We are excited to announce that 40 community projects in east Idaho, north Idaho and the Treasure Valley have received Project Neighborly grants totaling $135,000. Project Neighborly is an ICF program aimed at fostering inclusion and inspiring neighborliness in local communities by proving grants for hyperlocal projects such as community gardens, neighborhood dinners and acts of kindness.
Project Neighborly is led by the Idaho Community Foundation with support from community partners Battelle Energy Alliance, manager and operator of Idaho National Laboratory; Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, Idaho Central Credit Union and Innovia Foundation.
This is the second year of the program. This year’s recipients are:
East Idaho
Bonneville Neighborhood Association (Bannock) – $5,000 to commemorate and revive interest in and contributions of multi-ethnic members of the Triangle Community in Pocatello.
Butte Soil and Water Conservation District (Butte) – $3,500 to build a sense of community through increased participation from vendors and shoppers at the local farmer’s market in Arco.
College Neighborhood Association (Bannock) – $3,475 to have a holiday tree lighting celebration in the neighborhood park as a get-together for the residents and improve/expand the bi-annual newsletter.
Eastern Idaho Jazz Society (Bonneville) – $1,000 to support a free full-day, jazz and blues music festival in Idaho Falls, featuring eight of the best regional jazz and blues bands and a nationally recognized headlining artist.
Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (Bannock) – $650 to support a neighborhood festival to introduce the activities and groups that meet in the church building to each other, as well as allow the congregation to meet their neighbors and find out how they can be of service to them.
Family Services Alliance of SE Idaho, Inc. (Bannock) – $5,000 to host a special event to support and lift stories of people affected by domestic violence.
Growling Garden (Bannock) – $1,900 to buy organic vegetables, fruit plants and organic compost.
Idaho Falls Arts Council (Bonneville) – $2,500 to support the River Concert Series, which includes free concerts at the Greenbelt Stage on the Idaho Falls River Walk every Tuesday evening from mid-June through the end of August.
Life, A Center for Independent Living (Bannock and Bonneville) – $1,675 to support a social gathering and networking opportunity for disabled service agencies, their clients and others in the community to build awareness of the services available for the disabled community and promote strong bonds and relationships.
New Day Products and Resources (Bannock) – $2,300 to develop a southeast Idaho community leadership book club.
Senior Activity Center (Bannock) – $5,000 to provide a free activity for the community, including a pancake breakfast, car show and social gathering.
United Way of Idaho Falls and Bonneville County – $5,000 for the United Way Bike Project, a community event held at elementary schools to repair school-aged kid’s bikes and teach bike safety to prepare them for a safe and fun summer.
United Way of Southeastern Idaho (Bannock) – $5,000 to bring together local businesses, diverse volunteer groups and the community to provide household items to families in need that are not covered by SNAP benefits.
Valley Mission with PWCC (Bannock) – $3,000 to support a program for the Pocatello Women's Correctional Center to teach marketable skills to women to prepare them for release.
North Idaho
Arts and Culture Alliance (Kootenai) – $1,000 to create a Little Free Art Gallery, a public miniature art gallery that is free and open to everyone in the community to take a piece, leave a piece, both, or simply enjoy the gallery.
City of Spirit Lake (Kootenai) – $4,900 to purchase an outdoor movie package so the city can offer outdoor movie nights in the park.
Coeur d’Alene Rotary (Kootenai) – $5,000 to create a program to match people who have different points of view and allow them to have authentic dialogue. The pilot program would create opportunities to understand what has shaped their matched partner’s views and find their similarities.
Community Library Network (Kootenai and Shoshone) – $5,000 to keep communities connected by providing fun library events and celebrating the unique community.
Cup of Grace (Kootenai) – $4,650 to provide free sack lunches to children every Saturday during the summer, and invite community partners such as dentists, firefighters and others.
Love Lives Here CDA (Kootenai) – $1,500 to recruit volunteers to personalize 5,000 kindness cards and hand deliver cards to their own neighbors.
NAMI CDA (Kootenai) – $4,500 to support two events to promote discussion and education regarding mental health awareness and stigma reduction.
North Idaho Pride Alliance (Kootenai) – $3,000 to incorporate a schedule of engaging community activities designed for all ages at Pride in the Park.
Rathdrum Community Center (Kootenai) – $5,000 to bring individuals and families together for a good meal prepared by the center.
Sanders Beach Neighborhood Residents (Kootenai) – $700 to create a Little Library for the growing number of residents in the neighborhoods south of Sherman Avenue.
Shared Harvest Community Garden (Kootenai) – $2,750 to a biweekly pizza party during harvest nights with the neighborhood.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Human Rights Education Institute, Museum of North Idaho (Kootenai) – $5,000 to support a series of small group discussions about the realities, challenges and opportunities that are part of life in the Inland Northwest.
The Way Home Church (Benewah) – $2,000 for a monthly gathering of all women in the UpRiver area to build community, introduce neighbors to each other and dispel the loneliness experienced over the last few years.
Treasure Valley
Advocates Against Family Violence (Canyon) – $4,600 to support easily accessible, facilitated gatherings to encourage relationship building through food, snacks, crafts and projects for all ages.
Collister Neighborhood Association (Ada) – $1,000 to bring awareness and solicit signatures to update and remove racist language found in the Collister Neighborhood CC&Rs.
Global Lounge (Ada) – $3,500 to support the Global Lounge Market and invigorate the Boise Bench area through food, culture, storytelling and art.
International Rescue Committee (Ada) – $3,500 to provide a night of celebrating the vibrant international refugee community in Boise with speakers, cooking classes, dance classes and live music/dance performances.
Islamic Center of Boise (Ada) – $5,375 to invite neighbors who have never met each other to share a table of food and engage in mindful conversations.
Juneteenth (Ada) – $5,000 to commemorate Juneteenth with an evening for the community to come together and celebrate and reconnect with its roots, while expanding and deepening networks of support.
King of Glory Community Garden (Ada) – $1,000 to develop an accessible community garden plot for refugees with mobility issues.
Meridian Library District (Ada) – $600 for supplies to engage volunteers in a craft to give back to their community.
NeighborWorks Boise (Ada) – $2,425 to support Around the World, a community cultural event to engage community members, bridge gaps between neighbors and celebrate cultures.
One Stone, Inc. (Ada) – $4,000 for a project for West Bench neighbors to work together and grow food for themselves and their community.
Surel’s Place (Ada) – $4,000 to leverage the popular First Friday Art and Studio Strolls in Garden City’s Surel Mitchell Live-Work-Create District to galvanize new community engagement and visioning through the Garden City Placemaking Fund.
Tanta Inc. (Ada) – $5,000 to explore the beauty of ethnic hair and the different ways it’s worn, while addressing some of the preconceived ideas and myths about it.
Tidwell Social Work Services and Consulting, Inc. (Ada) – $5,000 for community dinners that provide a platform for exchange and social integration between native Idahoans and new Idahoans.