Grant Elementary Among Hollywood Recipients of Beautification Funds

Several Hollywood sites including a school, a park and a portion of Little Armenia will see some improvements with the recent announcement of city funds budgeted for beautification projects.

City Council President Eric Garcetti announced Tuesday the recipients of the Clean and Connected Communities grants. The initiative awarded 21 organizations up to $2,500 for beautification projects within District 13, an area that includes portions of Hollywood. 

“I was pleased by the number of creative proposals that we received,” said Garcetti. “I’m looking forward to working with the grantees to ensure their project’s success. They will be great additions to our neighborhoods.”

The Youth Policy Institute, a nonprofit community group, was awarded $2,500 for a project at Grant Elementary School that includes a mural and a flower garden.

Julie Wong, communications director for Garcetti, said his office “previously worked with community leaders on deciding which projects needed funding, but this was the first year there was an application process. The purpose was to actively seek out applicants and to make the process more inclusive.”

Sergio Oliva, of the Youth Policy Institute, was impressed with the new grant process.

“This grant opportunity is an excellent vehicle for the community to work together on a beautification project that directly impacts the environment around them,” he told Patch. “Add a bit of innovative ideas, some paint, lunch and the community ends up with an experience that will affect everyone positively.”

Because the grants were awarded to all applicants whose submission materials were complete and whose projects met the basic requirements, there will not be a community vote as originally planned. “We had a small number of submissions that were incomplete and didn’t get funding, but we were able to award money to all applications that met the requirements,” Wong said.

In addition to the Grant Elementary School project, other recipients in Hollywood include the Barnsdall Park/Metro Corridor Beautification Project and the Little Armenia Beautification Project.

The total amount awarded through the Clean and Connected Communities grants was $40,000. The money for the initiative comes from the General City Purpose (GCP) funds, which are allocated to each council district and are used for beautification projects such as murals, gardens and graffiti removal.

The amount of GCP funding that each council office receives has decreased significantly over the last several years amid the city budget crunch, Wong said. 

“Councilman Garcetti expects to have this same annual grant process until his term runs out in two years,” she said. “But it all depends of course on the city budget.”