Love Your Block wraps up second year

Love Your Block is empowering Columbia residents to transform their neighborhoods through volunteerism, collaboration and community pride.

In 2025, Love Your Block funded 11 neighborhood mini-grants, and in 2026, 10 projects received funding. These resident-led initiatives have included neighborhood cleanups, tree planting, public space enhancements, home beautification efforts and community celebrations.

This year's completed projects included the Hanover Village cleanup in partnership with opens in a new windowForColumbia. It also featured the Replant and Restore tree-planting projects along North 8th Street and the Douglass Park Neighborhood Festival.

Each project showcases how local leadership and volunteer action can drive meaningful change in neighborhoods. Columbia's 2026 Love Your Block projects will conclude by Aug. 31.

Supported by the opens in a new windowBloomberg Center for Public Innovation at opens in a new windowJohns Hopkins University, Columbia was selected as one of 16 cities for the 2024-2026 cohort. The Love Your Block initiative provides funding to help cities partner with residents to enhance neighborhoods through volunteer-driven, resident-led projects. In Columbia, City staff awarded mini-grants of up to $2,500 for neighborhood projects through a competitive application process, with a particular focus on central and northeast Columbia.

Visit the City's Love Your Block page for more information.