NeighborWorks NEPA 2024 Beautiful Blocks Program NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania is pleased to partner with the City of Scranton, City of Carbondale, and City of Pittston to announce the block groups selected for funding in the 2024 Beautiful Blocks program cycle. Our 2024 cycle will see a total of 155 properties in Scranton, 34 properties in Carbondale, and 44 properties in Pittston being awarded grant funding., NeighborWorks staff and local officials expect to see a significant positive impact in neighborhoods where projects are set to take place. A full list of groups receiving funding is attached to this release. Beautiful Blocks is a home improvement program which provides matching grants of up to $1,000 per property to groups of residents to help them make exterior improvements to their homes. 2024 represents the debut of the Beautiful Blocks program in the City of Pittston, as well as the sixth consecutive program cycle in the City of Scranton, and the fourth consecutive cycle in the City of Carbondale. Members of selected groups have until November 1 to complete their individual exterior home improvement projects, with all participating properties being eligible for up to $1,000 in matching grant funding. Participating properties in the City of Scranton that are completing sidewalk repair and replacement projects are also eligible for up to $4,000 in funding for their projects, in an effort to increase walkability in the Electric City. Resident groups are also eligible for a $500 stipend to conduct a community celebration or service project.For our 2024 cycle, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania anticipates awarding $335,000 to projects in Scranton, $73,000 for projects in Carbondale, and $38,000 for projects in Pittston. The total of $446,000 awarded is the most in any year since the Beautiful Blocks program was launched in 2019. According to NeighborWorks President & CEO Shane Powers, “Beautiful Blocks continues to be a powerful catalyst for community transformation, bringing residents together to enhance their neighborhoods. We are excited to announce our expansion into Pittston, adding to our existing communities in Scranton and Carbondale. This year, we saw an unprecedented level of interest in the program, resulting in the highest number of applicants ever for Beautiful Blocks. We deeply appreciate the support from our funding partners who make this growth possible and look forward to fostering even more physical improvements to homes and stronger connections between neighbors in all three communities.” “Neighborhoods within the City of Carbondale continue to thrive!” Carbondale Mayor Michele Bannon said of the impact of Beautiful Blocks. “We have a record number of teams in our 2024 Beautiful Blocks program thanks to the incredible staff at NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania. We are excited to have multi-year teams returning and new teams forming relationships to make an impact on their neighborhoods together. Our neighborhoods formed because we need each other to succeed, and we enjoy building our lives within our communities together.”“Thriving, United, Safe and Joyful…. that’s the City of Carbondale’s goal for our Neighborhoods!” Beautiful Blocks in Carbondale is made possible with support from Coterra Energy, First National Bank, Wayne Bank, Honesdale National Bank, FNCB, NBT Bank, Gentex, and the Carbondale Lackawanna Industrial Development Corporation (CLIDCO).“We are grateful for the positive impact NeighborWorks NEPA has on our neighborhoods through the Beautiful Blocks program,” Scranton Mayor Paige G. Cognetti said of the program’s impact. “This program brings residents together for a common goal, improves residences, and increases property values.” Beautiful Blocks in Scranton is made possible with support from the City of Scranton, with additional support from the Regional Foundation, First National Bank, PS Bank, Coterra Energy, M&T Bank, Peoples Security Bank, and Community Bank, NA.“I am extremely excited about our new partnership with NeighborWorks,” Pittston Mayor Michael A. Lombardo said of the program’s launch in his city. “Our initial phase of the beautiful blacks program has already proven to yield significant success. 44 total projects were approved and organized into five block groups. This program gives us another tool toward neighborhood revitalization. Congratulations to all participants.”Beautiful Blocks in Pittston is made possible with support from Coterra Energy. Over the first five cycles of Beautiful Blocks in the City of Scranton, more than 420 individual projects have been completed by Scranton residents, grouped into 57 block groups. More than $353,000 in grant funding has been distributed to as part of these projects, with participating residents contributing more than $923,000 in matching funds to improving their neighborhoods. In the first three years of the Beautiful Blocks program operating in Carbondale, 12 groups of neighbors have participated by completing 73 exterior improvement projects, with more than $62,000 in grant funding awarded. This grant funding helped to leverage more than $140,000 in funds invested from participating homeowners. Residents of Scranton, Carbondale and Pittston who are interested in participating in future cycles of the Beautiful Blocks program are encouraged to access more information by visiting the program homepage at https:// www.nwnepa.org/programs/beautiful-blocks.html. More information is also available by contacting Gerard Hetman, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania Community Development Specialist, at (570) 558-2490 or ghetman@nwnepa.org.
NeighborWorks Accepting Applications for the Beautiful Blocks Program NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania Beautiful Blocks program is still accepting applications for our 2024 program cycle! Residents of the City of Scranton, City of Carbondale, and (new for 2024!) City of Pittston are invited to join with their neighbors to apply for our Beautiful Blocks program. Beautiful Blocks provides matching grants of up to $1,000 per property to groups of five or more residents in participating communities to help them make exterior improvements to their homes. The Beautiful Blocks program seeks to make neighborhoods throughout Scranton, Pittston, and Carbondale more attractive places to live. Eligible exterior improvements include everything from landscaping and painting to larger projects like sidewalks, front porch repair, door and window replacement, and more! This is the first year Beautiful Blocks is available to residents of the City of Pittston. Also new this year, Scranton residents who decide to replace their front sidewalk are eligible for an additional $3,000 in grant funds, on top of the $1,000 standard grant and the property owner’s $1,000 match. Our Beautiful Blocks program closes for applications at the close of business on Monday, March 18. Don’t miss your chance to improve your neighborhood through this innovative and engaging program! Interested residents are asked to read and review our pre-application instructions, before working with neighbors to complete the pre-application document. These items are available on our Beautiful Blocks homepage, where interested residents can also access video testimonials from our past program cycles. More information is also available by contacting Gerard Hetman, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania Community Development Specialist, at (570) 558-2490 or ghetman@nwnepa.org.
