The Love Your Block Mini-Grant, administered by Salt Lake City, provides financial and coaching support for community-driven neighborhood improvement initiatives. This grant aims to empower residents, businesses, and organizations in specific Salt Lake City neighborhoods—namely Glendale, Poplar Grove, Fairpark, Rosepark, Westpointe, Jordan Meadows, Guadalupe, and Ballpark—to address local concerns, transform neglected areas, and build community pride. Through both funding and advisory assistance, this initiative encourages grassroots revitalization efforts.
The types of projects eligible for funding are diverse and include public art installations, activation of vacant lots or alleyways, repairs to playgrounds, establishment of community tool sheds, planting of trees or flowers, and basic exterior home repairs such as painting and landscaping. Placemaking and other creative approaches to community enhancement are also encouraged. The grant supports only exterior improvements and explicitly prohibits funding for interior property enhancements, administrative transfers, political or religious events, personal use items, or entertainment expenses.
To ensure community involvement and lasting impact, grant recipients are required to follow specific guidelines. Each funded project must host at least one community workday, gathering a minimum of five volunteers from the neighborhood to demonstrate local support. Grantees must also attend an orientation meeting—offered in hybrid format—to finalize logistics and implementation plans. Additionally, formal agreements must be signed, and if the project takes place on private property, the application must include the property owner's contact details.
The evaluation criteria for grant selection prioritize community impact and sustainability, community participation, revitalization of deteriorating or vacant spaces, and clustering of projects within a concentrated area. Successful applications typically outline plans for long-term upkeep and describe how residents and property owners will remain engaged. Proposals demonstrating coordinated efforts among neighbors or community partners are particularly competitive.
Applications for the 2025 cycle open on May 1 and close on May 31 at 11:59 PM. Award announcements will be made in July 2025, and the project implementation window runs from July through November 2025. Only one application per individual, business, or organization per site is allowed each year. Prospective applicants are encouraged to reach out for advising sessions if they need help starting their application.
For further questions or to schedule an advising session, applicants may contact the Love Your Block team at lyb@slc.gov or call 801-834-7561. Sponsors interested in supporting future projects can reach out to Katie Riser at katie.riser@slcgov.com or 801-514-5059.
