Continue Getting To Know Your Neighbors! Palo Alto Program Extended Another Year

 Following a successful first year, the City’s “Know Your Neighbors” pilot grant program has been renewed for a second year with a City Council allocation of $25,000.
  
The popular program, designed to help neighbors connect with one another, will kick-off with an informational meeting on June 10 at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.
  
Community members are invited to attend the kick-off to learn more about the program and the guidelines for applying for a 2014 grant.

Launched in April 2013 as a one-year pilot program, “Know Your Neighbors” was created to help strengthen community, to encourage interaction between different generations and cultures, and to improve the quality of life and neighborhoods in Palo Alto through creative community events and activities. 

[Related: Who Are We, Palo Alto? And Where Are We Going?]

Council allocated an initial $25,000 for the 2013 program which drew 36 grant applications, with 23 approved for a total of $18,875.  

More than 3,200 community members participated in the various grant-funded activities that included a wide variety of unique events, including: a block party to build emergency preparation kits; a week-long neighborhood camp in the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood ending with a Friday night block party; Food Truck Friday social at Johnson Park; a crime prevention and safety fair in the Leland Manor neighborhood; Palo Alto Yoga Day; Barron Park’s Movie in the Park; and a summer social.

Due to its initial success, Council decided to continue the program through 2014 to help fund another round of new and innovative ideas to bring Palo Altans together. 

Grants for up to $1,000 each may be applied for, and activities funded through the program are required to increase communication among neighbors, enhance neighborhood pride and identity, bring neighbors together across generations and cultures, and create new and innovative ideas for neighborhood events.

This year, the program will also be aligned with Our Palo Alto, the City’s new initiative aimed at creating community conversations and dialogue about the future of Palo Alto. 

Grant applicants are encouraged to submit proposals for events that align with Our Palo Alto’s goals, as well as bring their neighbors and community together.

Applications will be available online on June 11 at 8 a.m. and can be submitted beginning June 16 at 8 a.m. 

For more information on the program and grant guidelines, or to download the application, click here.

Details provided by City of Palo Alto.