FutureHeights expands Neighborhood Mini-Grants program to UH

Noble Neighbors leaders, Brenda May and Barbara Sosnowski, in front of the Little Free Library at Noble Nook, a Neighborhood Mini-Grants recipient at the intersection of Noble and Roanoke roads. 

The FutureHeights Neighborhood Mini-Grants program is now available for projects in both Cleveland Heights and University Heights.

“We are excited to be able to support the grassroots work of our neighbors in University Heights,” said Deanna Bremer Fisher, executive director of FutureHeights. “We support one another in many ways already, and share a school and library system. This is another opportunity to strengthen our interconnected communities.”

To date, the Neighborhood Mini-Grants program has provided a total of $30,386 to 47 projects in Cleveland Heights. Funded projects range from gardening and beautification, to community and social services.

“Projects are driven by residents and neighborhood groups who know their neighborhoods' needs and assets intimately,” said Fisher. “In 2021, we’d love to support more projects led by new voices, such as teens, young adults and those under 35.”

Applications for the spring round of grant-making are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 15. The fall deadline is Sept. 15.

The program, which began in fall 2015, provides funding of up to $1,000 to grassroots or neighborhood groups in Cleveland Heights and University Heights that have ideas for creative solutions, projects, and programs that build on and enhance existing assets in their neighborhoods.

Residents with ideas for improving their neighborhoods are invited to apply for a grant. The program is guided by a grant-making committee comprising seven Heights residents with a history of community involvement. The committee reviews and makes all grant decisions.

In addition, FutureHeights is launching an exterior home-improvement mini-grants program as an extension of its Model Block program, overseen by its FutureHomes Committee. The FutureHomes Mini-Grants program will offer small grants of up to $500 on a rolling basis to homeowners residing in a designated FutureHomes Model Block area. Eligible projects include exterior painting, porch repair, landscaping and other improvements visible from the street. Applicants must own and occupy their homes as a primary residence.   

For more information, contact FutureHeights at info@futureheights.org. To learn about projects funded to date, and download an application, visit www.futureheights.org/programs/community-building-programs/.