Strengthening Neighborhoods (SN) is The Denver Foundation’s grassroots neighborhood development program. SN helps residents of ten partner neighborhoods use their existing strengths and assets to make their communities better places to live.

Goals

• Support positive relationships among residents based on equality and the valuing of everyone's contributions
• Support resident leaders
• Help residents organize to create positive change in their communities
• Connect residents and resident-led groups across neighborhoods so they can learn from one another and take action on common concerns
• Bring new partners to the work of resident-centered community building

SN helps neighborhood residents in its partner communities by:

• Awarding planning and project grants to groups of neighbors seeking to make change in their communities
• Offering advice and resources as people are getting their projects started and throughout their project
• Providing leadership development classes in English and Spanish

Partner Neighborhoods:  Commerce City, Original Aurora, and the Denver neighborhoods of Clayton, Elyria Swansea, Globeville, Highland, Northeast Park Hill, Skyland, Sunnyside, and Whittier

How it works:  SN makes grants directly to residents for projects that the residents develop and lead.

Grants:  SN has two grantmaking programs:

• Planning Grants up to $500 (average grant size is $250)
• Project Grants up to $5,000 (average grant size is $2,300)