GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The city of Grand Rapids is sending more than $76,000 to neighborhood organizations — including a program that sends volunteers to help residents with mobility issues clear snow and ice from their driveways and sidewalks.
WATCH: Grand Rapids sends $76K to neighborhood groups
The Eastown Community Association received funding through the city's Neighborhood Match Fund (NMF) to support its Snow Angel Project, a relatively new initiative that launched last year.
"A lot of our older neighbors and mobility-need neighbors had a difficult time clearing their sidewalks, walkways, and driveways of snow and ice. So, they came up with this brilliant idea: let's start a snow angel project," Eastown Community Association Executive Director Steve Staggs said.
The program pairs teens and other volunteers with elderly and mobility-impaired residents to keep their properties clear during the winter months. After a strong first season, organizers decided to bring it back — but needed funding to sustain it.
"It was such an overwhelming success from the perspective of our older neighbors that we decided we need to run it again because it's meeting a real need in our community," Staggs explained. "The challenge we face is how we're going to fund this moving forward."
That challenge led community leaders to apply for an NMF grant from the city.
The NMF has awarded $1.1 million to neighborhood organizations since 2017 to build stronger communities. Grants range from $500 to $5,000 and are available to Grand Rapids residents, informal resident groups, and local nonprofits. Applicants must match the city's award through volunteer labor, donated goods, or cash.
Projects must be free, open to the public, and aligned with the program's goals of resident leadership, community connections, and social justice. Each project is reviewed by community juries to ensure alignment with those goals.
During this round of funding, the city distributed more than $76,000 to support 25 resident-led projects, including the Snow Angel Project.
"It is so great to see neighbors be able to bring their ideas, turn them into projects that, you know, benefit neighborhoods and help strengthen communities," Grand Rapids Administrative Analyst Suzette Long said.
For Staggs, the grant represents more than just financial support.
"For our older neighbors, mobility-need neighbors, it fulfills a real need, and they're so grateful," Staggs said. "We're just thrilled that they're recognizing, ah, yeah, we want to support that."
Residents interested in applying for an NMF grant can submit applications during two windows each year: June 1–30 and December 1–31. Click here to visit the Neighborhood Match Fund webpage.
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