BUFFALO – Mayor Byron W. Brown issued an invitation to Buffalo block clubs, schools, community-based organizations, and locally owned small businesses to apply for the 2024 Love Your Block Mini-Grant Program. The program provides mini grants of up to $2,000 to fund projects that aim to improve the visual appeal of neighborhoods and eliminate blight. The project submission deadline is Friday, April 5, 2024. To apply, contact Malika Lee, External Affairs Manager, Division of Citizen Services, at 716.851.5322 or email loveyourblock@buffalony.gov or visit the city’s website.
Mayor Brown said, “Buffalo is considered one of the hottest major housing markets in 2024, as well as one of the greatest places to visit, and it’s only getting better as we continue to make our public spaces cleaner, safer and friendlier. The Love Your Block Program continues to build on our city’s commitment to further strengthen and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods citywide. I encourage City of Buffalo residents to apply for a block beautification mini grant, a great way to serve and beautify our community.”
“The Love Your Block Mini-Grants provides many community organizations, block clubs and small locally owned businesses a chance to give back through creating innovative projects that serve the community. These projects aim to address blight and promote social cohesion and unity, thereby improving the overall quality of life within our community,” said Oswaldo Mestre, Executive Director of Citizen Services and Senior Advisor to the Mayor. Residents of the Broadway-Fillmore, Genesee Moselle, Delavan Grider, Masten Park, Hamlin Park, Upper West Side, and Riverside-Black Rock neighborhoods are strongly encouraged to apply. While everyone is welcome to apply, priority will be given to projects in those primary neighborhoods.
As part of the application process this year, applicants are required to register for the City of Buffalo and Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency’s Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) classes for the year 2024 or provide a copy of their CPTED Certificate if they completed the course in 2023. To register for a CPTED session in 2024, go to the city’s website, www.buffalony.gov or contact Ron Dixon, Special Project Manager, at rdixon@ buffalony.gov.
Reminder, if you have received a Love Your Block Grant within the past four years, you are not eligible to reapply The Love Your Block program was initiated in 2018 after the City of Buffalo received a grant from Cities of Services, a national nonprofit organization that aims to connect residents and mayors to improve neighborhoods. Love Your Block was identified as a priority program within the Division of Citizen Services, and the City of Buffalo has secured additional funding to sustain the program. Love Your Block has funded 65 projects across 23 neighborhoods through its previous grant cycles.
Proposed projects must fall under one of the following categories:
- Vacant Lot Activation: This includes creating playgrounds, installing public art, and developing recreational spaces.
- Community Space Revitalization: This includes repairs or modifications to community facilities, removing graffiti and replacing it with murals or public art, planting trees and landscaping community facilities.
- Accessibility Improvements: This includes implementing creative lighting, replacing broken or worn-out litter bins, and creating a “tool library” where neighborhood groups can borrow tools for cleanup projects.
- Streetscape Improvements: This includes community volunteer-led beautification projects in the identified target areas. This includes landscaping, art installations, pedestrian spaces, lighting improvements, and public safety.
Apply now and help your neighborhood shine!
