City of Jackson, TN Announces Winners of 2026-27 Neighborhood Improvement Project Grants
JACKSON, Tenn. – The City of Jackson, TN Department of Neighborhood Services is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026-27 Neighborhood Services Neighborhood Improvement Project Grants.
“We received many great applications this year,” said City of Jackson , TN Neighborhood Services Director Elvia Trejo. “We’re excited to work with the selected projects to bring these ideas to life for the Jackson community!”
The grant opportunity opened on August 4, 2026. During the public voting period between September 11, 2026 and September 18, 2026, over 1,000 votes were submitted.
Winners are as follows:
Tier 1
- Little Loves - An interactive hopscotch sidewalk mural in front of Little Loves. The sidewalk mural will transform an ordinary section of sidewalk into a welcoming, playful, and engaging space for children, families, residents, and visitors to enjoy.
- Historic First Baptist Church - The Fall Festival will be held on 10/28/2026 also known as Halloween. The purpose is for the community, neighborhood, and public to be able to go to an event that is safe, fun, and enjoyable for the entire family. Food, games, activities, and candy/treats will be available for the entire family along with prizes. A church location is usually considered a safe location for events. Historic First Baptist Church has plenty of space to accommodate large crowds.
- St. James Missionary Baptist Church - St. James Missionary Baptist Church will host a national night out with the community to build relationships with our first responders while the community enjoys food, activities, music, and fellowship. The fall festival brings the community together to also enjoy food, activities, music, and fun, but it also gives our kids a chance to take a break and celebrate with one another.
- Jackson Downtown Development Corp - The Yoga in the Park series will provide free, accessible outdoor wellness classes in Downtown Jackson to address barriers to physical activity and increase positive use of public space. The program will consist of 7 yoga sessions held between September 2026 and June 2027, with classes offered once a month in a centrally located Downtown green space like the AMP and Jaxon Station. Each session will be led by a qualified instructor and designed to accommodate all experience levels, ensuring inclusivity for beginners, older adults, and individuals with limited mobility. The program will provide loaner yoga mats, blankets, and mats to remove equipment barriers and encourage participation
Tier 2
- Arlington Elementary School Garden Committee - The project would expand the school garden at Arlington Elementary (AE) school from 1 raised bed, to 6 raised beds. In addition, the project will create bordered and mulched pathways to set the garden apart from the larger school yard and connect it with the outdoor classroom and play area nearby. Concrete stepping stones will be added to the pathways. Students will then customize the stones by painting them, thus deepening the sense of ownership over and care for the project. Neighborhood residents, local schools, churches and organizations will participate in the building and maintenance of the project.
- Jackson Central Merry Middle Senior High School Beta Club -The JCM Beta Club has selected the revitalization of Aspiration Point as its 2026–2027 service project. Students will restore the site through cleanup, concrete and fence improvement, landscaping, installation of durable trash receptacles, and continued monthly maintenance. The project will also seek community partnerships for benches, materials, and two to four additional works of outdoor sculpture by local artists.
Tier 3
- Digitech Academy of Excellence - The Community Play Yard will improve the neighborhood by transforming an underutilized outdoor area into a welcoming, permanent space where children, families, and neighbors can gather, play, and connect at no cost. Rather than allowing the space to remain unused, the project will create a positive destination that encourages outdoor activity, community interaction, and neighborhood pride.
- Jackson-Madison County Library - We would like to have a mural installed on two walls of our children's area. This would be a great way to showcase art in the community, and it would make the children's area more enticing to children with all the colors. We are looking at representations of beloved story book characters and encouraging themes for growing readers. We want children to see themselves in the library. The project will cover approximately 240 square feet total.