NEIGHBORHOOD INCENTIVE MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM

Program Overview

Neighborhood Incentive Matching Grant is a city grant program designed to promote neighborhood enhancement project funding and to encourage residents to take a more active role in the beautification of our city which aligns with Support of City Council’s Four Big Things (#4), specifically, Initiatives to Support Image Enhancement. Providing neighborhood organizations with the opportunity to fund neighborhood enhancement projects will, in turn, produce a state of the art environment that includes excellent schools, public facilities, parks, green spaces, gateways and roadway corridors.

The three grant project categories are Beautification, which includes projects enhancing the aesthetic quality of a neighborhood; Neighborhood Improvement, which consists of projects improving neighborhood infrastructure; and Special Community Initiatives that encompass projects impacting the human element of a neighborhood.

The program awards will range from $500 to $5,000 and the time frame for each project completion is a maximum of six months from the awarding date of the grant.

Match Requirements

A required component of the program is its match provision.

1. The amount and type of match must be appropriate to the needs of the project.

2. There is a match requirement of 25% for each grant, which may consist of any combination of the following:

          - Cash Match

          - In-kind contribution

          -volunteer labor valued at $15 per hour

          -professional service valued at the reasonable and customary retail value of the product or service, not to exceed $75

          - Funds from other cities of Portsmouth sources cannot be counted as the 25% match funds

**Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and city funding to civic organizations to include: Support to Civic and Cultural Organization grants.

Who is Eligible to Apply

To participate in the program, the applicant must be one of the following:

1) Civic league registered with the City Clerk’s Office

2) Neighborhood Watch organization registered with the Portsmouth Police Department.

3) Other neighborhood group working in the neighborhood or having an established neighborhood outreach program that is endorsed by the local civic league.

How to Apply

• Complete one of the Applications below with your project idea and submit to the Office of City Manager.

• Awards will be made on an annual basis. Only one project from a neighborhood is eligible for funding per fiscal year.

• Projects must be endorsed by and have neighborhood or Civic League support.

• All Neighborhood Incentive Matching Grant Program forms and documents will be made available online on the city’s website during the public announcement period.