Public money is often made available through beautification grants to improve neighborhoods and cities across the country. Many local and state governments award grant funding annually to community organizations and others that use the money for a wide range of projects to improve the natural beauty of their surroundings.
The San Francisco Beautiful organization makes grant money available to community based groups for a wide range of beautification projects. Known as Klussmann Grants, the funding is used to restore public parks and historic sites, clean up litter, and beautify a variety of urban spaces. These projects must promote public health and safety, and allow participation by all members of the community.
Many times states offer funding to beautify public roadways. One such program is the Beautification Tree Grant Program administered by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Community groups can apply for funding to plant trees along highways for beautification, as noise barriers, and to help eliminate erosion of the soil.
Many cities offer grant funding to neighborhood associations to enhance streets through landscaping and eliminate blight, such as graffiti. One such program is the Keep Austin Beautiful Neighborhood Beautification Grant. Money is awarded to organizations and groups of residents to enhance public areas by, among other things, planting trees and plants that are native to the Austin, Texas region.
