Team Fairmont Mini Grant Program

The Team Fairmont Mini Grant Program is a local grant initiative launched by the City of Fairmont in West Virginia to support community-led improvement projects. The program builds on the City's experience with the successful 2025 Cultivate Mini Grants and is intended to continue a framework through which local government resources are directed back into the community. City officials indicated that the program is designed to empower citizens to initiate, lead, and plan projects that improve their communities. The City anticipates making up to six mini-grant awards through the program. The program is focused on projects that contribute to community improvement in Fairmont. The City identifies several qualities that a strong project may demonstrate, including efforts to improve the appearance of a neighborhood, revitalize a physical space, or improve the perception of safety within a community. The source does not provide a comprehensive list of allowable or prohibited expenditures, nor does it establish specific spending restrictions, cost-share requirements, or matching requirements. The City states that additional Mini Grant program guidelines will be discussed during the required facilitation workshop. The announcement states that the City will offer up to $3,500 in grant funding to as many as six local organizations and community partners. The wording identifies $3,500 as the amount of grant funding being offered through the program but does not clearly establish a minimum or maximum award amount for an individual mini-grant. Accordingly, an individual award ceiling or floor cannot be verified from the available announcement. No matching contribution or cost-share requirement is stated. The source also does not specify a grant performance period, reimbursement structure, payment schedule, indirect cost policy, or other detailed financial conditions. Participation is directed toward local residents, organizations, and community partners interested in undertaking community improvement projects. Attendance at the program's initial facilitation workshop is expressly required for any individual or organization seeking project funding. The workshop is also open to interested residents and organizations that do not yet have an established project idea. Beyond these statements, the announcement does not specify organizational status requirements, nonprofit status, business eligibility, minimum operating history, fiscal sponsorship requirements, or other organizational qualifications. The required facilitation workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in the Marion County Chamber of Commerce Conference Room at 110 Adams Street. Refreshments are scheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with the workshop running from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Program guidelines will be discussed at the workshop, which is intended to stimulate interest and discussion. Applications are expected to go live following this initial workshop, and additional information about the application process will be shared there. The announcement does not provide a final application deadline, application form questions, required attachments, evaluation scoring system, award notification date, or project completion deadline. The source indicates that projects should be oriented toward meaningful local community improvements, with neighborhood appearance, revitalization of physical spaces, and the perception of community safety specifically identified as examples of qualities a good project should include. No additional formal evaluation or scoring criteria are provided. Assistant Planner Erin Hager serves as coordinator for the Team Fairmont Mini Grant Program. Questions may be directed to the City of Fairmont Department of Planning and Development at 304-366-6211 ext. 312 or to Erin Hager at ehager@fairmontwv.gov. The announcement does not state that the program is recurring annually or on another fixed schedule, so no future recurring application cycle can be established from the available information.

Develop a community improvement project that addresses qualities identified by the City, such as improving neighborhood appearance, revitalizing a physical space, or improving the perception of community safety.