Keeping residents informed is as important to the City of Valparaiso as is getting them directly involved in finding solutions. Valparaiso is collaborating with its residents to make the city a better place to live in through the Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program.
Under the guidance of Maggie Clifton, Valparaiso Community Engagement Director, the annual grant program has centered around fostering community engagement and improving the quality of life since its creation in 2018. Clifton was appointed by Mayor Jon Costas the same year to create the Community Engagement Department. She took her time learning about the Valparaiso community, gaps in services and how people may want to get more involved with the city. The grant program reflects what she found and wanted the city to provide in return.
“We really try to provide opportunities for residents to stay in the know with the city and what we're working on so that we're able to get more resident input and feedback into our work, too,” Clifton said.
There would not be a program focused on the improvement of neighborhoods if it wasn’t for the residents in those neighborhoods speaking up. The program is driven by the ideas and work of residents, and in turn the department funds, supports and brings to life the ideas. Before submitting an application, neighborhood groups and organizations talk about physical improvement projects they see value in. The department then learns more about the projects, from their estimated cost to timeline.
Funding for the grants is made possible by the Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission. Since its creation, the program has supported 120 successful projects in more than 40 neighborhoods, accumulating into more than $1.15 million in neighborhood improvements. In the 2024 grant cycle, 21 grants were awarded, totaling nearly $150,000, for various projects, such as new playground equipment, historical sign markers, pergolas, rain gardens, signage, lighting upgrades and landscaping upgrades.
“It's really neat seeing people's ideas come to life,” Clifton said. “These are physical improvement projects. We have a map of where they're all in the city, so you can see the impact and the footprint this program is having on the community. It's always nice to drive by and see a created sign and how nice it looks and how much pride those neighbors must have for getting that done.”
Although the program focuses on small neighborhood-based projects, size doesn’t have an implication on how special the projects are to residents. The small, positive improvements have the ability to get people talking, acting and witnessing active change. The program has also had a positive impact on other cities, like Fort Wayne and South Bend, who have modeled similar grant programs.
While the program is for the people, it can’t continue without people voicing their desires and submitting project ideas to the yearly application. With the new year around the corner, Clifton encourages more people to submit applications before the application deadline of March 1, 2025. A neighborhood workshop will also be taking place in January where details of the program will be discussed. The grant maximum amount has been increased to $20,000 to hopefully push down a cost barrier for bigger ideas.
“The program is helping to enhance quality of life in our community,” Clifton said. “It's getting more people talking to their neighbors, getting people more active in their neighborhoods, providing a positive opportunity for neighbors to come together. So often in cities and towns, neighborhoods might be rallying together around something that they're not happy about. These dollars are a good incentive to get people out talking with their neighbors, doing something positive and improving their quality of life and their quality of place.”
To learn more about the City of Valparaiso’s Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program and the application process, visit ci.valparaiso.in.us/1636/Neighborhood-Improvement-Grant.
