Stamford, CT, Jan. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Keep America Beautiful® today announced it is now accepting applications for the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Corridor Community Grants, a national program supporting community-led efforts to revitalize and beautify roads, neighborhoods, and parks named in honor of the civil rights leader. Target is the lead sponsor of the program, with additional support from The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation.
Across the United States, more than 950 MLK corridors serve as critical connectors between neighborhoods and commercial districts. Many of these corridors are located in historically under-resourced communities, highlighting both the challenges and the opportunity for meaningful investment and collective action.
The MLK Corridor Community Grants help communities reimagine and enhance these spaces through projects such as creating gardens and green spaces, painting murals, removing litter and debris, and installing recycling infrastructure.
Since the program launched in 2020, Keep America Beautiful has awarded more than $750,000 in grants, engaging thousands of volunteers in hands-on improvement projects along or near MLK Boulevards nationwide.
The 2025 grants supported the following projects:
- Keep Mobile Beautiful (Mobile, AL): Cleaned and restored three historic MLK Avenue sites through litter removal, cemetery restoration planning, façade and sign preservation of a National Register landmark, and the creation of a community mural honoring the corridor’s civil rights legacy.
- I Love A Clean San Diego (Del Mar / Oceanside, CA): Organized community cleanups and environmental education events within MLK corridors and partnered with students to design and install a mural at O’Farrell Charter School celebrating environmental justice and Dr. King’s legacy.
- Keep Winter Park Beautiful & Sustainable (Winter Park, FL): Built a community garden at MLK Park featuring edible plants and educational signage, expanding access to healthy food while providing hands-on sustainability education for residents.
- Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission (Macon, GA): Expanded and relocated school garden beds and added a wildflower and butterfly garden at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School to support outdoor learning and youth engagement.
- Keep Slidell Beautiful | City of Slidell (Slidell, LA): Revitalized Ducksworth Park with murals, landscaping, playground and pavilion improvements, and youth-led art projects celebrating Dr. King’s life and legacy.
- Keep Charlotte Beautiful (Charlotte, NC): Rehabilitated an unused greenhouse at a Title I school on MLK Boulevard, creating an inclusive green space for students with disabilities to grow produce, support pollinators, and engage the surrounding community.
- Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful (Utica, NY): Transformed a formerly unwelcoming entrance area at an early childhood education center into a shaded, park-like gathering space with seating, trees, and native plantings for families and caregivers.
- Jersey City Free Public Library Foundation (Jersey City, NJ): Launched a Clean and Green Initiative combining litter cleanups, infrastructure upgrades, new plantings, and community gardens to create safer, more inviting public spaces near the library.
- Memphis City Beautiful Commission (Memphis, TN): Installed artistic crosswalks and street banners in the historic Peabody Vance neighborhood to honor Dr. King’s legacy and increase visibility and care along the MLK Avenue corridor.
- Looping Us Together (San Angelo, TX): Revitalized public spaces along the MLK corridor through murals, landscaping, and cleanups led by local artists, volunteers, and community-based vendors.
- Keep Denton Beautiful | City of Denton (Denton, TX): Partnered with youth volunteers to design and paint a landmark mural at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, fostering creative expression and community pride.
- Urban ArtWorks (Seattle, WA): Engaged local youth apprentices and volunteers to design and install a large-scale mural along the MLK Jr. Corridor, beautifying a commercial area while providing paid opportunities for young artists.
- Tennessee Environmental Council (Nashville, TN): Planted native trees and shrubs at Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet School and nearby neighborhoods to expand green space, reduce heat, and engage students and residents in environmental stewardship.
“MLK corridors reflect the strength, resilience, and pride of the communities they serve,” said Jennifer Lawson, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “Through this program, we honor Dr. King’s legacy by investing in local leadership and supporting projects that create visible, lasting improvements—while advancing environmental stewardship and community pride.”
Grants are available to Keep America Beautiful affiliates, nonprofit organizations, local governments, and community groups. Eligible projects must be located along or near MLK corridors and should address locally identified needs while promoting inclusion, equity, and self-determination. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $20,000.
Applications for the 2026 MLK Corridor Community Grants are due by 5:00 p.m. ET on February 16, 2026. Grant award announcements will be made March–April 2026, with funded projects implemented May through December 2026. Keep America Beautiful requires all grant recipients to complete both interim and final reports as part of the program.
Click HERE to learn more about the MLK Corridor Community Grant and how to apply.
About Keep America Beautiful®:
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to end littering, improve recycling, and beautify America’s communities. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.
Attachments
McCall Vrydaghs Keep America Beautiful (845) 863-5621 mvrydaghs@kab.org
