The City of Asheville Department of Communication and Public Engagement is awarding $62,750 in Neighborhood Matching Grants to projects in 13 neighborhood organizations across the city. The Neighborhood Matching Grant program has provided $159,110 in matching grants since 2021.
“These grants have helped empower neighborhoods to come together and decide what they want to see in their community,” said Meredith Friedheim, Neighborhood Services Specialist. “Whether that’s adding something new to a public space, putting on an event, or honoring their neighborhood history, it’s exciting to see folks accomplish things they’re proud of.”
A total of 17 applications were submitted this round, and 13 were awarded, reaching the maximum number of awards that the program allows. A scoring committee made up of staff from various departments finalized recommendations using a points system. Projects that incorporated community partnerships were encouraged, as were those demonstrating efforts to integrate both equity and sustainability.
Neighborhood Matching Grants function as a dollar-for-dollar matching grant, of up to 5-thousand dollars, administered by the City of Asheville. At least half of a neighborhood’s match is made in volunteer hours while any combination of cash donations, in-kind donations, and volunteer hours can complete the remaining half. The program is operated by the Community Engagement Division of the Communication and Public Engagement Department.
The 2023 matching grant recipients are:
- Shiloh to implement programming and establish a historic pathway in the neighborhood community garden – $5,000
- Kenilworth to install a commemorative fixture honoring the “Three Georges” who were caretakers of the South Asheville Cemetery, the oldest public African American cemetery in western North Carolina – $5,000
- Malvern Hills to improve a portion of the Hominy Creek Greenway in partnership with Friends of the Hominy Creek Greenway – $5,000
- Southside to initiate a “Southside Coming Home Reunion” event inviting Black legacy neighborhood members to celebrate the present and future and share stories of the past – $5,000
- The Block to hold a series of “the block party” events bringing the local community together in S. Market and Eagle streets – $5,000
- Kenilworth Forest to install signage, tree maintenance, and plant pollinator-friendly perennials in a neighborhood park (second phase of project funded in Round 2) – $4,250
- Beaverdam Valley to create a neighborhood strategic work plan – $5,000
- Lake View Park to conduct tree canopy preservation and removal of invasive species around Beaver Lake and along the Avon and Euclid parkways – $5,000
- Haw Creek to install a trailhead kiosk in Masters Park at a trail connecting the neighborhood to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mountains-To-Sea Trail – $5,000
- Burton Street to implement multifaceted neighborhood programming and events with a focus on racial equity and multigenerational inclusivity (second phase of project funded in Round 1) – $5,000
- Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods to expand and update communications efforts – $5,000
- South French Broad to implement community building events and build a neighborhood website – $3500
- Grace to construct Candace Pickens Playground – $5,000
Starting in January 2024, Neighborhood Matching Grant applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, visit the Neighborhood Matching Grants webpage.