NeighborWorks Accepting Applications for Grants Applications are now being accepted for the fifth cycle of Beautiful Blocks, a home improvement program jointly sponsored by NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania and the City of Scranton. Beautiful Blocks provides matching grants of up to $1,000 per property to groups of five or more Scranton residents to help them make exterior improvements to their homes. The Beautiful Blocks program seeks to make neighborhoods throughout Scranton more attractive places to live. Eligible exterior improvements include everything from landscaping and painting to larger projects like sidewalks and lamp posts. Grants will be awarded through a competitive application process. Applications will be judged on the number of participating residents, project impact and coordination, and the likelihood of neighbors continuing to work together in the future. Pre-applications are being accepted until March 27. Awards will be announced in May, with work taking place throughout the summer. According to NeighborWorks President & CEO Jesse Ergott, “We look forward to neighbors coming together and taking collective steps to improve their neighborhoods throughout the City of Scranton in our fifth Beautiful Blocks program cycle. Our first four years in Scranton were a great success in seeing residents work together in making their neighborhood a better place through their involvement with Beautiful Blocks.” Over the first four cycles of Beautiful Blocks in the City of Scranton, more than 340 individual projects have been completed by Scranton residents, grouped into 45 block groups. More than $287,000 in grant funding has been distributed to as part of these projects, with participating residents contributing more than $735,000 in matching funds to improving their neighborhoods. Scranton residents interested in participating in the Beautiful Blocks program can download pre-application instructions and access the pre-application document by visiting the program homepage at https://www.nwnepa.org/programs/neighborhood-revitalization/beautiful-blocks.html. More information is also available by contacting Gerard Hetman, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania Community Development Specialist, at (570) 558-2490 or ghetman@nwnepa.org.
Beautiful Blocks Program Open for Applications Applications are now being accepted for the second year of BeautifulBlocks in the City of Carbondale.Beautiful Blocks is a home improvement program which provides matching grants of up to $1,000 per property to groups of residents to help them make exterior improvements to their homes. After a successful inaugural cycle in Carbondale, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania is pleased to once again partner with the City of Carbondale to offer Beautiful Blocks to residents of the Pioneer City. The Beautiful Blocks program seeks to make neighborhoods throughout Carbondale more attractive places to live. Eligible exterior improvements include everything from painting and mailboxes to larger projects like sidewalks and lamp posts. Grants will be awarded through a competitive application process. Applications will be judged on project impact, coordination, and the likelihood of neighbors continuing to work together in the future. Pre-applications are being accepted until March 21. Awards will be announced in May, with work taking place throughout the summer. Residents must match their grant awards dollar-for-dollar, unless they meet certain income guidelines. Residents whose household income is less than 80% of the area median income are only required to provide a 20% match. For example, if a resident meets these income guidelines and receive the maximum $1,000 grant award, they must personally contribute at least $200 towards their project. Otherwise, participants must match the $1,000 grant with $1,000 of their own funds. According to NeighborWorks President & CEO Jesse Ergott, “After a successful first year in Carbondale, we look forward to building on the positive impact of Beautiful Blocks to the City of Carbondale. We appreciate the support of our community partners in supporting this program, and encourage Carbondale residents to join with their neighbors in improving their neighborhood through Beautiful Blocks.” “Mayor Justin Taylor is very excited about getting into our neighborhoods with Beautiful Blocks to create meaningful relationships with our residents, the City of Carbondale, and NeighborWorks NEPA,” Michele Bannon, Carbondale City Clerk and member of the NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania Board of Directors, said of the program’s expansion into Carbondale. “We see that building strong relationships between neighbors allows for a thriving, unified, and safe community dedicated to making Carbondale a great place to live, work, and raise a family.” In the first year of the Beautiful Blocks program operating in Carbondale, three groups of neighbors participated, with more than $15,000 in grant funding awarded. This grant funding helped to leverage more than $30,000 in funds invested from participating homeowners.Carbondale residents interested in participating in the Beautiful Blocks program can download pre-application instructions and access the pre-application document by visiting the program homepage at https://www.nwnepa.org/programs/beautiful-blocks.html. More information about NeighborWorks can be found at www.nwnepa.org.
NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania Receives $10,000 Donation from FNCB Bank FNCB Bank, locally-based for over 111 years, recently donated $10,000 through the Pennsylvania Neighborhood Assistance Project Tax Credit Program, to NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania for their Beautiful Blocks Program. The Beautiful Blocks Program provides matching grants of up to $1,000 per property to groups of 5 or more Scranton residents to help them make exterior improvements to their homes. Grants are awarded annually through a competitive application process. Applications for the 2021 program year are now open at www.nwnepa.org. The support of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania is part of FNCB’s larger Community Caring initiative. As a true, local community bank, FNCB is making a difference through volunteerism, donations and outreach programs.
