Neighbors gear up for Block Challenge Grant 2024

Applications for the city’s Block Challenge Grant open May 1 at 9:00 am, and there are several residents of the Lower Beaver Neighborhood hoping to participate. This grant offers up to $2,500 in matching funds to Des Moines homeowners completing exterior improvements that are visible from the street. The twist is that residents must first form a team of between 5 and 19 homes who will each complete their own renovations.

Participating households identify their own projects and then receive matching funds, up to 50% of their project costs. For teams of between 5 and 9 households, the grants are capped at $1,000. Teams of between 10 and 19 households are eligible for up to $2,500 each. There is, however, no upper or lower limit on the size of the project. Therefore, a homeowner could replace a roof for $10,000 and receive up to $2,500. Conversely, a homeowner could replace a mailbox for $100 and receive $50. Additional information about the Block Challenge Grant is available on the city’s website.

To facilitate the formation of teams in the Lower Beaver Neighborhood, the LBNA has created the map below showing markers in the general vicinity of homes that have expressed interest in the Block Challenge Grant. Residents interested in joining or creating a team are encouraged to email their name and address to lowerbeaver@gmail.com.

Since 2001, the Block Challenge Grant has awarded $1.1 million in matching funds to help more than 600 households complete a wide range of exterior home improvement projects. This year, the city has allocated funds for approximately ten more teams ranging from five to nineteen households each.

Last year, the Lower Beaver Neighborhood fielded its first BCG team, Team Busy Beavers. Eighteen households participated, receiving $40,034.91 in matching funds. Counting the residents’ investment, the total impact on our neighborhood was more than $185,000 in home improvements.