13 resident-led groups across New York City have been awarded the “Love Your Block” grant of $1,000 to revitalize a public space in their neighborhood
The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and NYC Service have launched the 2021 Love Your Block initiative, awarding 13 resident-led groups from across the city with a $1,000 grant to help beautify their block and engage neighborhood volunteers to bring about local change.
In its 12th year, the Love Your Block initiative continues to champion civic engagement by empowering communities to take pride and ownership of their communities. For over a decade, this initiative has awarded 390 grantees, engaged more than 10,500 volunteers and has leveraged a total of $390,000 dollars to revitalize 20 miles of public space in all five boroughs to date. All Love Your Block grantees receive the support of community volunteers and services from City agency partners including: New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, The City of New York Department of Sanitation, and New York City Department of Transportation.
“The City is proud to invest in 13 resident-led community groups through the Love Your Block initiative,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Our community leaders are the resident experts of their neighborhoods, and I look forward to celebrating how they bring forth their unique visions of beautifying public, shared spaces for the benefit of their neighbors and our city.”
“Over the last 12 years, Love Your Block continues to be a connector between resident-led groups and our City – supporting people power to address the needs they see street by street, block by block,” said Acting NYC Chief Service Officer Laura Rog. “Resident engagement is critical to our neighborhoods, uniting and empowering residents to make communities and our City thrive.”
“When city residents feel empowered to improve their own neighborhoods and take pride in where they live, it not only benefits the entire community, it improves quality of life for all New Yorkers,” said Daniele Baierlein and Jorge Luis Paniagua Valle, Co-Executive Directors of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “By investing in our city and our neighbors, New Yorkers will, in turn, invest in a brighter and more prosperous future for generations to come, one block at a time.”
The Love Your Block initiative will help build on New York City’s recovery process by delivering tangible results to communities who need it most. This grant funding will go towards educating New York City residents on the tools and City agency services available to them, that when taken advantage of, can increase quality of life through improved public and community spaces. In an effort to combat the crippling effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and NYC Service sought to reach more residents and covering more miles in hardest-hit COVID-19 neighborhoods.
The 2021 Love Your Block grantees include:
Brooklyn
- Str8OuttaBklyn, Ocean Hill
- Southside Homeowners Association, South Williamsburg
- Flatbush Cleanup, Flatbush
- Crown Street Block Association, Crown Heights
- Lincoln Road R & B Block Association, Prospect Lefferts Gardens
- 300 Halsey Street Block Association, Bedford-Stuyvesant
- 400 Bainbridge Street Block Association, Bedford Stuyvesant
Queens
- Proud Astorian, Astoria
- Seagirt Avenue & Friends Block Association, Far Rockaway
- Maspeth Making a Difference, Maspeth
- Gateway Bike & Boathouse, Rockaway
Bronx
- The Neighborhood Advisory Community Garden, Melrose
Manhattan
- Central Park North Block Association, Harlem
“The Love Your Block grant is one of many ways New York City supports residents who want to help keep their neighborhoods clean, and DSNY is pleased to supply the awardees with the tools they need. We join the Mayor’s Fund and NYC Service in congratulating all of the recipients,” said New York Sanitation Department Commissioner Edward Grayson.
“One major lesson of the last difficult year of COVID is how precious we have all found our shared outdoor open spaces, including the streets themselves,” said DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman. “The Love Your Block initiative predates Open Streets and all the other programs we have created to safely address the pandemic – but it has the same wonderful spirit. Love Your Block recognizes that we New Yorkers are at our best when we can be outdoors -- sharing experiences with family, friends and neighbors. We heartily congratulate all this year’s grantees for their dedication and commitment to a more unified and beautiful.”
“As the steward of more than 30,000 acres of public land, NYC Parks relies greatly on the contributions of volunteers – especially throughout the pandemic,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. “The Love Your Block initiative inspires New Yorkers to lend a helping hand to care for their neighborhood’s shared spaces, making them beautiful and welcoming to all. Special thanks to the Mayor's Fund and NYC Service for their continued partnership and for providing residents with valuable resources that keep our city green.”
“As all New Yorkers endeavor to become better stewards of our shared environment it is encouraging to see so many groups across the five boroughs taking action to improve their communities and the health of our planet,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza.
