HOUSING DEPARTMENT
AFFORDABLE HOUSING DIVISION
500 Castro Street, P.O. Box 7540
Mountain View, CA 94039-7540
650-903-6379 | MountainView.gov
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FISCAL YEAR 2024-25 NEIGHBORHOOD GRANT PROGRAM
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Purpose of the Neighborhood Grant Program
The City of Mountain View is committed to the preservation and renewal of neighborhoods. The City believes that the power to maintain and improve neighborhoods lies in strengthening the civic participation of Mountain View residents in their community . The Neighborhood Grant Program provides financial support to encourage groups to form new neighborhood associations as well as to support existing associations with funding for neighborhood events.
Application Deadline
Applications will be available starting Friday, March 1, 202 4, and are due by 5:00 p.m . Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, March 31, 2024. All applications will need to be submitted using the online form: cityofmountainview-hrhcy.formstack.com/forms/cnc_neighborhood_grant_application.
Late applications will not be accepted , no exceptions. The Council Neighborhood s Committee (CNC) will hold a meeting on April 17, 2024 to listen to public comments on the grant proposals and make decisions on the 2024 Neighborhood Grant Awards.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the Neighborhood Grant Program, all three o f the following criteria must be met:
1. Applicants must be representatives of an existing neighborhood association within the City of Mountain View or a group of individuals who are organizing to form a new neighborhood association. Informal neighborhood groups and mobile home park residents committees may also be eligible if their grant proposal builds community and enhances the neighborhood or mobile home park. Individuals, businesses, fraternal or religious groups, universities, and public agencies are not eligible to apply. However, organizations that are eligible for neighborhood grants may partner with these ineligible groups to plan and implement activities/events.
2. Activities/events must be neighborhood-based and initiated by residents living in the neighborhood or mobile home park.
3. Activities/events must be aimed at improving communication and participation or improving physical conditions within a neighborhood or mobile home park.
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Selection Criteria
The applications will be evaluated by the CNC using the following criteria:
• Benefit: How many people are expected to benefit from the activities/events?
• Involvement: How many people are involved in the activities/events?
• Diversity: Do members of the group reflect the demographic characteristics of the neighborhood or mobile home park?
• Program Design: Are the activities/events well-planned and conceptualized?
Activity/Event Team
The applicant is required to form an activity/event team consisting of at least four members of the neighborhood or mobile home park who will be responsible for managing the activity/event.
The team will be required to provide a written activity/event summary to document the achievements of the activity(ies)/event(s). The team should also be available to provide an oral presentation of the accomplishments to the CNC, if requested.
Maximum Grant Awards
A total of $40,000 is available for the Neighborhood Grant program. Neighborhood grants may be awarded up to the maximum outlined in the Table 1 below based on the number of households covered by the neighborhood group. Groups applying for a neighborhood grant for the first time are eligible for a $100 bonus. All grant funds must be used between July 1, 202 4 and June 30, 2025, and there is no carryover of funds that are not used within this time frame.
Table 1: Maximum Grant Awards by Tier
Maximum Award
Tier A: <500 households $1,333
Tier B: 501-1,000 households $2,000
Tier C: 1,001-1,500 households $2,667
Tier D: >1,501 households $3,333
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Examples of Eligible/Ineligible Grant Activities
Many different kinds of activities may be eligible for neighborhood grants if they build community, enhance the neighborhood, and are intended to benefit all neighborhood residents.
The following are some examples of past neighborhood grant activities that applicants could use as a reference for their grant proposals.
Examples of Eligible Activities Include:
1. Neighborhood block parties/picnics;
2. Ice cream socials;
3. Little free libraries;
4. Neighborhood heroes day;
5. Leadership training;
6. Live music events;
7. Community gardening;
8. Neighborhood cleanups;
9. Neighborhood beautification, including tree planting;
10. Youth events;
11. Neighborhood garage sales;
12. Research/archives for neighborhood history;
13. Neighborhood association newsletters;
14. Neighborhood association webpages;
15. Video call-hosting subscriptions;
16. Neighborhood scavenger hunts;
17. Recruitment events;
18. Planning meetings;
19. Mentoring new associations;
20. Advertisements for association events;
21. Neighborhood association incorporation;
22. Assistance to form new associations; and
23. Restaurant and catered food with the following conditions:
• Delivery costs will be reimbursed up to a maximum of $50; • The maximum per-person amount for restaurant purchases is $10 per person; and • Purchasing of food from food trucks or booking a food truck for an event is an eligible use of funds under the restaurant category.
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For proposed activities /events that may take place in a City park or facility, an additional reservation permit may be required. If your proposed event requires a City permit, applicants will need to contact the Recreation Division in the Community Services Department to get the appropriate permits. To review availability and requirements, proposers are encouraged to contact the Recreation Division at 650-903-6331. Activities/events that take place on City streets (e.g., block parties) require a Block Party Permit from the Police Department. Please contact the Police Department at 650-903-6446 for more information.
Examples of Ineligible Grant Activities/Expenditures:
Neighborhood grants must be used for activities /events that benefit and are open to all households within the neighborhood group. Grant funds cannot be used to directly benefit individuals or homeowners associations. The following are examples of the types of activities and expenditures that would not be eligible for neighborhood grants.
1. Political activities (campaigns, candidate forums, etc.);
2. Regular neighborhood association meeting supplies/refreshments;
3. Homeowners association events, meetings, newsletters, etc.;
4. Improvements that directly benefit a household or homeowners association;
5. Equipment that could be primarily used by individuals rather than at neighborhood events, such as portable barbecue grills;
6. Improvements in the public right-of-way, such as trees or landscaping, unless done with the approval of and partnership with appropriate City departments; and
7. Alcoholic beverages.
Applications
The CNC encourages interested groups to participate in this program. Please fill out the application available at cityofmountainview-hrhcy.formstack.com/forms/cnc_neighborhood_grant_application.
Thank you for your interest in the Neighborhood Grants Program.
City Agreement
All neighborhood groups receiving neighborhood grants will be required to enter into an agreement with the City of Mountain View concerning the use of grant funds and term of grant funding.
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Reimbursement of Grant Expenditures
Grant funds are disbursed to awarded neighborhood groups through the reimbursement of expenses for eligible grant activities. Reimbursement checks are issued to the neighborhood activity/event team leader.
To receive reimbursements, grantees must do the following:
• Reimbursement requests must be submitted no later than 30 calendar days after purchase.
All reimbursement requests for the year must be submitted prior to June 30, 2025.
• Submit dated receipts and similar verifiable documentation of expenses along with a description of the neighborhood event to cityofmountainview-hrhcy.formstack.com/ forms/cnc_reimbursement_request_form. Upload verification documentation in PDF format.
• Separate personal expenses from eligible CNC activities. See list of eligible/ineligible activities above.
Questions and Comments
If you have questions or comments about the Neighborhood Grant Program, please contact Anna Reynoso, Housing Specialist, at 650-903-6475 or by email at [email protected].
PLEASE NOTE: On June 10, 2014, the City Council approved funding for a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) grant program using California Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (SMIP) funds . With the creation of a new CERT grant program, emergency preparedness supplies/equipment are no longer eligible for the Neighborho od Grants Program . For more information about the CERT grant program, please contact Robert Maitland, Office of Emergency Services (OES) Coordinator, at [email protected] or 650-903-6825.