Due Date: January 8th, 2017 by 11:59pm

Mini Grant Vision:
Our vision for these mini grants is to help Revere be a community where healthy eating and physical activity are a normal part of everyday life. This improves the overall health of our residents.
 
We aim to make it easy for residents of all ethnic backgrounds and all income levels to afford and access healthy foods in a variety of manners. This includes farmers’ markets, community gardens, innovative school food services, and healthy options at neighborhood restaurants and corner stores.

We also work to make it safe and easy for residents of all ages to be active. Residents should be able to walk and bike across Revere for recreation and transportation, be active in schools, and access a network of urban trails and parks that residents are proud of.

Revere on the Move is a Mass in Motion initiative, funded by Partners Healthcare and co-led by the City of Revere and MGH Revere CARES. We are a community-led initiative working to make healthy eating and active living the easy choice in Revere. We are led by a Task Force that represents our many close partner organizations and dedicated community members.

Mini Grant Goal:
Revere on the Move (ROTM) is offering up to $7,500 in Mini-Grants to support policy, systems, and environmental changes (PSEs) by organizations, schools, neighborhood groups and others to help make Revere a healthier community.

We define policy, systems, and environmental changes as permanent changes that can affect the entire community for years to come.  Policy changes may be any formal or informal rule, such as changing workplace policies to provide time off during work hours for physical activity. Systems changes address the way things are normally done in an organization such as a school or the transportation system. Environmental changes involve improvements to the physical environment.


Examples of PSEs we can fund:
•     Community/School Gardens: Building garden plots that are open for community or school use. Why we like this: It is an environmental change that also leads to systems changes regarding education about eating healthy and provides new access to fresh produce.

• Urban Trails: Marking easy-to-walk paths on our streets that help people view the city and keep track of how many miles they’ve walked/run/biked. Maps highlight points of interest or local businesses. Why we like this: It is a low-cost, permanent environmental change that encourages people to be more active in an urban environment. Wayfinding signs included on urban trails can also bolster  the economy by pointing users to new destination locations, such as a market with fresh produce.

• School adoption/expansion of a “walking school bus”: Such as implementing Safe Routes to School, this would be a systems change that encourages students and parents to walk to school. Why we like this: This systems change within the schools can lead to environmental changes such as repaired sidewalks, new crosswalks, or flashing pedestrian lights.

Timeline:
Applications are due Sunday, January 8th, 2017 by 11:59pm.

Funds must be retrieved from the City before May 15, 2017.  If awarded, you will receive more information about the process of working with the City to receive funds.

In the case of projects planned to be implemented after this period, funds will still need to be requested before this date. Projects that are delayed due to reasons beyond control, may write a letter to ROTM explaining the circumstances and asking for an extension. Unclaimed funds will be rolled over into the next Mini Grant cycle.

Evaluation Criteria:
The ROTM Mini Grant applications will be evaluated on the level of impact and change, and whether the objectives are clear and tied to the vision of Revere on the Move. For specific criteria, see the Review Rubric on the back of your application.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Grant Recipients will be invited to attend ROTM Task Force Meetings during the duration of their project. We meet quarterly on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 5:00-6:30pm at the Revere Police Station. You will also be required to complete an evaluation template at mid-year and at the completion of your project.

The ROTM Task Force commits to provide grant recipients with timely technical assistance, including feedback on measures of success and connections to other community members and organizations who might be potential partners. For additional information, please see application for contact information.