City of Olympia awards $32,000 in Neighborhood Matching Grants

The City of Olympia on Tuesday approved over $32,000 in grant funding for neighborhood projects throughout the city. 

The City of Olympia’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program provides 50/50 matching funds to small projects that have an environmental benefit, strengthen neighborhoods, expand citizen involvement, or support the interests of the broader Olympia community. 

While previously limited to recognized neighborhood associations, the city expanded grant eligibility this year to informal neighborhood groups. 

Neighborhood groups that receive a Neighborhood Matching Grant must cover the other half of their project costs through direct financial contributions, material donations and/or volunteer time, according to the city. 

The city awarded grants to 11 out of 13 applicants, with one applicant being found ineligible and another withdrawing their application before the grants were awarded. 

Nine of the applicants received full funding for their proposed projects, and two received partial funding. 

“We almost made it to having enough funding for everyone that applied. It was really close. So maybe in future years, we'll make it, and that also includes more people being able to take part in it,” said Mayor Dontae Payne. 

The Neighborhood Matching Grants issued for 2026 are: 

• LBA Informal Neighborhood Group: $300 for construction of two Little Free Libraries 
• Bigelow Highlands Neighborhood Association: $1,500 for an annual block party and National Night Out 
• South West Olympia Neighborhood Association: $5,000 for emergency preparedness, community engagement and neighborhood food access 
• Olympia Downtown Alliance: $2,000 for LoveOly microgrants 
• Bigelow Neighborhood Association: $1,462 for an emergency preparedness zine, a newsletter and block party signage 
• Briarwood Neighborhood Association: $1,900 for a community picnic and beautification landscaping 
• South Capitol Neighborhood Association: $5,000 for an annual picnic and community services fair, and forums on resilience 
• Council of Neighborhood Associations: $3,000 for community engagement and priority implementation 
• Downtown Neighbor’s Association: $5,000 for four neighborhood block parties and an outreach mailer
• Eastside Neighborhood Association: $5,000 for outreach, an annual picnic and other community events, and for emergency preparedness trainings such as CPR and AED training
• Wilderness Property Owners Association: $2,382 for walking path improvements 

The City of Olympia places the total return value of the projects at roughly $176,000. 

“I know that neighborhoods are also very thankful, and wanted to pass that along to you,” Associate Planner Brittany Gillia told the Olympia City Council on Tuesday. “Last year's projects were really impactful. I think folks really enjoyed being able to continue doing this work, and they're excited for next year.” 

Gillia noted that “there’s a lot of really fun projects” this year. 

Payne said he enjoys going through Olympia’s neighborhoods as part of his role as mayor and seeing what neighborhood associations did with the grant funding. 

“Our neighborhoods are the heartbeat of the city. So I love going out to the neighborhoods and participating in the block parties and seeing the things that they care about and what is of concern to them,” Payne said. 

Council member Kelly Green thanked Gillia and her team for reworking the grant applications after getting feedback from the public last year, and Mayor Pro Tem Yến Huỳnh said she would like to see more neighborhood groups take advantage of this grant program in the future. 

For more information on the grant program, visit https://www.olympiawa.gov/community/neighborhood_associations/neighborhood_matching_grants.php