Rural Grants
The Tompkins County Community Beautification Program provides grants to municipalities in Tompkins County outside of the City of Ithaca. These grants are to be used to beautify areas in the county where tourists may go: main roads, public buildings, parks, etc. The money can be used for landscaping, signage, murals, and possibly other uses that could be considered beautification.
In order to receive a grant, the applicant must get approval from the Tompkins County Community Beautification Coordinator and from the Town Supervisor or Mayor of their municipality. The municipality will put up the money for the project and will be reimbursed by the Community Beautification Program when the project is finished. The money can be used to buy supplies and to hire people to do some or all of the project. The money cannot be used to pay municipal personnel already on the payroll.
Another aspect of these grants is that they are matching grants. The match can be in the form of money, supplies, and/or labor. Volunteer labor is currently valued at the federally established rate of $20.25/hour.
To find out more about these grants, contact us in advance of beginning work on the project.
