Neighborhood Sustainability Grants

Neighborhood Sustainability Grants

The 2023 - 2024 grant cycle closed on September 30th, 2023. If you would like to be contacted about next year's cycle, please email sustainability@flagstaffaz.gov.

The Neighborhood Sustainability Grant Program inspires creative projects that enhance community sustainability and promote healthy lifestyles through community partnerships.

Neighborhood Sustainability Grants can help launch or continue existing community sustainability projects. Successful projects will further sustainability goals, facilitate volunteer engagement or management, build community partnerships, and/or meaningfully involve underserved communities, diverse groups, or vulnerable populations. 

Projects should fall into one of the following categories:

  • Food
  • Waste
  • Climate Action
  • Resilience
  • Building Energy
  • Transportation
  • Public Health

The Neighborhood Sustainability Grant is funded through the Environmental Management Fee. Local individuals, groups of individuals, community groups, educational groups, local businesses, and not-for-profit organizations whose projects are within Flagstaff city limits are eligible for awards up to $7,500.

APPLY for a Neighborhood Sustainability Grant

  • Application: Applications for the 2023 grant cycle are closed. Applications are typically collected through Survey Monkey.
    • We strongly recommend that you complete application questions in an offline platform such as Microsoft Word to avoid loss of information due to potential internet connection issues. PDF Applications (PDF) and Word Applications (DOCX) versions are available with detailed instructions and requirements. Please copy and paste your responses into SurveyMonkey.
  • Grant Guidelines and Application: 2023 Grant Guidelines and Application Information
  • Application Deadline: September 30th, 2023
    • Only applications submitted through the SurveyMonkey Web Application will be accepted unless otherwise arranged with the sustainability office. To arrange a paper or word submission, please email sustainability@flagstaffaz.gov well in advance of the September 30th deadline

Grant Project Categories & Objectives

The Sustainability Commission seeks projects in the following seven categories. Each of the seven categories has specific objectives and is included as follows. Projects will be evaluated on how well they meet at least two of these objectives, with the best projects meeting all three objectives.

Food

  • Promotes, through education and engagement, improved access to a sustainable and equitable food system that produces healthy food for the community.
  • Increases food recovery efforts, especially for communities experiencing food insecurity. 
  • Increases pollinator habitat through conservation and/or education efforts.

Example of Food Grant Application

Waste Reduction

  • Promotes proper recycling, composting, and/or waste prevention behavior through education and infrastructure development.
  • Promotes circular economy business models or other solutions that creatively redirect materials away from the landfill. 
  • Increases access to and knowledge of the sharing economy and reuse opportunities, such as tool lending libraries or fix-it clinics.

Example of Waste Grant Application

Climate Action

  • Educates and engages community members on the impacts of climate change in Flagstaff and/or reducing emissions.
  • Reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy use in buildings, transportation, or consumption.
  • Encourages participants or community members to take local climate action through behavior change, community actions, or workforce development.

Example of Climate Action Grant Application

Resilience

  • Provides learning opportunities for community members on resilience and adaptation concepts.
  • Provides opportunities for community members to connect with each other, and/or share knowledge and skill sets.
  • Strengthens community systems, improving community preparation for or response to extreme weather, economic uncertainty, natural disasters, or other events.

Example of Resilience Grant Application

Building Energy

  • Promotes, through education and engagement, the conservation of energy and/or water in buildings.
  • Increases use of renewable energy in community buildings.
  • Reduces building energy and/or building water use.

Public Health

  • Educates or engages community members on the intersection of public health and environmental issues.
  • Increases accessibility to public health resources. 
  • Improves social environmental conditions in ways that are likely to result in improved public health or improved preparation/adaptation against public health emergencies, such as climate-related health threats.

Transportation

  • Educates or engages community members on ways to walk, bike, roll and take transit more often.
  • Increases access and/or reduces barriers to walking, biking, rolling, and transit options.
  • Improves neighborhood mobility or transportation options infrastructure.

Example of Transportation Grant Application

Looking for project ideas? 

See "Past Projects below" for inspiration and review a list of project ideas, by category, on pages 4-6 of the Grant Guidelines.

Application Review & Disbursement Process

The Sustainability Commission in partnership with the Sustainability Office will review grant applications and determine awards. The Commission evaluates grants using this scoring rubric.

  • September 30th: The application period closes.
  • October: The Commission evaluates applications using the evaluation criteria found in the Grant Guidelines. The Commission may reach out to applicants if they have questions.
  • November: The Commission makes final award decisions during the November 2023 meeting. Awardees are notified after the November meeting.
  • Funding will be awarded in December 2023 or January 2024. 
    • Sustainability Commission meetings are held from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm over Microsoft Teams and in person.
      Please refer to the Sustainability Commission webpage for meeting dates and agendas.

Grant Recipient Requirements & Reporting

If selected for a grant, applicants are required to:

  • Submit a W-9 tax form to Sustainability@flagstaffaz.gov. Once submitted, applicants will receive grant funds in the form of a check between six and eight weeks.
  • Meet with a Sustainability Commissioner or City staff within the first month of the project start date to review the project timeline and goals.
  • Grant recipients must provide a final report through SurveyMonkey preferably within 30 days of project completion but not longer than a year after funds are dispersed. 
  • Beginning for 2023 awardees, recipients must present at a celebratory round-robin presentation and networking event. This event will take place after project completion and is slated for the Spring of 2025. Further details about the day/time/location will be provided to grant awardees. 

Past Projects

2022 to 2023 Grant Cycle Awardees 

  • The Arboretum at Flagstaff plans to expand its propagation of native and edible plants to increase resilience, ecological diversity, and pollinator habitat. 
  • Arizona 4H Youth Foundation will implement a Community Horticultural Therapy program on the Killip Elementary School campus to provide plant-focused educational opportunities for students. 
  • Flagstaff Disc Golf Club’s project includes the installation of bike racks at both Thorpe Park and McPherson Park disc golf courses to encourage bike transportation. 
  • Flagstaff Foodlink will launch the “Building Community Through Food Series” with several workshops and educational events focused on sustainable local food production. 
  • Flagstaff Youth Riders will expand upon the recently completed trail and bike park at Puente de Hózhó with a shaded picnic area. 
  • Harbert Chapel AME Church was funded to make energy-efficient lighting improvements to support ongoing community services. 
  • Killip Elementary plans to expand their community greenhouse food production project with equipment for a hydroponic growing system. 
  • Marco Alatorre will purchase a chipper to support community members through the collection and diversion of pine needles and small branches to create biochar. 
  • Sunnyside Neighborhood Association will utilize grant funds to assist with completing the Market of Dreams remodel. 
  • Townsite Urban Farm plans to maximize community food production by installing raised garden beds, rainwater catchment barrels, and educational signage. 
  • 2020-2021 (PDF)
  • 2019-2020 (PDF)
  • 2018 to 2019 (PDF)

Questions?

Please email our Sustainability Coordinator, Tia Hatton at tia.hatton@flagstaffaz.gov or call 928-666-0988.

Grant Support 

  • Watch the recording of this year's Grant Workshop below. This event was co-hosted with the Beautification in Action grant opportunity on September 7, 2023: