Community organizations and local governments in Benton and Washington counties can now apply for $100,000 Community Placemaking Grants to transform underused public spaces into welcoming places where neighbors can gather, connect, and build community.

Project for Public Spaces has announced a new $3.15 million, three-year partnership with the Walton Family Foundation that will fund eight placemaking projects across Northwest Arkansas. In addition to grant funding, selected projects will receive technical assistance in community engagement, design, planning, implementation, and long-term management.

The first application cycle is open now through August 3, 2026, with four projects to be selected. A second round of funding will open later this fall.

The initiative builds on a partnership that began in 2023 and has already supported projects including:

• The Overlook at Mount Sequoyah Center (Fayetteville)

• The Front Porch at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History (Springdale)

• Improvements at Pea Ridge Park, Historic Twin Springs Park, Leverett Elementary School, and Farmington Public Library.

Eligible nonprofits and government agencies are also invited to attend a free informational webinar on Tuesday, July 14, at 12:00 p.m.

Learn more and apply: https://www.pps.org/community-placemaking-grants

Top-left clockwise: The Front Porch at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale; Park features at the Historic Twin Springs Park in Siloam Springs; An amphitheater at Pea Ridge Park in Pea Ridge; The Overlook at Mount Sequoyah Center in Fayetteville