Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) Grant

Grants to Oregon neighborhood, homeowners, and community associations and groups in eligible areas for programs and projects that will benefit the public. Applicants must consult with program staff prior to applying. Projects for this cycle should be of limited scope and may include small capital projects, public art, wooden neighborhood signs, emergency preparedness, neighborhood sustainability, community building, and more. Applicants must be in Lake Oswego.

The Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) supports neighborhoods by providing grants for projects or programs that provide a community benefit.

Grant Criteria

1. Provide a public benefit to the Lake Oswego community. Projects providing neighborhood benefit and applied for by City-recognized neighborhood associations will receive funding priority over homeowners associations and other groups.
2. Have neighborhood/community support.
3. Identify and provide detail on who will be responsible for completing the work, including the project coordinator(s) and the role of any consultants or vendors.
4. For physical improvements, be located on public land.
5. Be designed for either no maintenance or low maintenance if maintained by volunteers.
6. Not fund ongoing or annual expenses of the organization (funds may be used to initiate an ongoing program or fill a temporary funding gap, but should not be used to support ongoing or annual expenses).
7. For emergency preparedness projects, demonstrate coordination with the Lake Oswego Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to ensure that resources are made available to residents through a coordinated community effort.
8. For neighborhood parties, picnics and other social events, funding is generally limited to $300.

Qualifying projects in neighborhoods that have not previously received a grant may receive priority over neighborhoods that have received past NEP awards. Projects that leverage matching funds or in-kind contributions may also be prioritized.

Following is a partial list of project ideas that have been implemented in past years and/or support the community benefit criteria. Applicants are not limited to these projects, but are encouraged to review the list for inspiration.

• Small Capital Projects, such as playground improvements, park kiosks, outdoor benches, and similar projects that are not part of the City’s Capital Improvement Plan.
• Public Art, such as purchase/installation of an existing sculpture (not commissioning new works) for a prominent location in a neighborhood, as part of the City’s permanent art collection.
• Wooden Neighborhood Signs, up to two per neighborhood, to strengthen neighborhood identity.
• Emergency Preparedness, such as creating a neighborhood directory, or training neighborhood block representatives in emergency response. Emergency preparedness projects should generally be designed for neighborhood or community-wide benefit, and information needed for residents to access the supplies should be coordinated with David Kainoa, the city's liaison with the Lake Oswego Community Emergency Preparedness Team (CERT).  Some individual items may be considered if paired with training or as an event tie-in.
• Neighborhood Sustainability such as holding a recycling event for electronics, furniture, appliances, oversized plastic, etc.; or creating a community tool library.
• Community Building projects such as events to build relationships, get more people involved in the neighborhood, help build partnerships between neighborhood organizations, or help underserved populations.