On a sparkling but chilly Friday afternoon in December, several Bronxites gathered near a street mural in Woodlawn explaining how their neighborhood has benefitted from local volunteers armed with seed money from a citywide nonprofit called Citizens Committee for New York City (CCNYC).

At the corner of Katonah Avenue and 235th Street, Peter Kostmayer, chief executive officer of CCNYC, stood with volunteers from Women of Woodlawn, to announce that his group is looking for a few more great grassroots volunteer efforts in the Bronx. Hundreds more, to be precise.

CCNYC intends to boost the number of Bronx applications in 2016, bringing attention to the types of projects they fund earlier than normal.

In 2015, the Bronx received 307 such grants, while 702 landed in the borough of Brooklyn. Bedford Mosholu Community Association received $1250 in 2015 CCNYC funding for a street mural, which was painted over this past summer at 202nd Street and Briggs Avenue, near PS 8.   Kostmayer praised the thousands of groups that have received grants in years past, declaring, “We love all of these great organizations in Brooklyn, but right now, we love the Bronx the most.”

CCNYC’s funding cycle for 2016 neighborhood micro-grants officially opened, with applications due Jan. 25, 2016. Over $1.6 million will be awarded, with a cap of $3,000 per winning group. CCNYC grants fund projects that rely on resident volunteers forming a group to celebrate and improve their neighborhoods or schools through quality of life improvement projects.

Groups do not need to have not-for-profit legal status to apply, but they must meet some fairly specific criteria. CCNYC does not fund individuals, for-profit ventures¸ groups that employ paid staff, or budgets of over $40,000. Priority is given to groups in low-income and underserved neighborhoods, and to schools serving Title I “high needs” populations.

Grants typically cluster into a few categories—park beautification projects and cleanups, art installations such as street murals celebrating the people and traditions of neighborhoods, and gardening-related education projects. Women of Woodlawn has cleaned up and beautified local parks, combining seed money and volunteer energy. They also received funding for the painting of a mural in the Katonah Avenue business district.

Councilman Andrew Cohen, representing Norwood and Woodlawn, lent support for the campaign, noting, “It’s hard to get City Council funds to groups on this level.” He pointed out that the NYPD has agreed to help extend the community outreach for the CCNYC grants through its police officers on patrol.

Each officer has been supplied with informational cards to distribute to residents expressing interest in community improvement projects. A few officers present at the event handed out these cards to prove the point. Cohen added that three other city agencies are in line to assist volunteer groups through CCNYC grants, including the departments of Parks, Sanitation, and Transportation.