of Tallahassee in the past year (January- December 2022) is eligible to be nominated for the Neighbor of the Year Award. Eligibility is based on the following criteria:
- Nominations for the Neighbor of the Year – Neighborhood Advocacy Award must clearly identify the advocacy work undertaken by the nominee. Such work can be related to any field/subject matter (policy, physical programs, and/or social programs) and should have positively impacted at least one neighborhood. Advocacy that resulted in broadscale changes and/or improvements that impacted several neighborhoods or an entire community is preferred. In addition the nomination must identify how the nominee’s work brought neighbors together, the critical need(s) addressed by the nominee’s work, how the advocacy work impacted a neighborhood and/or the city, and the level of effort involved in the nominee’s work.
- Nominations for the Neighbor of the Year – Neighborliness Award must clearly identify how the nominee has embodied a “spirit of neighborliness”. Such work can be related to any effort made by the nominee that has positively impacted at least one resident or one neighborhood (i.e., taking care of others, assisting with efforts within or beyond their neighborhood to promote community, providing various neighborhood/community services). Neighborliness that has resulted in broadscale changes and/or improvements that impacted several neighborhoods, or an entire community is preferred. In addition, the nomination must identify how the nominee’s neighborliness brought residents/neighbors together, the critical need(s) addressed by the nominee’s efforts, how the nominees neighborliness impacted an neighborhood and/or the city, and the level of effort involved in the nominee’s work.
- Any resident who has facilitated improvement(s) in his/her neighborhood and/or any other neighborhood within the City of Tallahassee in the past year (January- December 2022) is eligible to be nominated for the Neighbor of the Year Award. Eligibility is based on the following criteria:
- Neighborhood of the Year Awards
- All City of Tallahassee neighborhood/homeowners’ associations are eligible to apply for the Neighborhood of the Year Award. To be considered, a neighborhood/homeowners’ association must have facilitated improvement(s) in its community, kept neighbors actively engaged in community building activities, and/or was involved in the civic life of the City in the past year (January-December 2022). The nomination must identify the improvement(s) initiated/completed by the neighborhood, how the improvement(s) brought neighbors together, the critical neighborhood needs addressed by the improvement(s), the impact of the improvement(s), and the level of effort involved in completing the improvement(s).
- In addition, the nomination must also identify activities that were undertaken by the neighborhood to build or enhance neighborhood cohesion and communication.
- Best Neighborhood Program of the Year Awards
- Any City of Tallahassee neighborhood/homeowners’ association that has facilitated projects focusing on the social or cultural aspects of a neighborhood (safety, youth and/or senior programs, activities that make neighbors feel connected and foster teamwork, etc.); and/or has implemented projects that focus on the physical aspects of a neighborhood (parks, lighting, litter control, traffic management and housing improvements, etc.); and/ or has led communication efforts to inform, educate, increase meeting attendance, special events, etc., and/or aid in spreading neighborhood/community awareness in the past year (January-December 2022), can submit a nomination for the Best Neighborhood Program award.
- The nomination must identify the improvement(s) and/or communication effort(s) initiated/completed by the neighborhood, how the improvement(s) and/or communication effort(s) brought neighbors together, the critical neighborhood needs addressed by the improvement(s) and/or communication effort(s), the impact of the improvement(s) and/or communication effort(s), and the level of effort involved in completing the improvement(s) and/or communication effort(s), including funding and partnerships.
For more information, visit City of Tallahassee.
