Philadelphia, PA (January 4, 2024) – Feet First Philly (FFP) is Philadelphia’s only pedestrian advocacy group dedicated to protecting the rights of pedestrians and is a project of the Clean Air Council. In partnership with Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, FFP supports projects that will improve Philadelphia’s public spaces with mini-grants of up to $2,000, making them safer and more accessible to pedestrians. The Public Space Enhancement Mini-grant program is now in its fourth year and will fund 21 projects in 2024, the largest set of projects the group has awarded since 2020 when the program was launched.
“This is the first year we are able to fund almost half of the applications we received, and this has a lot to do with the commitment of our partners from the Health Department and everyone that donated to our fundraisers,” said Titania Markland Transportation Outreach Coordinator at Clean Air Council. “We are excited to see these projects installed because they will make great improvements to these public spaces, and improve safety and accessibility for all pedestrians.”
“We at the Health Department are so pleased to be able to support Philadelphians’ visions for safer, cleaner, greener, more connected and more walkable communities,” said Dr. Kinnari Chandriani, Director of the Health Department’s Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention. “The Surgeon General has identified a nationwide epidemic of loneliness and isolation. These community-led public space enhancements address that problem head-on, bringing neighbors together to improve and enjoy our outdoor environments.”
Projects for this year’s Public Space Enhancement Mini-grant program fall into five categories. Below are a few examples of these projects, and a full list can be found below.
- Greening projects – projects that make improvements to community green spaces and gardens. Nicetown-Tioga Improvement Team RCO (NTIT) project will transform overgrown, abandoned lots into sacred art parks with monthly clean ups, tree planting, and programming to activate these community green spaces in North Philadelphia.
- Infrastructure and Cleaning – projects that improve mobility by making the walking space more accessible and more appealing. Hunting Park Neighborhood Advisory Committee’s project will support block ambassadors by providing tools and equipment to conduct regular block clean ups in the Hunting Park Neighborhood.
- Programming and Public Art – activating a space and including programs and activities. Original American Foundation’s project will use a community garden space in Southwest Philadelphia to teach gardening skills to kids and young adults.
- Lighting and Security – Installation of lights to make spaces more visible and safer at nights. Friends of Campbell Square will install cafe style lighting along the southern part of Campbell Square to improve visibility in that area.
The complete list of organizations that will be receiving funding are:
- Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha
- Nicetown-Tioga Improvement Team RCO
- Mantua Civic Association
- Frankford Community Development Corporation
- Tacony Community Development Corporation
- Germantown Residents for Economic Alternative Together
- Hunting Park Neighborhood Advisory Committee
- Klean Kensington
- Hunting Park Green
- 58th Street Neighbors
- Susquehanna Clean Up/Pick Up Inc
- Friends of Campbell Square
- Original American Foundation
- Greater Philadelphia Asian Social Service Center
- Belmont Alliance Civic Association CDC
- Exhibit A Art Design
- Do Moore Good
- Wynnefield Heights Community Association
- Community Alliance for Development
- Disney-Nichols AME Church
- Friends of Carrol Park
All of the funded organizations and their projects are located in communities that have experienced active disinvestment in their public spaces. Mini-grant recipients were selected because of their innovative and inspiring community-led proposals that address the challenges of increasing pedestrian access, reducing violence, and improving safety in their respective neighborhoods.
“With this grant, we will finally be able to begin our community garden project for the community,” said David Ly from Greater Philadelphia Asian Social Services Center. “This Garden will help revitalize the area, make use of vacant land, stimulate community engagement, and become a source of joy for many.”
“We welcome the opportunity to work with Feet First Philly to promote health and safe travels for pedestrians,” said Judith Robinson from Susquehanna Clean Up/Pick Up Inc. “We look forward to a project that can be of value citywide. This grant will allow our community to use a neighbor/ peer approach to problem solving.”
In January 2021, a selection committee made up of Council staff along with professionals and community members from across Philadelphia selected the top seven projects to award mini-grants ranging from $500 to $2000. The grants were awarded earlier this year and the projects have been recently completed.
Some of the highlights include:
Chew and Chelten CDC completed a mural painting on a long time newsstand that had shut down. The work was performed by a local artist (Sarafina Harris), who did an excellent job depicting local residents, and community members had input into the design.
The Cobbs Creek Ambassadors used funding to purchase supplies and start up kits to complete regular clean-ups along the Cobbs Creek Trail. Collectively, the ambassadors collected over 1.9 tons of garbage throughout the year, and have been leaders in neighborhood stewardship of the Trail.
The Enterprise Center CDC will be creating mini-libraries outside the Blackwell Library to facilitate a more friendly pedestrian environment that will promote more engagement with the library and other resources they provide.
Centennial East Parkside CDC hosted a Black Men’s Conference during the weekend of Juneteenth, where they used the opportunity to survey neighbors about their walkability experience within the community. They collected data that will be helpful in addressing walkability and other issues in the neighborhood.
Kensington Neighborhood Association is completing a major reconstruction of a severely damaged sidewalk along their neighborhood garden. This project will improve accessibility to the garden as well as general pedestrian travel within the area.
The Council is excited to announce that Feet First Philly is partnering with the Department of Public Health again in 2021 to provide funding for mini-grants to create and improve public spaces, particularly in underserved communities. Mini-grants between $500 and $2000 will be awarded to address the financial and technical barriers that organizations face when creating or improving safe public spaces. Grant money can be used to support public space projects, including construction materials, educational materials, event costs, insurance, stipends, staff time, or other needs.
Check out the page here to learn more about the mini-grant program, download the RFP, and view a recent webinar from Council staff on the program. Applications are due November 8th, and interested applicants are encouraged to contact feetfirstphilly@cleanair.org or Titania Markland, Transportation Outreach Coordinator, at tmarkland@cleanair.org to discuss their projects.
