FutureHeights Neighborhood Mini-Grants Program awards four Cleveland Heights projects

FutureHeights held the fourth round of its Neighborhood Mini-Grants Program this spring, approving $2,700 in grants to support four projects in Cleveland Heights.

The grants are intended to spur small, grassroots projects to improve quality of life and build community. 

The awarded spring 2017 grants are: 

• Young Entrepreneurs was awarded $400 for its Lego Robotics Pilot Program. The goal of the pilot is to create a community program in which students will use Lego robotics kits, with the guidance of the Young Entrepreneurs leaders, to strengthen their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Young Entrepreneurs hopes to build relationships and community through the program.    
• The Cleveland Soup and Bread Experiment was awarded $400 for its monthly potluck program. The Cleveland Soup and Bread Experiment is led by a group of Cleveland Heights residents who are interested in connecting with neighbors through a shared meal of soup, which binds people together, and working toward alleviating hunger. The group held its first event in March at The BottleHouse, benefitting the Cleveland Food Bank. Find more information about the project and upcoming events here.
  
• Noble Neighbors was awarded $900 for its Perennial Garden project. This project aims to enhance the reputation of the Noble Road neighborhoods by building gardens, cleaning up spaces, and adding artistic touches wherever possible. Be on the lookout along Noble Road for beautified spaces, flowers, and colorful signs this spring!
• Noble Neighbors was also awarded $1,000 for its Noble Promotional Video project, which will capture footage of the neighborhood during community events and daily life. The video will be promoted with the intention of marketing the neighborhood to attract residents, investors and visitors to the district. For more information visit www.nobleneighbors.com.
    

Since the start of the program in fall 2015, FutureHeights has supported 16 neighborhood grassroots projects with grants totalling approximately $11,600. Visit www.futureheights.org/programs/community-building-programs/ to learn more about the funded projects happening throughout Cleveland Heights.

Do you have a great idea to improve your neighborhood? FutureHeights invites you to apply for a grant. Attend a workshop to learn more about how to apply, and get tips about completing the application and process. The next application deadline is Friday, Sept. 15, at 5 p.m. Workshop dates will be announced.

The Neighborhood Mini-Grants Program is a component of FutureHeights Community Capacity-Building Program that awards small grants of up to $1,000 to fund citizen-led neighborhood projects, events and activities that benefit Cleveland Heights.

Through grants, FutureHeights seeks to build community with increased resilience through grassroots resident participation in civic life. In so doing, Cleveland Heights becomes better equipped to address challenges in the physical and social environment, drawing and activating the assets of people, nonprofit organizations and public resources and departments.

The FutureHeights Neighborhood Mini-Grants Program is guided by a grant-making committee comprising seven Cleveland Heights residents with a history of community involvement. The committee reviews and makes all grant decisions. For more information contact FutureHeights at sbasu@futureheights.org, or 216-320-1423.