The City of Dallas has been selected by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University to receive Love Your Block grants. These funds will support resident-led, neighborhood revitalization projects throughout the city.
Dallas joins 15 other U.S. cities as part of the largest cohort in the history of the Love Your Block program. Since its inception in 2009, the program has engaged nearly 50,000 community members nationwide, leading to the improvement of approximately 4,000 public spaces. These efforts have resulted in nearly 800 art displays, the removal of 102,000 square feet of graffiti, and the collection of 6.7 million pounds of trash.
In addition to financial support, Dallas will also receive a dedicated AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and technical assistance and training from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins team of civic engagement experts.
Amanda Daflos, Executive Director of the Center, stated, "Each Love Your Block city helps demonstrate one of the most important skills required to drive innovation in city halls – the ability to center resident voices. We are excited to partner with the City of Dallas to build on the successful legacy of support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Cities of Service and accelerate their efforts to partner with communities to drive local impact through funding, staff support, and the public innovation expertise to help sustain resident-led change."
Through the Love Your Block program, Dallas residents will have the opportunity to apply for mini-grants to fund their own neighborhood improvement initiatives. The 2024-2026 cohort of Love Your Block cities includes a diverse range of communities across the United States.
For more information related to the Love Your Block program or the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins, visit publicinnovation.jhu.edu/loveyourblock.
