City of Jackson announces winners of Neighborhood Improvement Project Grants

JACKSON, Tenn. – The City of Jackson, TN Department of Neighborhood Services is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Love Your Block Neighborhood Improvement Project Grants.

“The Neighborhood Improvement Project Grants demonstrate what’s possible when community members, businesses, and schools come together to take ownership of their neighborhoods,” said City of Jackson, TN Neighborhood Services Director Elvia Trejo. “Over the next several months, these projects will bring visible improvements to communities across Jackson.”

The grant opportunity opened on August 4, 2025. During the public voting period between September 29, 2025 and October 6, 2025, over 3,000 votes were submitted.

Winners are as follows:

Tier 1

Gylden Bakehouse – Free community Halloween event on Saturday, November 1 at The Local. Costumes will be welcome, we will plan a spooky craft/activity, hand out candy, and have live music. Each shop at The Local will have spooky offerings and be decorated for Halloween. Proposed decoration budget will be for decor that will be donated to The Local for future tenants to use. This event will be primarily focused on families, but all will be welcome.

Historic First Baptist Church – The Fall Festival will be held on 10/31/2025 also known has Halloween. The purpose is for the community, neighborhood, and public are 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 one another.

Lane College Art Department – Our project proposes the creation of a large-scale, three-dimensional sculpture modeled after a LEGO-style human head, constructed from cinderblock and finished with durable exterior paint. Standing between six and eight feet tall, the sculpture will be permanently installed outside the Lane College Lincoln Building—visible from the street and accessible to the surrounding neighborhood. The primary goal of this project is to beautify and reactivate a neglected but historically significant community anchor: the Lincoln Building.

Tier 2

Our Jackson Home – Our Jackson Home, a creative placemaking program here in Jackson, proposes a community-centered documentary and film premiere that will strengthen neighborhood pride and connection across our city. In collaboration with The Reel Collective, a newly formed local grassroots film organization, we will create the “Hidden Leaders” film, a 15–20 minute documentary that celebrates the often-overlooked individuals who quietly shape Jackson—teachers, caregivers, volunteers, grassroots organizers, and small business owners. This project builds on the Winter 2026 issue of the Our Jackson Home journal, also titled “Hidden Leaders”.

Crystal’s Zen and Juice – The purpose of this grant proposal is to support a bi-weekly series of community-centered Jazz and Blues Nights in downtown Jackson during fall and Spring months , aimed at fostering cultural enrichment, supporting local musicians, and creating an inclusive, welcoming space for adults of all backgrounds. Through these events, we seek to celebrate the rich heritage of jazz and blues music while strengthening community bonds, promoting local talent, and providing accessible live music experiences in a safe, intimate setting.

Tier 3

Jackson Central Merry High – When JCM High School was renovated and reopened in 2020, there was a large outdoor entry area and patio built which was to accommodate outdoor classes or events. While the patio is beautiful, it is not currently usable because there is no seating. The goal of this project is to provide seating so that we can use our beautiful patio overlooking Lane and Royal for outdoor classes or events. The picnic tables will be put on the large patio overlooking Royal, and the benches will be placed along the front of the school which faces Lane Avenue.

First United Methodist Church Downtown – Our goal is to provide a fun, beautiful, safe, creative space by building a playground on our campus that is accessible to the public and intended to primarily serve children ages 5-12 and their parents. There is no public playground within downtown’s boundaries. We have already demolished the outdated equipment and prepared the space to start. We will install new, shaded play equipment promoting creativity, mental stimulation, and exercise as well as outdoor musical instruments. We will also have an area of the community space designated for the Master Gardeners to mentor children and youth with some raised beds.