Smart Growth America and T-Mobile have partnered to create the Hometown Grant program for communities with less than 50,000 people. Communities can apply to the $50,000 Hometown Grant program to “build, rebuild, or refresh community spaces,” such as a town square pavilion, ballfield, historic building, park, or library. This application will open in stages for spring, summer, and fall application cycles (the current cycle is open from April to June). The application is described as follows:
Full proposal should be three (3) to five (5) pages. Should include, but is not limited to:
- Detailed description of project to be evaluated by an internal TMO panel and nonprofit organization(s)
- Detailed budget, including breakdown of budget line items
- Timeline
“Shovel ready” plan, with:
- Outline of expected town outcomes, demonstrating how the project or strategy will lead to the anticipated result/change
- Details on permits needed/obtained, if applicable, to begin work upon receipt of funds
- Any additional companies/business partnerships to be contracted for the work
Up to 5 letters of support from local government and/or community organizations, partners or members, demonstrating community alignment, engagement, and consensus for the proposed project.
Contact Stephen Jaques, NEGRC Project Specialist (sjaques@negrc.org), if you are interested in the program.
There is also a $3 million Hometown Techover prize available, including a tech upgrade for a local community space from T-Mobile and a consultation and in-depth analysis of your community, provided by Smart Growth America, to identify a special project for your town plus $200,000 to help fund it. To nominate your community, complete the nomination form and upload a photo or video before May 7th 2021.
