Mayor Joseph U. Meyer, City Of Covington | City Of Covington website
Mayor Joseph U. Meyer, City Of Covington | City Of Covington website
Westside residents used City Neighborhood Grant Program funds in 2023 for landscaping, planters, and a dog waste station. (Photos used courtesy of Reyna VanGilder.)
Deadline is Sept. 30 to apply for City grant program
COVINGTON, Ky. – Neighborhood organizations and similar groups have until Sept. 30 to apply for grants of up to $5,000 from the City of Covington to carry out small projects that will beautify or energize their local areas.
The City has allocated $30,000 for its annual Neighborhood Grant Program, which since 2018 has been used to fund small projects and events. Last year, seven groups received grants to plant flowers and create dog waste stations in Westside, erect pole-mounted gateway banners in Lewisburg, buy plants in Old Town/Mutter Gottes, organize plantings and a block party in Eastside, and refurbish gateway signs in Historic Licking Riverside.
“The grant program has a variety of benefits – it not only helps local areas fund neat projects but it also creates an opportunity for neighbors to come together to pursue a worthwhile goal,” said Walt Mace, Covington’s assistant director of Neighborhood Services. “So it builds both a sense of place and camaraderie in our Covington communities.”
Program guidelines and application forms are available online. Administration of the program is being handled by The Center for Great Neighborhoods, whose staff will work with applicants during every step of the process.
“One of the reasons this program is so rewarding is that we see a lot of people step up with an idea and learn how to implement it,” said Cate Douglas, Community Building Director for The Center. “People in Covington really care about their surrounding neighborhoods, and we get to work with the City to help them make improvements.”
About the program
The Neighborhood Grant Program is competitively awarded. Projects must:
- Be neighborhood-focused and initiated by residents who live in a neighborhood.
- Enhance the quality of life in the neighborhood through visible physical improvements or special activities while providing neighborhood-wide benefit.
- Be sustainable and have demonstrated neighborhood support.
- Be implemented or executed by April 7, 2025.
Projects may include events; however, event budgets should be less than $2,000 with the non-event portion dedicated to more permanent improvements. Events must be open to everyone in a community and should reflect the unique character of the neighborhood.
Other guidance
Applicants may be existing Covington resident-led associations, groups organizing community associations, or informal groups of neighbors.
Groups must contact Cate Douglas with The Center for Great Neighborhoods at (859) 547-5550 or cate@greatneighborhoods.org for project vetting and concerns.
If multiple grant applications are received from one neighborhood, they may be combined into a single proposal. Preference will be given to neighborhoods that have not previously received funding.
The City aims to submit proposals for approval to the Covington Board of Commissioners in October.
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