Have you ever wished there were easier opportunities to get to know your neighbors? Have you thought about hosting a block party or neighborhood gathering on your street? When a street closes to cars and opens to people - even for a few hours - kids play freely, neighbors meet and talk, and the whole block feels different. A block party isn’t just a party; it’s a glimpse of what people-centered streets can be.

If you don’t know where to start, there’s support available to make it happen. Local Motion, in partnership with AARP-VT, Preservation Trust of Vermont, and Front Porch Forum, is launching the Streets as Places micro-grant program, offering up to $500 and hands-on support for neighborhood gatherings across Vermont. Apply by April 22nd at 5 pm.

Apply for the Streets as Places Micro-grant

The goals of this grant program are to:

• Reclaim Streets as Safe, Shared Public Spaces:
  Temporarily transform neighborhood or village residential streets from traffic corridors into places where walking, rolling, playing, and gathering feel safe, joyful, and accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Use block parties as a first step toward longer-term community change, strengthening local leadership, encouraging collaboration, and increasing support for vibrant and safer streets. 

• Strengthen Neighborhood Connection and Belonging:
  Foster meaningful relationships among neighbors by creating welcoming opportunities to gather, share experiences, and build trust. 

• Advance Inclusion, Accessibility, and Intergenerational Participation:
  Encourage participation from neighbors of all backgrounds, races, ages, genders, abilities, and identities, so that block parties reflect the full diversity of Vermont communities.

Grant Program Guide      Register for the Webinar      Block Party Manual

For questions regarding the Streets as Places program and application, please contact:

Marcie Gallagher | Complete Streets Specialist
Local Motion
[email protected]