City Manager’s Office
DATE: April 30, 2026
TO: Council Neighborhoods Committee
FROM: Parneet Dhindsa, Human Services Manager
Laurel James, Principal Management Analyst
SUBJECT: Fiscal Year 2026-27 Neighborhood Grant Program Funding Recommendations
RECOMMENDATION
Approve $47,330 in funding for the Fiscal Year 2026-27 Neighborhood Grant Program (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND
The Neighborhood Grant Program was established by the Council Neighborhood Committee (CNC or Committee) to provide financial support to neighborhood groups for carrying out activities and events that encourage participation, strengthen neighborhoods, and improve neighborhood conditions. This memorandum provides background and analysis of the applications received for the Fiscal Year 2026-27 (FY 26-27) Neighborhood Grant Program cycle and includes staff’s funding recommendations for the Committee’s consideration.
2026-27 Neighborhood Grant Program Funding Availability
The FY 26-27 Neighborhood Grant Program has a total available budget of $57,500. This includes $50,000 to support the current level of program enrollment and $7,500 in pilot funding reserved for neighborhood groups that have not previously received program funding.
Grants may be awarded up to the maximum amounts outlined in Table 1 below based on the number of households in the applicant group’s neighborhood.
Table 1: FY 26-27 Maximum Grant Awards by Tier
Tier Number of Households Maximum Award
A <500 $1,333
B 501 – 1,000 $2,000
C 1,001 – 1,500 $2,667
D >1,501 $3,333
Fiscal Year 2026-27 Neighborhood Grant Funding Recommendations April 30, 2026
Application Process
The CNC approved the FY 26-27 grant guidelines for 2026 at its February 26 meeting. The grant application period was open from March 1, 2026, through March 31, 2026. The Neighborhood Grant Program guidelines (Attachment 2) and a link to the application were posted on the City’s Neighborhood Grant Program webpage at mountainview.gov/neighborhoodgrants. Staff advertised the Neighborhood Grant Program through:
Emails to Fiscal Year 2025-26 Neighborhood Grant Program recipients;
Email to 2,592 subscribers for the “Neighborhood Interest” City mailing list; and
Two-week advertisement in the Mountain View Voice.
On March 11 and March 12, 2026, staff held informational webinars via Zoom for interested applicants. The webinars included an overview of the program, eligibility requirements, examples of activities/events, selection criteria, the reimbursement process and schedule, the program timeline, and a step-by-step tutorial on how to access and fill in the application. Twenty-four participants attended the webinars. Eighteen participants represented ten groups. Six participants were unaffiliated with a group at the time of the webinar. One webinar was held in the evening, and the other was held during the day. Interpretation services were offered in Spanish and Mandarin. The application and guidelines were also available in Spanish and Mandarin. Staff posted the webinar slides and an FAQ document on the Neighborhood Grants Program webpage at mountainview.gov/neighborhoodgrants.
ANALYSIS
Summary of Applications
Twenty-five neighborhood groups applied for the Fiscal Year 26-27 Neighborhood Grant Program, requesting a total of $48,980. The grant applications are available in Attachment 3. A summary of the applicants is included below:
22 applicants are prior Neighborhood Grant Program recipients.
Three applicants are first-time grant recipients.
Four applicants’ requests exceeded the available maximum grant award. When the maximum grant award is applied to these requests, the total requested amount for the Fiscal Year 2026- 27 Neighborhood Grant Program is $47,330.
Fiscal Year 2026-27 Neighborhood Grant Funding Recommendations April 30, 2026
Generally, the proposed activities comprised:
Annual events such as ice cream socials, block parties, and a parade for trick-or-treater safety.
Community building special events such as opportunities to engage with local businesses and representatives of local nonprofit organizations, movie nights, live music events, Asian cultural events (Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival), and a Veterans’ Day event.
Neighborhood Beautification and Enhancement events such as little free libraries and neighborhood cleanup days.
Funding for neighborhood newsletter printing, website maintenance, and Zoom meeting subscriptions.
All applicants and proposed activities were eligible to receive funding under the grant program guidelines.
Funding Recommendations
Staff recommends funding all 25 applicants for a total amount of $47,330, including $4,633 for three first-time grantees, as detailed in Attachment 1.
All 25 groups are recommended for full funding at their requested amounts, except for the four groups that requested funding greater than their eligibility tier maximum based on the number of households in the neighborhood area they provided in their applications. In these four cases, staff has recommended the maximum grant award for each group.
NEXT STEPS
Upon CNC approval, staff will begin the contract process for grant recipients to enter into an agreement with the City for the FY 26-27 Neighborhood Grant Program. Reimbursement requests will be processed only after an agreement has been executed. Receipts must be for purchases made on or after July 1, 2026, and on or before June 30, 2027. All grant funds must be used between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027.
Attachments: 1. Fiscal Year 2026-27 Neighborhood Grant Program Funding Recommendations (Summary)
2. Neighborhood Grant Program Guidelines (Approved February 26, 2026)
3. Fiscal Year 2026-27 Neighborhood Grant Program Applications (Personal Information Redacted)