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Long Beach Launches Second Round of Love Your Block Mini-Grants
By Staff Writer
Published on Wed, Feb 25, 2026
The City of Long Beach is now accepting applications for the second round of Love Your Block mini-grants, offering up to $2,500 for resident-led projects in West Long Beach. Applications are open through March 31.
Love Your Block is a community-driven initiative that empowers residents to transform their neighborhoods while advancing the goals of the City’s Westside Promise, a 10-year community investment plan focused on addressing current and historic challenges in West Long Beach.
This round of funding will support projects in the 90810 zip code that:
- Reduce exposure to poor indoor and outdoor air quality
- Promote clean air education, behaviors and tools
- Enhance pedestrian, bicycle and rolling safety
- Build community capacity to advocate for street and environmental improvements
Eligible applicants must be Long Beach residents ages 18 or older and propose projects located within the 90810 zip code. While nonprofits and businesses cannot apply directly, they may support resident-led projects through donations, materials or volunteer assistance. Applications are available in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog and can be submitted online through March 31.
The first round of mini-grants, awarded in December 2025, funded five resident-led initiatives: Legacy in Bloom, Breath of Fresh Air, Community Bee Apiary, Westside Clean & Green and Community Garden. Community members interested in supporting these efforts can volunteer during upcoming resident-led work days.
Since March 2024, Long Beach has participated in the two-year Love Your Block civic engagement program supported by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. The initiative provides $100,000 to support resident engagement, two rounds of mini-grants and staffing.
Nationwide, Love Your Block has helped improve more than 4,000 public spaces, created nearly 800 art displays and removed millions of pounds of trash. A 2021 Urban Institute study found that participating cities strengthened social cohesion, increased civic participation and built greater trust between residents and local government.
