Applications are currently being accepted from community organizations for the grants from the Neighborhood Building Blocks Fund, Attorney General Matt Denn announced.
The fund supports crime reduction, neighborhood revitalization, and economic development programs statewide. Applications are due by Dec. 19.
Among the listed goals of the grants are to:
- address unmet needs of high crime areas statewide
- improve resources and opportunities for at-risk juveniles and adolescents
- increase the use of planning that incorporates crime prevention strategies
- enable projects by neighborhood-level organizations that may not traditionally receive grant funding
The application with the full list of purposes and requirements is available at:http://inde.delaware.gov/dedo_pdf/BusinessServices_pdf/mainstreets/NBBF_Application2016-Final.pdf
The $3.7 million in grant funds were allocated to the NBBF by the Department of Justice, with the agreement of the General Assembly’s Joint Finance Committee, from settlements with national banks for alleged misconduct in the national financial markets.
“The purpose of these funds is to provide some help to the hardest hit neighborhoods in our state in terms of crime and the economy,” said Attorney General Denn, who proposed directing settlement money to the NBBF. “I know there are neighborhood groups that are working every day to make their communities safer and better, and that have innovative ideas that some funding could make happen.”
Applications can be submitted to the Delaware Economic Development Office, which administers NBBF.
