Small Grants


Advancing Community-Based Projects and Civic Engagement

The application process for Small Grants 2023 has closed, but please sign up for our newsletter to get information about 2024 Small Grants and other funding opportunities from LISC Houston.

To support our community development work, LISC Houston noticed that neighborhoods need more flexible funding to create civic engagement and advance affordable housing and development, spur business development, increase family income and wealth building, improves access to quality education, and foster healthy lifestyles and communities.

In response, LISC Houston launched the Small Grants program in 2015, with strong support from Journey Charitable Foundation and other funders, with a focus on making direct impact within neighborhoods and bringing communities together. Since the inception of this program, now entering its eight year, over 52,000 participants have organized 100s of projects that leveraged millions towards community building in Houston’s under-resourced neighborhoods. Through this initiative, we strongly encourage 501c3 and 501c4 groups and organizations to work with your community stakeholders and civic leaders to develop and submit project ideas between $500-$5,000 focused on community organizing, strengthen civic engagement, and addressing issues connected to Houston’s GO Neighborhoods five pillars.

This year, LISC Houston received more applications than we have in the program’s 8 year history.

For 2023, through an independent review committee, 14 projects reflecting 6 GO Neighborhoods, and covering 3 of LISC Houston’s 5 GO Neighborhoods impact areas were selected. More than 400 volunteers will be rolling up their sleeves and collaborating with nearly 100 partner organizations across Houston to make an impact in the lives of thousands of their fellow residents and neighbors. We look forward to seeing these projects come alive in the coming months! 

To learn more about each project, read the announcement of the 2023 awardees here.

2023 Small Grants Application Timeline

  • Grantee Presentation [virtual]: August 10, 2023, from 10-11am
  • Grantee Check-In Meetings: October 2023
  • All Projects Complete: November 30, 2023
  • Reporting Deadline: December 11, 2023

Contact

Rushka Tcholakova, Director of Community Programs
Email

Overview of 2023 Projects

Projected Impact in Houston Neighborhoods 

Neighborhood 

Community Members Impacted 

Volunteers Engaged 

Acres Homes 

55,725* 

111 

Alief 

430 

101 

Denver Harbor 

100 

30 

Gulfton 

200 

100 

Magnolia Park 

500 

41 

Greater Third Ward 

510 

41 

*Memorial Hermann Community Benefit Corporation will install a permanent park infrastructure improvement to serve the 55,000 local residents of Acres Homes. 

Agency 

Pillar 

Project Description 

Neighborhood & # of Projects Funded 

BenCheri Educational Center 

Access to Quality Education 

Summer “STEAM 44” & Literacy Enrichment Program; This project will provide STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and literacy enrichment.  

Acres Homes 

Memorial Hermann CBC (MHCBC) 

Healthy Environments & Lifestyles 

The Little Park with the Big Heart, Highland Park; Introducing the community to a "Walking Meditation" path designed with inspirational markers that are visually attractive with language to inspire mindfulness moments, while enjoying the physical and mental benefits of an outdoor walk. 

Acres Homes Community Advocacy Group 

Healthy Environments & Lifestyles 

Hey Neighbor! - Civic Association Capacity Building; The AHCAG will work with active Civic Associations and the Acres Homes Super Neighborhood Council to identify meaningful ways to attract more neighbors to attend their meetings through block walking/canvassing initiatives, community engagement creation, and developing effective communication strategies. 

Acres Homes Super Neighborhood Council 6 

Healthy Environments & Lifestyles 

Brunch En Blanc; A community brunch designed to introduce the community to healthier eating options and share alternative/healthy food selection with the community members in a relaxed environment.  

Young Audiences of Houston 

Access to Quality Education 

Advancing the Arts in Classrooms and Communities; A community-wide arts festival and children's costume giveaway with a series of workshops and presentations to educate residents on arts in education, social and emotional learning, and cultural awareness in October. 

Friends of Columbia Tap 

Healthy Environments & Lifestyles 

Third Ward Tribute Trail;  The goal of this project is to revitalize Third Ward and preserve its culturally rich African-American history while continuing high-impact collaboration with organizations as the trail vicinity is ideal for large African American churches and residents groups that focus on seniors and the LBGT community, promoting equity and community voice to lead the way. 

Third Ward 

Emancipation Economic Development Council 

Healthy Environments & Lifestyles 

Third Ward National Night Out; National Night Out is an annual community building campaign that promotes and enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. The purpose is to promote neighborhood camaraderie, access to resources and opportunities for civic engagement in order to create a more connected, safer and caring place to live. 

Tour de Hood 

Healthy Environments & Lifestyles 

We See People- Beautiful Minds; The aim of this project is to educate youth between the ages of eight - fourteen years old on how to access ways to understand, use, and manage their emotions to relieve stress, better communicate, overcome challenges, empathize with others, and diffuse conflict. 

Mpower Y.O.U., Inc 

Family Income and Wealth 

Financially Lit, Financially Fit; We will implement a financial literacy program for high school students enrolled in Alief ISD. The program will consist of a series of youth financial education workshops and will culminate with a larger financial literacy experience known as a Financial Reality Fair. 

Alief 

South Asian Folk Arts Council 

Access to Quality Education 

Qawwali & Gospel Music and Workshops, celebrating the Alief BIPOC community; Celebrates Alief's status as one of the most diverse areas in Houston by inviting communities of color to sing and speak with one another.  

East End Communities Collaborative 

Healthy Environments & Lifestyles 

Through the Eyes of Our Community; A project to engage Magnolia Park residents in expressing their concerns and aspirations for their neighborhood through photo images.  

Magnolia Park 

Magnolia Park Arts & Community 

Healthy Environments & Lifestyles 

First Fridays in Magnolia Park; We are hosting a series of events to provide a positive celebration of the cultural heritage of this 97% Hispanic community. Artists, speakers, and musicians perform culturally relevant programs on the first Friday of the month at La Casita de Colores, our headquarters in Magnolia Park.  

Houston ToolBank 

Healthy Environments & Lifestyles 

Tool Trot Kick-Off & Community Cleanup; Tool Trot is a virtual walkathon fundraiser and wellness initiative that encourages participants to enjoy healthy movement over a two-week period of time. 

Denver Harbor 

Culture of Health Advancing Together  

Healthy Environments & Lifestyles 

The Gulfton Story Trail: Rising in Refuge; The Gulfton Story Trail is an immersive art experience of 12 multidimensional murals, born from the poetry written by Gulfton students, expressed visually by muralists, and experienced by residents and visitors, blending Gulfton’s stories with their own. 

Gulfton