In October, the Karla Condos neighborhood was able to host a cleanup event because of a small grant from the City of Champaign. 

The neighborhood is southeast of the intersection of Duncan Road and Bradley Avenue and is represented by a homeowner association registered with the city.

The event was one of 32 supported by the city’s Neighborhood Small Grant Program this year, which provides money for registered neighborhood groups to hold neighborhood-based events and make improvements in the area. 

“If we did not have access to the small grant fund, we probably would not have had the event,” said Linda Waters, the Karla Condos neighborhood leader, in an interview with CU-CitizenAccess. 

The neighborhood’s grant request and total expenses both totaled $655 for the cleanup event. It used the funds to rent a dumpster to dispose of old furniture and to purchase lunch for the residents who took part in the event.

Overall, in 2024, grant requests totaled $29,223 for 34 events. So far this year, requests have totaled $28,915 for 32 events as of Oct. 11.

Grant-funded cleanup and beautification events increased from 12 last year to 15 so far this year — a 25% jump. While the number of cleanup events is the same, the total grants awarded for them has increased by $1,347.

“Our small grant program is meant to support our network of registered neighborhood groups in their neighborhood-based organizing and engagement efforts,” John Ruffin, neighborhood relations manager, said in an interview with CU-CitizenAccess.

“The funds can be used for neighborhood-based improvements such as gateway improvements, common area updates, basin maintenance, drainage, and then they can also be used to support neighborhood pace engagement and organizing efforts in terms of building connections between neighbors to support that neighbor to neighbor connection,” Ruffin said. 

Neighborhood groups can request up to $2,500 per project, with a $2,000 cap on cleanup events. The cumulative grant limit per fiscal year for each group is $5,000.

The average grant request per event in 2024 was $843. So far, the average request in 2025 is $883.

The Timberline Valley South Homeowner Association has had nine grant-funded events, the most of any neighborhood since 2024. In the last two years, the neighborhood has used most of the allotted $5,000 in grants per fiscal year, totaling $9,892.

Karla Condos follows with five events, then eight other neighborhoods follow with three events each, including Liberty on the Lake, Mittendorf, Ashland Park and 500-800 West Washington.  

Grant applicants must contribute volunteer hours up to 25% of the grant request. For requests over $1,000, there must be a one-to-one match in volunteer hours, which they value based on Independent Sector’s report.

“Volunteers are the folks who increase our ability to impact at the neighborhood level, and so they are our force multipliers for the work that we’re doing as it relates to neighborhood-based improvements and engagement and organizing,” Ruffin said.

Volunteers have logged 2,184 hours since 2024. City data shows the value of those hours to be worth about $72,896.

Waters said her favorite part of the Karla Condos neighborhood cleanup event was engaging with volunteers.

“We had four volunteers that day, and one of them was a new homeowner here,” Waters said. “It was an enjoyable time to sit out there and talk to each other and get to know each other.”

This cleanup event followed a previous one held in 2023. Waters said the main difference this year was having to arrange the dumpster herself, but the grant application process was the same. 

“The first time I did [the grant application], it was a little overwhelming for me, but the neighborhood services group was very helpful,” Waters said. “But the next grant that I applied for, it just was so much smoother because I understood better what they were asking for.”

The city’s Neighborhood Relations Division allocates about $25,000 to the program each year, Ruffin said. It also has multiple tactics to engage neighborhoods with the program.

“Those groups that are registered with the city are engaged on a regular basis in terms of different ways to utilize the funds [and] different strategies that they might undertake in terms of their neighborhood-based organizing,” Ruffin said. 

The city provides monthly trainings to share resources to support organizing efforts and to build volunteer capacity. There are also quarterly huddles with volunteers and leaders and a monthly newsletter that highlights engagement activities. 

Waters attended the city’s workshop to help her apply for her neighborhood’s small grant, and she has also engaged with other neighborhood leaders through the huddles.

“We have a Facebook group for Champaign neighborhood leaders. So we get to kind of share notes and things there,” Waters said. “So if I have questions, I can ask it in there and usually get some really good advice.”

A recent post focused on cleanup events, with another neighborhood leader sharing advice that Waters utilized during Karla Condos’ event.

“It’s been worthwhile for our complex to be registered with the city since 2023,” Waters said. “I think people are more content with their neighborhood if they feel that they know people and they have a part in it.”