Place Matters Neighborhood Mini-Grants Program
Ideas and Past Project Successes
Below is a list of ideas for projects that your community group can use to jumpstart your MiniGrant brainstorming sessions. Many of these represent projects that have proven successful in
the past, and a few are ideas that have yet to be tried. Please see the full Program Application
for all the details of project eligibility and remember the Center for Great Neighborhoods will
work with any resident-driven group to assist them in applying for funds.
Beautification
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Neighborhood Branding
o neighborhood planters identifying the neighborhood and adopted by residents
o gateway signs identifying the neighborhood or a landmark, many are tile mosaics
o flags or banners on light poles that identify the neighborhood or are seasonal
Greenspaces
o creating a usable greenspace and gathering place for the neighborhood from a
vacant or underutilized lot or parcel
o making improvements to an existing greenspace to make it more inviting or useful:
landscaping or hardscape improvements, installing picnic tables, benches, walking
paths, or shelters
o community vegetable/herb gardens, including events to bring gardeners together
Art Installations (sculpture, paintings, murals)
o Using murals to enhance a blighted less than decorative building, wall, or fence
(as seen in Helentown, Old Seminary Square, Westside)
o Adding art or sculptures to a public park or gathering space
Exterior Building Improvements
o Making improvements to yards or home exteriors for seniors or other residents
who have trouble completing the projects themselves; neighborhood and family
volunteers do the work and the grant pays for materials (Eastside NA did this)
Litter Abatement/General Beautification
o Adopt – A – Spot kits featuring litter grabbers, gloves and garbage bags have
been used by Keep Covington Beautiful to encourage people to help keep their
neighborhoods clean
o Organizing neighborhood cleanup efforts, using funds for materials or after party
supplies
o Don’t Trash the Cov campaign
Youth or Family Engagement
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Create an educational program for youth focused on morals, values, leadership, and
community service (previously completed by Eastside Neighborhood Association)
Youth focused litter pickup event including educational component about litter and
recycling, and fun component including tie-dyed tshirts, snacks, water balloons, and
sprinklers (previously completed by Helentown)
Coloring book (Historic Licking Riverside Civic Association created a coloring book
focused on Covington history)
Art contest or project for youth (CNC has used a youth photography competition for their
calendars, Keep Covington Beautiful has hosted a recyclable art sculpture competition for
youth and hosted a booth at a festival to create art out of recyclables, Lewisburg has held
Art in the Park where they spend time with children on Saturday mornings in the
neighborhood park to do small art/craft projects)
Little Free Libraries (Mutter Gottes has one and CGN made some for the elementary
schools with BLOCK kids that are available to use for events)
Halloween Event (Monte Casino hosted an event on a Sunday afternoon that invited
residents to bring children and grandchildren in Halloween costumes for an afternoon of
games, food, face painting, football, corn hole, and trick or treating)
Social Engagement
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Hosting a neighborhood wide social event:
o Cookout, ice cream social, pot luck, or progressive dinner (where several homes
each host one course of a meal)
Neighborhood Block Watch
Welcome baskets for new residents
Art Off-Pike
DAZE local music/art event at Devou Park Bandshell
Neighborhood Marketing, Communications, and Promotion
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Banners, signs advertising monthly meetings or other major campaigns
Websites
Newsletters, brochures or other printed materials to either hand out or mail to residents to
keep them informed of community efforts and activities
Calendars (CNC has created a city-wide calendar)
Promotional giveaways :
o Patches and window clings have been used by the Awesome Collective to create
a viral campaign that promotes the city, its residents, and its businesses
o Water bottles, reusable grocery bags, and patches have been used by Keep
Covington Beautiful to reward Adopt-A-Spot volunteers and serve as a marketing
campaign for their mission
Neighborhood business directory/map (Latonia did this)
Neighborhood slogan project, conducted as a contest for resident ideas
Promotional media:
o Covington Police Department promotional videos (Linden Gateway created
webisodes promoting the CPD and its interactions with the community)
o Index of Awesome (Awesome Collective has created a zine and a video
documenting all of the awesome things about Covington)
If you have any questions about the process or any of these ideas, please contact:
Rachel Hastings
Program Director
Community Development
Center for Great Neighborhoods
of Covington
859-866-7527
rachel@greatneighborhoods.org
Shannon Ratterman
Program Manager
Community Development
Center for Great Neighborhoods
of Covington
859-866-7524
shannon@greatneighborhoods.org