[City Of Newark] 2025 Love Your Block, Newark! Application

2026 Love Your Block, Newark! Application

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The City of Newark proudly presents the Love Your Block, Newark! program, an initiative designed to connect residents with city departments and community organizations to implement neighborhood beautification and community-building projects.

The purpose of the Love Your Block (LYB) Mini-Grants Program is to empower residents to carry out their own vision for a cleaner, greener, and healthier neighborhood with a reimbursement-based project funding of up to $5,000 and targeted technical assistance and capacity-building support from city agencies and partner organizations.

The City of Newark encourages resident leaders to show their neighborhood pride by proposing projects and initiatives that will enhance, beautify and revitalize their communities.

Eligible individuals, resident groups and/or community organizations are hereby invited to prepare and submit the proposal packet and forms today.

New applicants, youth-led projects, and projects focused on the Ironbound neighborhood are especially welcomed!

Deadlines & Dates to Remember:

Application portal open for submissions: February 14, 2026-April 3, 2026‍
Selection Committee Review Period: April 2026‍
Grantee Announcement: May 1, 2026
Grantee Orientation Workshop: Date in May tbd
‍Project implementation period: June 1, 2026-August 15, 2026
‍Final report submission: August 31, 2026
Celebration event: February 12, 2027

Project teams are expected to complete their projects within 3 months of grant distribution. Projects begin in June 2025 and must be completed by August 15, 2025.

How To Apply:
To be considered, your project must meet all eligibility criteria, and the project proposal forms must be completed and submitted either electronically or in-person by April 3, 2026.

For more information:

https://www.newarknj.gov/card/love-your-block

loveyourblock@ci.newark.nj.us
(973) 733-8041

Thank you for applying to the Love Your Block, Newark!

Please keep in mind the following before beginning the proposal:

You must have permission from the owner of the property to complete the project.
The Love Your Block grant program is reimbursement based and if selected and you will be required to submit financial reports that include receipts, invoices and backup document such as bank statements and Zelle receipts.
If your project is selected for a mini-grant award, my co-lead and I will both be required to attend a mandatory Love Your Block grantee orientation.
A representative of the City of Newark's Office of Sustainability may conduct a site visit to my project during implementation and completion.

Application Guidelines

This application takes approximately 30 minutes to complete
We recommend that you do not wait until the last minute to begin filling out the application
Since the save draft feature is unavailable, we recommend that you copy your answers into a separate word document just in case you are not able to complete it all at once.
Items you may need to successfully complete this application are:
- Contact information
- Project budget with itemized materials
- A step-by-step project implementation plan
- An image of your project site
- List of confirmed partners
- Business Registration Certificate (BRC)
- W-9 Tax Form

Lead Applicant Contact Information

Phone Number

If this is a youth-led project, what is your age?

Are you a Newark resident?

Have you ever applied for a Love Your Block, Newark! grant?

Have you ever received a Love Your Block grant?

PROJECT SUMMARY

Group/Team Name

Project Name

Project Summary (50-60 words)

Which of the Love Your Block program goals does your project address? (select all that apply)

Community clean-ups: Reduce litter, improve recycling, and/or waste management throughout the City of Newark.

Minor exterior home repairs & curb appeal: Repurpose underutilized properties and parcels to create a sense of pride of ownership in residential areas.

Enhancing Green Spaces including tree planting

Community gardens

Activating Vacant Lots: Enhance community advantages around dormant or underutilized structures, publicly-owned parks, open areas, and other locations of communal importance

Community events, programming and placemaking

PROJECT LOCATION

Site Location Address

In what ward is the project located?

North

South

East

West

Central

Do you have permission from the site owner(s) to use the site?

Yes

No (If the answer is "no" you are not eligible for the Love Your Block program.

Upload before images: 3-5 Before Photos

Click Here to Upload

PROJECT DETAILS

Who are you? Please describe your project team (including any partners) and your connection to the project site and neighborhood. Please also discuss any experience you have that is relevant to your project, and any similar projects you have successfully completed in the past.

What will you be doing? Please provide the following details about your proposed activities: What are the current blight conditions in your project area? What activities will you carry out to prevent or reduce these blight conditions? Please be clear on who will be responsible for each portion of the work (project team, partner orgs, etc.). Please provide a concise timeline that lists the project start date, project end date, and timing of any key activities. Describe your budget, please provide what will be the largest expenses of the project. Do you anticipate any challenges or unmet needs that could prevent you from successfully completing the project? If so, what are they, and what is your plan to overcome them? [Blight: deteriorating and abandoned homes and buildings, as well as vacant lots with trash, high weeds and grass and/or abandoned and vandalized cars. ]

What support, if any, do you anticipate needed the support of a City department i.e. Department of Public Works, Department of Engineering, or Department of Economic and Housing Development?

Have you contacted the City departments you listed above and received confirmation that they will support your project? If you haven't contacted them, what is your plan for contacting them?

Community engagement: Please discuss how you are engaging with neighbors and residents around your project site. How were neighbors involved in designing the project? How will you ensure that they are active, engaged agents of change throughout the project?

Results and impact: Please discuss (a) the visible change your project will create (b) what additional community benefits you anticipate as a result for the neighborhood or community.

Project Sustainability: Love Your Block is intended to foster lasting change. How will you ensure that the project results are sustainable after the project period? Who will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the project/project site?

Total amount of grant funds requesting: (Max $5,000, numbers only i.e. 5000)

If the budget from the Love Your Block grant does not cover the entire cost of the project, have you secured the remaining funding? If you haven't secured the funding, what is your plan for securing the funding?

Project budget with itemized expenses

Love Your Block Leadership Team (6 Newark Residents)

I am confirming that the 6 listed individuals below are Newark residents. Applicants under the age of 18 require guardian approval if project is accepted.

Yes

If this is a youth-led project, what is your age?

Fiscal Sponsorship

If your organization has a fiscal sponsor, please identify them below. The fiscal sponsor must have an NJ Business Registration Certificate and W-9. If you need to apply for a NJ Business Registration Certification use this link https://www.njportal.com/DOR/BusinessRegistration/Home/FirstStep.

Sponsor Organization Name

Sponsor Contact Email

Phone Number

Upload W-9

Click Here to Upload

Upload Business Registration Certificate (BRC)

Click Here to Upload

Example of Business Registration Certificate

Agreement

Do you, (Applicant’s First & Last Name), agree to the following terms and conditions:

I understand that this grant program is reimbursement based and if selected, I will be required to submit documentation as detailed by the City of Newark. This may include receipts, invoices, and funding reports, etc.
I understand that I should plan for my project to begin in June 2025 and be completed by August 15, 2025.
I understand that I will be required to submit periodic progress reports, including photos of the project site, written summaries of site improvements and community engagement efforts while the project is underway.
I understand that sections of the final report narrative, images and project metrics will be used in annual reporting for the program.
I understand that if my project is selected for a mini-grant award, my co-lead and I will both be required to attend a mandatory Love Your Block grantee orientation.
I understand that someone from the City of Newark's Office of Sustainability may conduct a site visit to my project during implementation and completion.

If you answered “yes” to all of the questions listed above, you may date and sign below to confirm your submission.

Lead Applicant Sign Here

First Name

Last Name

Choose how to sign

Draw Type

I agree to electronically sign and to create a legally binding contract between the other party and myself, or the entity I am authorized to represent.