Do you have an idea for a project to make our community more sustainable, resilient, or inclusive? Need a little help covering the costs? Apply for a Neighborhood Mini-Grant!

We are accepting applications for our Spring round of Neighborhood Mini-Grants through April 01, 2022. Our Neighborhood Mini-Grant program supports initiatives improving ecological stewardship, community well-being, and economic justice in Tompkins County. Since 2008, we have awarded more than $82,000 in 208 small grants to innovative grassroots projects throughout the county.

Ranging from $150 to $750, awards support initiatives promoting sustainable food systems, alternative transportation, waste reduction or reuse, energy conservation, fossil fuel use reduction, environmental education, and addressing social and economic inequality. Individuals, organizations, and neighborhood groups in Tompkins County are welcome to apply, as are local microbusinesses seeking to green their operations or extend their products or services to low-income clientele. Priority is given to small and/or new entities with relatively few sources of support. 

Among those initiatives awarded funding through the Sustainable Tompkins Neighborhood Mini-Grant Program in 2021 were Women at the Wheel and the Downtown Community Bike Repair Station. Both focused on alternative transportation options. Women at the Wheel, led by Claire Dehm, consisted of three single-day workshops open to women and non-binary residents of Tompkins County and held at the Steamboat Landing pavilion at Ithaca Farmers Market. Through these workshops, 21 participants learned the full process of fixing a flat bicycle tire, received a set of tools, and gained skills which allow them to travel safely and reliably by bicycle.

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA) received funding to install the Downtown Community Bike Repair Station in Press Bay Court on West Green Street. “We’re advocating for adding infrastructure to the urban core that will encourage the use of more sustainable transportation sources such as bicycling”, said representatives of the DIA. The new bike repair station can be easily accessed by anyone who needs a place and the equipment to maintain and fix their bicycle and improves bicyclists’ experience in downtown Ithaca.

The Sustainable Tompkins Neighborhood Mini-Grant Program is sponsored by the Park Foundation, Craig Riecke, and local donors. Proposals are reviewed biannually by a team of community members. Applications are due on or before April 01, 2022. To request an application form, or if you have questions, please call (607) 272-1720 or email sasha@sustainabletompkins.org.