On June 16, Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Board of Public Works announced the Clean Streets L.A. Challenge, which will reward neighborhood councils and other community groups for innovative strategies to keep streets clean and clear.

The competition extends Mayor Garcetti’s Clean Streets Initiative, awarding a total of $25,000 in grants for creative and efficient proposals to prevent illegal dumping and keep neighborhoods clean.

“Angelenos know their neighborhoods best, and they take pride in where they live,” said Mayor Garcetti. “The Challenge will tap into their knowledge and that passion and bring new energy to the work of keeping L.A.’s streets clean for our families and neighbors.”

The grant challenge is open to Neighborhood Councils, community based organizations and nonprofit groups. Applicants will be required to form a partnership across three organizations, at least one of which must be a neighborhood council.

Successful applicants will then start a pilot program, with results due in November and winners announced at the end of the year. Groups will be evaluated on their strategies for recruiting volunteers, hosting clean-ups, reporting dumped items and raising awareness on social media.

“We are so inspired by all the supporters of the Clean Streets L.A. Initiative who have rallied to initiate, create, and commit to local neighborhood and business corridor improvement efforts,” said Enrique Zaldivar, general manager of L.A. Sanitation. “This contest aligns with our collective pursuit for a better quality of life, economic prosperity, and public health for all Angelenos.”

“Neighborhood Councils are doing amazing projects citywide to keep their communities clean,” said Grayce Liu, general manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. “We’re happy that the Clean Streets L.A. Challenge builds upon their great work and provides opportunities for exciting collaborations.”

The Clean Streets Initiative is aimed at eliminating trash and illegal dumping from L.A. streets. A key element of the initiative is CleanStat, which regularly surveys and grades the cleanliness of all city streets. The results of the CleanStat assessment can be viewed at www.cleanstreetsla.org/cleanstat.

For more information on the Clean Streets L.A. Challenge, visit lamayor.org/join-clean-streets-la-challenge.