Small & Simple Grants (Bloomington, IN)

Small & Simple Grants (Bloomington, IN) is a grant from the City of Bloomington HAND Department that funds neighborhood community building activities with a demonstrated local benefit. Eligible uses include neighborhood cleanups, community parties, invasive plant removal, street sign toppers, welcome packages, newsletters, dog waste stations, and native landscaping.

Each neighborhood may receive up to $500 annually, with no required monetary match. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from January 1 through September 1, 2026, or until all funds are awarded. Only neighborhood groups and associations within Bloomington, Indiana are eligible to apply.

Small & Simple Grant Program | City of Bloomington, Indiana Small & Simple Grant Program The purpose of this grant is to promote neighborhood community building activities with a demonstrated neighborhood benefit. Funds can be used for most items, with the notable exception of food. Sponsor your own neighborhood cleanup.

Hold a neighborhood party, best community builder ever! Tackle invasive plants in your neighborhood. Add sign toppers to your street signs to identify your neighborhood.

Prepare "Welcome to the Neighborhood" packages, filled with useful items everyone needs when moving in! Print and mail your neighborhood newsletter. Install dog waste bag containers, for those who forget a bag!

Improve an area by landscaping with native plantings or trees. Each neighborhood is eligible for an annual maximum of $500, which can be in the form of one $500 grant, or divided into multiple smaller grants. No monetary match from the neighborhood is required.

The S&S grant has a rolling deadline. Applications will be accepted between January 1 through September 1, 2026, or until all grant funds have been awarded. If the application process must be closed prior to September 1, 2026, an announcement will be posted in The HAND Update and on HAND Facebook and web pages .

Operations Manager, Housing and Neighborhood Development Before you begin to complete the application, please read through the grant guidelines in their entirety. The Small & Simple Grant application form is entirely electronic. You will need a Google account to submit the application.

This allows you to upload files, receive a copy of your application, and edit your application after submission. You will be asked to upload three files to your application; please have these completed and ready for upload before you begin to complete the form.

You will need: a project narrative of no more than 250 words, if applicable, Volunteer Hours Computation Sheet , indicating volunteer names and number of hours pledged to the project. If your application is granted: The individual or organization who will seek reimbursement for grant-related purchases must complete Vendor Documents , as required by the City Controller's Office.

If you will be working with a vendor, and you prefer that HAND pay the vendor directly, please contact Angela Van Rooy at [email protected] . Each volunteer must complete a Waiver, Release and Hold-Harmless Agreement and submit it to the Neighborhood Project Coordinator.

The Neighborhood Project Coordinator will maintain a list of volunteers and their activities, and will report these on the Volunteer Hours Computation Sheet as part of the final project report.

----------------------------------------- Small & Simple grants awarded in 2025: Near West Side - historic marker replacement Winslow Farm - signage and supplies for neighborhood litter patrol Prospect Hill - printing and mailing neighborhood newsletter Maple Heights - signage for neighborhood litter patrol Arden Place - annual neighborhood cleanup Green Acres - street sign toppers Crescent Bend - neighborhood party supplies Peppergrass - installation of native plants Woodlands Winding Brook - enhancing common gathering spaces Hyde Park Village - removing invasive plants Small & Simple grants awarded in 2024: Arden Place Neighborhood Association - Annual neighborhood cleanup Bloomington Housing Authority Residents Council - Neighborhood Back to School Bash Blue Ridge Neighborhood Association - Native garden clean up and continued invasive plant removal Bryan Park Neighborhood Association - Kids party in the park Monroe County Identify and Reduce Invasive Species (MC-IRIS) - Annual native plant sale support The Overlook - Perennial plant swap Park Ridge Neighborhood Association - Planting trees from seed Park Ridge East Neighborhood Association - Last day of school celebration The Woodlands Winding Brook HOA - Neighborhood welcome packets Arden Place annual neighborhood cleanup Small & Simple grants awarded in 2023: Bloomington Housing Authority Residents Council - non-food pantry items Blue Ridge Neighborhood Association - native garden for entry gates and continued invasive plant removal Council of Neighborhood Associations - Celebration of Bloomington Neighborhoods event Eastern Heights Neighborhood Association - signage for neighborhood communication, luminary supplies Near West Side Neighborhood Association -street sign toppers Park Ridge East Neighborhood Association - solar charged portable power supply Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association - printing and mailing of neighborhood association newsletter Blue Ridge native garden, Celebration of Bloomington Neighborhoods, CONA.

Small & Simple grants awarded in 2022: Bloomington Housing Authority Residents Council - event tables Bryan Park Neighborhood - Beatles sing-along Covenanter Neighborhood Association - street sign toppers Crawford Homes - resident hygiene pantry Grandview Hills Neighborhood Association - bat boxes Maple Heights Neighborhood Association - meeting yard signs and tool share equipment Park Ridge Neighborhood Association - meeting and event signs Park Ridge East Neighborhood Association - street sign toppers Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association - invasive plant removal Park Ridge Meeting and Event Signs Bryan Park Beatles Sing-Along Small & Simple grants awarded in 2021: Park Ridge East Neighborhood Association - traffic calming signs McDoel Gardens Neighborhood Association - neighborhood logo design and stickers Mayfair HOA - landscaping around neighborhood entrance sign Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association - printing and mailing of neighborhood association newsletter Bentley Court HOA - message center kiosk Blue Ridge Neighborhood Association - invasive plant removal Elm Heights Wintercreeper Project - invasive plant removal Arden Place Neighborhood Association - invasive plant removal W 11th St Neighborhood - invasive plant removal McDoel Gardens neighborhood logo.

Prospect Hill newsletter. 2025 Neighborhood Services Calendar Department: Housing and Neighborhood Development