The City of Des Moines is partnering with Invest DSM to pilot a citywide Block Challenge Grant Program. Starting July 1, the City in partnership with Invest DSM will accept applications from neighborhood teams wanting to make exterior home improvements of all sizes, from a new mailbox to an addition or a new garage.

For further information and requirements, please see follow this link to the City of Des Moines website for this grant.

For any questions, please email bcgrant@dmgov.org or call (515) 283-4500.

As a result of the COVID19 pandemic, there will be no DSM Open Street event in 2021.  We hope to see you all in 2022!

After much consideration, the Friends of SW 9th board members voted unanimously to cancel the 2020 DSM Open Street Festival on SW 9th. The primary concern is safety as it relates to Covid 19 and social distancing. It now seems that re-opening the economy has had mixed results at best throughout the nation. We may not know the full ramifications for several weeks. The Festival doesn’t have ticketing or any other controls on how many guests will attend and by design requires interactions with vendors in close proximity. Furthermore, the board believes that the decision should be made now as planning for this event takes months and many volunteer hours. We want to thank our guests, sponsors and vendors for their past and future support. We look forward to our biggest and best festival in 2021. See you next year!