Love Your Block
Program overview
Connecting city officials with community members to revitalize neighborhoods: Love Your Block (LYB) is a grant program dedicated to supporting community-led neighborhood revitalization projects. The model has three core components: a grant, support from AmeriCorps VISTA members, and technical assistance from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation.
Awarding grants to selected cities: Cities apply for a grant from the LYB program, which is operated by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. After this competitive grant application process, the LYB program selects cities to participate, and each receives a two-year grant (previously $25,000, now $100,000). Once selected, participating cities select a “city lead” to head up the program.
Allocating mini-grants across the community: As part of the LYB model, cities launch an application process for community groups to apply for mini-grants (between $200-2,000) that emphasize blight remediation. Common project types include graffiti removal, the creation of pocket parks, planting trees, public art, and vacant lot cleanups. These community groups, once awarded a mini-grant, lead the implementation of their proposed projects on a volunteer basis.
Appointing AmeriCorps VISTA members to assist in implementation: AmeriCorps VISTAs work closely with the LYB city leads, helping with project implementation, meeting with community groups, and assisting residents in developing mini-grant applications. As part of the LYB program, two VISTAs are fully funded for two years.
Offering support through the funder: In addition to the grant and the VISTA support, participating cities receive technical assistance and cohort support from the program’s funder, Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation. Through meetings and events, the cities are connected with the larger network, as well as with fellow cohort members and previous LYB grantee cities. Cities also receive technical assistance, such as designing grant metrics, providing advice on managing VISTAs, and addressing challenges with grant disbursement.
A single study with a less rigorous design suggests that Love Your Block is a promising strategy for completing neighborhood revitalization projects and building relationships between residents and city government.
- A 2021 program evaluation found that cities participating in the LYB program successfully completed revitalization projects and improved relationships between residents and city officials. The ten participating cities collectively removed 299,997 pounds of trash, cleaned 1,040 acres of vacant land, removed 1,313 square feet of graffiti, created 637 new features such as pocket parks, and planted 146 trees. Additionally, city officials reported that increased resident engagement, trust building between residents and city hall, and partnerships with community organizations were all notable outcomes of the program.
Awarding mini-grants to resident-driven initiatives: By awarding individual mini-grants to community groups, LYB helped ensure the grant reflected the needs of the community. The LYB program emphasized consistent collaboration between residents and city officials, ensuring community members could take on projects they deemed most important to their neighborhood. Encouraging high levels of citizen engagement is crucial to the success of the program, and may be responsible for the perceived increases in local trust in government.
Mobilizing AmeriCorps VISTAs for a smooth implementation: City officials often have limited additional capacity to manage programs like LYB, which require high levels of community engagement. To alleviate this issue, The LYB program sets aside money to fund AmericaCorps VISTA members in each participating city. The VISTAs assist city leaders with implementation in a cost-effective way. VISTAs greatly expanded staff capacity and strengthened connections between citizens and the city.
Involvement from city officials to energize grassroot efforts: In cities where the mayor and other city officials played a hands-on role in the program, community project leaders were especially motivated and energized about their projects. Dedication from city officials helped demonstrate commitment to both the community and the revitalization projects, leading to a vastly more energetic volunteer movement.