Bring your ideas to life with LHENA.
Request for Funding
LHENA has financially supported a wide variety of community-oriented programs and improvements over the years. We’re always looking for the next great idea to bring our mission and values to life!

For more information, contact LHENA Neighborhood Coordinator at [email protected]​​​
Pursue your project in partnership with a committee or as a standalone project. ​

​Examples of LHENA-funded
Community Projects 

Organics Recycling Drop-off (2018-current)
Katlyn F., a neighborhood tenant, discovered that under current city policy, it's difficult for renters to access regular organics recycling pickup. She brought this issue to the attention of LHENA's Environmental Committee, which helped her workshop the idea into a new program for community members to have easy access to organics recycling in the neighborhood. She formed a partnership with the Wedge Co-op and was able to place several public collection bins outside the Lyndale Avenue location. Today, over 800 community members with no easy direct access to the city’s organics recycling program now divert their food waste from landfills. Organics Drop-off Website

​Paint the Pavement (2018)
​Local artist Greta Mclain requested funds from LHENA and coordinated with LHENA's Open Spaces Committee and students at the local Jefferson School to transform the road surface at 25th Street and Colfax Avenue into a beautiful mural. During a community-wide celebration, neighbors came together to do the painting. The project beautified the corner, created a sense of place at the intersection, and offered a gentle reminder to drivers: streets are for pedestrians too!​
Mueller Park 3v3 Basketball Tournament (2019)
Wedge resident Katie Jones had an idea: to host a single-day 3-on-3 basketball tournament at Mueller Park to engage youth and adults alike in a fun and healthy community building activity. After receiving funding approval from LHENA and local business sponsorships, Katie spent countless hours with LHENA and Minneapolis Parks staff coordinating logistics and recruiting teams and volunteers. The result: over 50 coed youth and adults participating in a summer day of basketball at our neighborhood park. Games ran from morning until the late afternoon and consisted of recreational and competitive divisions. Dozens of volunteers helped referee and keep score, and people from all walks of life both inside and outside the community came out to the park to watch the games. 
​ ​Greenway Garden (2018-current)
Members of LHENA's Environmental Committee maintain a garden that stretches along a portion of the Midtown Greenway. Using LHENA funds, neighbors have placed a bench in the garden, added signage, and planted shrubs. Today, neighbors do the weeding, watering, and planting, and Elan Uptown provides water during dry periods. Ideas for what's next include: improving soil quality and remediating pollution from former industrial uses at and near the site, to nurture the rich, deep soil native plants need. ​​
Get Out The Vote Initiative (2018-current)
​The Wedge is roughly 85% renter, which attributes to a high annual resident turnover rate. Many of our renters are new the City, let alone the neighborhood. With this in mind and an eye toward the 2018 and 2020 elections, Wedge residents and LHENA board members Kari Johnson and Karlee Weinmann devised a plan to inform the neighborhood on voter registration, polling location, early voting, and election day.  A yard sign campaign followed, volunteers were recruited, doors were knocked, flyers were distributed, and events were tabled. LHENA helped register new voters and distributed registrations to the Secretary of State’s office free of charge. Johnson also partnered with Jefferson Community School, our neighborhood’s polling site, on an Election Day bake sale which raised over $3,000 for the school. Eighty-seven percent of all registered voters in the Wedge cast their ballots in 2018, which was one of the highest turnouts in the entire City, and higher than the 49% national turnout. The success of this project in 2018 drove another GOTV effort in 2020, with over 30 neighborhood volunteers contributing to the cause.

Additional LHENA-funded Community Projects

  • Camp Widjiwagan field trips for Jefferson School 7th graders (2018, 2019)
  • Lake Itasca field trips for Jefferson School 8th graders (2018, 2019)
  • Executive Functions education program for Jefferson School students (2018)
  • ​Feet First pedestrian advocacy initiative (2018)
  • bystander sexual assault prevention training for community members through Sexual Violence Center (2018)
  • free tenant-tenant and tenant-landlord mediation through Conflict Resolution Center (2018-current)
  • ​Feet First "Walk Your City" wayfinding initiative (2019)
  • Heart of Dance program for Jefferson School students (2019)
  • Wedge Walk & Roll fundraiser (2020)
  • free de-escalation training for community members through Conflict Resolution Center (2020)
  • Jefferson School 8th grade graduation (2020)
  • Food Share program (2020-current)
  • restorative justice speaker series (2021)
  • Jefferson School community learning garden (2021)
  • LynLake Street Art Series (2021)