City opens Love Your Block mini-grant for Ward 1; $500'$5,000 awards, applications open Feb. 13

City staff told the Ward 1 Neighborhood Advisory Board on Feb. 9 that the Love Your Block community mini-grant application opens Friday, Feb. 13, for projects in Ward 1.

"The City Of Reno is one of 16 cities nationwide who's been selected to receive the Love Your Block grant," said Corey Fisher, housing manager, explaining that the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins funds the program. Fisher said Reno is entering its second year of funding and will focus the mini-grant this year on Ward 1.

Dana Torresia outlined eligibility and requirements: applicants must be 18 or older and apply as a group, organization, local business, or religious organization; renters may apply but must obtain owner permission; projects must be volunteer-led, limited to exterior/outdoor tasks, benefit the Ward 1 community, have budgets between $500 and $5,000, and be completed within four weeks. The application opens Feb. 13, closes March 31, and recipients will be notified April 22. Staff will provide office hours and application help.

Roberto Lara, the neighborhood coordinator, highlighted Year 1 projects as examples: a Yori Avenue pop-up nursery that distributed more than 280 native plants and planted 75 trees; a Pembroke debris-and-weed removal that cleared land adjacent to the Rosewood Nature Study Area and removed debris; a Midtown mural and small cleanup at Rising for the People Coffee; installation of five bike racks to provide secure bicycle parking; and a Donner Springs birdhouse initiative that produced roughly 120 birdhouses and 20 hummingbird feeders.

Staff said application materials and contact information will be posted on reno.gov/housing and that they will offer virtual and in-person office hours to help applicants prepare submissions.

Next steps: residents can prepare applications or contact staff during scheduled office hours beginning Feb. 17.