Lacey opens 2025 neighborhood grant applications; $60,000 available, $2,500 max per project

Jenny Bowersfeld of the City of Lacey's communications department told a neighborhood meeting that the 2025 Lacey Neighborhood Grant application is open and that the Lacey City Council approved $60,000 for the program this year.

Bowersfeld said the program, created by the City Council in 2017 to reinvest in neighborhood common spaces, offers $2,500 maximum reimbursement per approved project and requires a dollar-for-dollar neighborhood match; volunteer hours and in-kind materials may count toward that match. "You get a work party together and you can basically get the whole cost of your project covered," Bowersfeld said, describing an example in which volunteers' labor and donated supplies reduced an HOA's out-of-pocket costs.

Bowersfeld reviewed eligible project categories: safe neighborhoods or CERT-type emergency-management projects, environmental sustainability and resiliency, neighborhood beautification, board education or organizational development, and compassion projects. She said routine or recurring maintenance—such as regular tree trimming, mulch/topsoil replacement or ongoing stormwater facility maintenance—will generally not be approved as grant-funded projects except where initial, one-time remediation is needed and no previous grant paid for that work.

She explained the application and award timeline: applications are due March 31; staff will review applications and notify applicants of award amounts during the week of April 28–May 2; approved projects must be completed and documentation submitted by Dec. 31 of the award year. Bowersfeld said grants are reimbursement-based—HOAs must pay upfront and submit documentation for reimbursement after the project is complete. "This is a reimbursement grant, so HOAs are responsible to cover that cost upfront," she said.

Bowersfeld answered technical and eligibility questions at the meeting. She said the Community and Economic Development department can send a city forester to evaluate hazardous trees at no cost and that, in some cases, stormwater facilities are city-owned and maintained while others are the HOA's responsibility; staff can provide documentation to clarify ownership. She also said Lacey intends to provide Habitat for Humanity with approximately $90,000 this year for critical home repairs through a separate federal grant program, and she encouraged HOAs to request contractor estimates in advance to avoid requesting unused funds.

Bowersfeld described application rules: one application per neighborhood, dollar-for-dollar match required, volunteer labor counted at the city's stated rate for match calculations, and applicants should not submit multiple concurrent applications for separate parts of the same neighborhood. She encouraged applicants to consult staff before submitting if unsure whether a project qualifies. "If you're on the fence about whether or not it would be approved, feel free to call me, chat with me after this if you already have a project in mind, or email me. I'd be happy to take a look at it before you go through the whole process," she said.

No formal vote or policy change occurred at the meeting; staff provided program details and Q&A.