Program offers grant money for neighborhood enhancement projects

Program offers grant money for neighborhood enhancement projects

By Monique Smith

In neighborhoods around the world, not just in Chicago, but in places where property values are the highest and have the greatest sense of community, all have one thing in common; tree lined streets. Studies show a difference in behaviors and attitudes among people who live in areas with green grass and trees and those who live without them.

According to a series of studies conducted by the University Of Illinois College Of Agriculture, residents who live in areas surrounded by trees and a lush green landscape had a stronger sense of community and felt safer than people in buildings without trees. The study was conducted on the Chicago Robert Taylor Homes housing projects.

The South East Chicago Commission (SECC) in conjunction with the financial support of its partners, the Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference (HPKCC) and the Hyde Park Bank are offering seed money for community enhancement projects. The SECC has announced that it is opening up a Request for Proposals for the 2016 Neighborhood Enhancement Grant Program.

Since 1999, the program has offered funds to neighborhood schools, religious congregations, community organizations, park advisory councils and block groups to support neighborhood beautification projects. The grant is given to organizations that will have proposed projects in the Oakland, Kenwood, Hyde Park, Woodlawn and in the Washington Park communities.

“This is a great opportunity for all of us to work together as community partners to improve the aesthetics of our neighborhoods, strengthen civic pride, and enhance the quality of our urban living,” said Wendy Walker Williams, Executive Director of the South East Chicago Commission. Every proposal submitted is reviewed by a committee that is comprised of representatives from the community areas, the South East Chicago Commission and the Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference. That committee determines the amount to be given to each proposed project and the maximum amount awarded is $3000 per organization. There is a list of qualifiers for the proposed enhancement grant proposal.

Projects must be highly visible from the street, be completed between July 1st,, 2016 and October 1st, 2016, physically enhance the neighborhood and build on the character and uniqueness of the community. Other qualifiers include strengthening civic pride and fostering a strong sense of community. Projects must also be sustainable. William H. Ray School was a previous Hyde Park community grant recipient. The school received the grant to assist with landscaping, the removal of dead trees and the installation of new saplings on school property near the playground areas.

In the Woodlawn area, the William Hill Gallery received a grant to establish a botanical garden and paths in a vacant city-owned lot alongside the Metra at 64th and Dorchester. The number of grants issued depends on the amount requested per project, but the committee likes to support each of the communities listed in their required areas.

The deadline to submit a proposal is June 15th, 2016. For more information and to download RFP materials visit: www.secc-chicago. org/secc_chicago/programs/grant . You can also contact the SECC at 773-324-6926 for more information.

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