City of Lacey details Neighborhood Matching Grant: $60,000 available, up to $2,500 per HOA project

City of Lacey communications specialist Jenny Bowersfield told homeowners association representatives that the Neighborhood Matching Grant program is open and that the City Council has again committed $60,000 to fund neighborhood beautification, safety and resilience projects.

Bowersfield said the program accepts applications from both formal HOAs (with governing documents) and informal neighborhood groups that maintain common spaces inside the Lacey city limits. "The intention behind it is that our city council wanted to reinvest some money back into our communities and help with beautification projects maybe safety enhancements," she said.

The program provides up to $2,500 per project with one grant available per HOA. Applicants must provide a dollar-for-dollar match; volunteer hours and in-kind donations may be counted toward that match. Bowersfield gave a worked example using the volunteer valuation for this year: "The volunteer rate that you can use this year is $34.79 per hour," she said, showing how volunteer labor plus out-of-pocket expenses determine the reimbursable amount.

Projects previously funded under this program are ineligible. Recurring maintenance — such as routine tree trimming, regular mulch/topsoil replacement or ongoing stormwater facility maintenance — will generally not qualify unless a first-time beautification effort is involved. Bowersfield said projects must meet city codes, ordinances and nondiscrimination policies and are reviewed by a committee that includes communications staff, community and economic development and parks maintenance.

The program is reimbursement-based: applicants pay expenses up front and submit reimbursement paperwork to the city for payment to the HOA. Bowersfield summarized the timeline: applications are open now and will close on March 31; staff will organize application materials and conduct a review period of about two weeks, with notifications sent by email during the week of April 20–24; awarded projects must be completed by the end of the year.

During the session Bowersfield answered attendee questions about eligibility. On whether sidewalks on private streets qualify she said she would "have to talk to our public works department and verify that" and follow up. She confirmed HOAs that received a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) grant previously may apply for a different type of project in a later year, and that a previously awarded project type remains ineligible for future funding.

Bowersfield asked attendees to fill out the HOA membership update form on the city's website so staff can maintain accurate contact lists and said slides and resource links will be emailed to meeting attendees.

What happens next: applications must be submitted by the March 31 deadline; applicants should plan to pay project costs up front and keep documentation for reimbursement. Staff will notify applicants of awards the week of April 20–24.