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Centennial awards nearly all neighborhood engagement funds, sets large‑grant training for February
Summary
City staff reported distributing $49,300 of $50,000 set aside for small neighborhood engagement grants and awarding 11 of 24 large‑grant proposals from a $100,000 pool; staff will hold large‑grant training in February and said small grants and movie‑night kits open for reservation April 1.
Centennial staff told the City Council at a Dec. 2, 2025 study session that the city largely exhausted its small neighborhood engagement budget this year and continued steady interest in its larger community improvement grants.
Neighborhood Services manager Mr. Thompson said the city set aside $50,000 for small engagement grants that provide up to $500 per community event and that it received “over a 100” applications this year; city staff distributed $49,300. Thompson said the small grants and two movie‑night kits aim to “get your neighbors together to start talking” and seed ideas for larger projects.
For larger projects, Thompson reported a $100,000 pool for grants of up to $10,000. The city received 24 proposals and awarded 11 grants this year, adding an eleventh award when several requests came in under the $10,000 maximum. He highlighted awardees across council districts, including water‑wise landscaping in Hidden Hills that Thompson said uses “a quarter of the water” of traditional bluegrass, bench and landscaping projects in Woodridge Terrace, and a monument‑sign and walking‑path improvement in Cherry Knowles.
Thompson also described projects that connected neighbors through volunteer work and events: Willow Creek 3 converted a median to water‑wise landscaping and encouraged participants to paint rocks that were later placed in the median, and Chardonnay (a 2024 award celebrated this year) installed an entrance sign and an exterior volunteer library.
Staff offered practical next steps: Thompson said large‑grant training is scheduled for February at the Eagle Street room and that the small grants and movie‑night kits will be available for reservation beginning April 1. He also said he will send council members a link to the grants map on request.
The presentation closed with council members thanking staff and asking about expanding the movie‑night kit inventory. Thompson said the city could explore adding an additional kit but did not commit to council action at the meeting.
