Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced the Great Streets Challenge Grant program, which will award a total of up to $200,000 to community groups who find innovative ways to enhance the city’s efforts along the initial 15 streets of Mayor Garcetti’s Great Streets Initiative.

The Great Streets Initiative was created by the Mayor to target improvement along “backbone” main streets in communities across L.A.

Examples of community-driven initiatives that could be funded by the grants include infrastructure improvements and events that draw people to a Great Street.

“The Great Streets Challenge Grant seeks to build on the infrastructure improvements being made by the city with initiatives created by those who understand our communities the most,” Mayor Garcetti said. “I believe the best results come when innovative thinking from City Hall is matched with the passion and creativity found within our neighborhoods.  We are working hard to get L.A. back to basics by transforming underutilized spaces into dynamic and safe places for Angelenos to meet, shop, and spend time with their families.”

Individual applicants are eligible to receive up to $20,000 in city funds for projects.  The Great Streets Challenge Grant program is a partnership between the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office and ioby.org, a crowd-resourcing platform for citizen-led, neighbor-funded projects. Grant recipients will initially be awarded $10,000 for their projects and then work with ioby.org to raise additional funds. For every additional dollar raised, the Great Streets Challenge Grant Program will match those funds dollar for dollar, up to an additional $10,000, for a total of $20,000 in city funds per project.

“Since the Mayor announced the Great Streets Initiative, my office has launched one of the most comprehensive public outreach efforts the area has ever seen,” said Councilmember Mike Bonin, who Chairs the Council’s Transportation Committee.  “People are enthusiastic, engaged, and excited about turning Venice Boulevard into a Great Street.  This funding will help build on the outreach that has already been done and will further ensure that just as the finished Great Street project will bring neighbors together, the road we take to develop the vision for the street will engage and activate the community.”

Danielle Brazell, General Manager for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, said, “Our streets are gateways to the unique neighborhood identities that make up Los Angeles. Using creativity as a tool to achieve citywide goals is what this challenge grant is all about.”

“There are few better ways to reclaim our streets as public spaces than to let the public have a hand in designing them and bringing them to life,” said Seleta Reynolds, General Manager for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. “This grant builds on L.A.’s leadership in combining transportation and the arts.”

Applicants may apply at https://www.ioby.org/LA-great-streets until June 30th.