Grants improve neighborhoods and strengthen ties

Last year Sherman Neighborhood residents installed 26 community-oriented art projects, all made possible by the Madison Neighborhood Grant Program. The project culminated in walking tours for residents to see the installations their neighbors had made. Many people met each other for the first time.

“The grant program was successful for our neighborhood,” said Dolores Hester, co-chair of Sherman Neighborhood Association. “The point was to build community and it has really helped us get to know each other and know our neighbors and their talents.”

The grant program, which began in 1999, has been helping neighborhood associations build public spaces that improve the quality of life for the past 17 years.

Chris Elholm created “You are my sunshine” as part of Sherman Neighborhood’s community art project funded by the Madison Neighborhood Grant program. (Chris Elholm / Sherman Neighborhood Yard Art Team)

These grants are a “terrific opportunity for neighborhoods to apply for funds that will make improvements within the community,” said Linda Horvath, the program’s project manager.

Horvath, who works in the planning department for the City of Madison, is at the forefront of the project, promoting it to neighborhoods and helping with grant applications. This year, as in previous years, the program will award roughly $30,000.

Because the Madison Planning Division offers this grant only once a year, area neighborhoods worked hard to prepare their applications by the late February deadline.

“We’ve seen about 10 to 15 applications this year which all focus on providing public benefits for the larger area that everyone can have access to,” Horvath said.  

While projects range from new neighborhood signs to rain gardens to picnic tables, winners are expected to better the community through active participation from as many members of the community as possible.

Julie D. Olsen is an art teacher who worked on a school sculpture kiosk in Hawthorne Neighborhood that was funded by a grant in 2008.

“Our project was successful because it found commonalities between residents’ cultures and our community’s heritage while catering to everyone,” Olsen said. “The goal of our project was to engage everyone through different forms of art and creativity.”

Even residents without kids in school showed up to support production of the project.

The Madison Common Council scores the applications and divides funding awards among those selected. The grant winners are determined by a scoring criteria that takes into account the project’s readiness, creativity, community benefit, neighborhood participation and consistency with city policies and adopted plans.

This year’s winners will be announced in late April or early May. While Horvath doesn’t know how many grants will be awarded this year, she predicts the funds will be spread out among several neighborhoods.