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Love Your Block Grants Fuel Five Fresh Ideas in West Long Beach
By Staff Writer
Published on Sat, Dec 13, 2025
West Long Beach is getting a little greener — and buzzier — thanks to Love Your Block mini-grants recently awarded by Long Beach’s Office of Civic Innovation. The program, in its first year, aims to help turn neighborhood-improving ideas into reality.
Five resident-led projects were selected for the inaugural round, each receiving up to $2,500 to help clean the air, spruce up streets and strengthen community connections in the 90810 ZIP code.
City officials say the grants are meant to put practical tools and support directly into the hands of residents ready to improve daily life in their neighborhoods. The effort ties into the Westside Promise Initiative, a long-term plan to address environmental, health and safety challenges in West Long Beach.
The awardees will work with City staff and community partners through March 2026 to implement their ideas. Funded projects include:
- Legacy in Bloom – A youth-led tree-planting and neighborhood cleanup effort involving local schools.
- Breath of Fresh Air – A program promoting diesel pollution awareness and respiratory health, with a vape-for-air-purifier trade-in for residents.
- Community Bee Apiary – A community-run sanctuary supporting pollinators, healthier plants and hands-on education in urban beekeeping.
- Westside Clean & Green – A grassroots cleanup campaign addressing urban decay, encouraging walkability and offering plants and air purifiers to volunteers.
- Community Garden – A budding green space where residents can grow produce, participate in wellness programs and learn about healthy eating.
Program leaders note that beyond environmental benefits, these initiatives help build neighborhood pride and bring residents together around shared goals.
Love Your Block debuted locally earlier this year in partnership with the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. A panel of City staff selected the winning proposals following an application window in late summer.
For details about future resident-led mini-grants, visit the Office of Civic Innovation webpage.
