City of Columbia announces mini-grant award winners for Year 2 of the Love Your Block program

(COLUMBIA, MO) ~ Columbia, MO - The City of Columbia has announced the winners of this year's Love Your Block grant program, a resident-led initiative aimed at revitalizing neighborhoods through small-scale projects that have a lasting impact on the community. The program received 23 applications from dedicated residents and community groups proposing creative solutions to address local challenges and work together with the city to improve neighborhoods and public spaces. After careful consideration, 10 projects were selected that reflect a strong commitment to community pride, neighborhood beautification, and civic engagement in central Columbia.

Among the winning projects is the restoration of Again Street Park by Friends of Again Street Park and Central Missouri Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. This project aims to remove invasive plants from the park and replace them with native plants. Another project, organized by residents Michelle and Clay Schiefelbein, is the Douglass Neighborhood Festival which will focus on cleaning and beautifying the neighborhood while honoring the legacy of Henry Kirklin, a historic figure in the area.

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First Chance for Children will also benefit from a Love Your Block grant with their Garden of Hope project which will install a pollinator garden at their facility on Fay Street. The Hanover Properties Neighborhood Cleanup, set to take place on April 25th as part of ForColumbia's efforts, will include beautification projects, neighborhood cleanup, and the construction of a free pantry for residents. Avant Supported Living's "Love Our Neighborhood" project aims to improve an area on Holly Avenue while Nora Stewart Early Learning Center will use their funds to beautify their facility on Ash Street and add outdoor learning space.

The North Central Columbia Neighborhood Association's proposal for the Heibel-March Building Mural Project was also selected as one of this year's winners. This project focuses on refreshing the mural that faces Field Park. Residents along North Eighth Street will be able to participate in Replant & Restore, a project that aims to plant trees in their neighborhood. Services for Independent Living will develop a Volunteer Hub to connect community members with those they serve, and Woodhaven will beautify several homes that serve individuals with developmental disabilities in cooperation with ForColumbia.

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The Love Your Block program is made possible with support from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. It brings city leaders and residents together to build stronger neighborhoods, one block at a time. In 2025, the program funded 11 projects in central Columbia that strengthened and beautified neighborhoods.

Love Your Block grants fund resident-led neighborhood revitalization projects across the United States, from transforming vacant lots into community gardens to repairing playground equipment and removing trash from public spaces. These projects not only improve the physical appearance of neighborhoods but also strengthen social cohesion among residents, increase civic participation, and build stronger relationships between community members and local government.

Residents interested in learning more about the Love Your Block program in Columbia or volunteering to support local projects can visit CoMo.gov/volunteer or call Volunteer Programs at 573.874.7499. With the continued efforts of dedicated residents and community groups, Love Your Block will continue to make a positive impact on neighborhoods in Columbia for years to come.

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