What grants are available for neighborhood improvements? 
The Orange County Neighborhood Services Division offers several grant opportunities to neighborhood organizations for neighborhood improvements, please visit our ReNEW Grants and Other Funding Page.

How can residents get a neighborhood organization started in their neighborhood?
One of the first steps to take is defining your neighborhood boundaries. Establish a core group of three to five concerned citizens. Informally meet to shape the initial organizing thrust of the neighborhood organization. Discuss or appoint individuals or committees to research and recommend organizational structure, including possible bylaws, incorporation and tax exempt status. Discuss goals, projects, and concerns. Identify other potential leaders in the neighborhood.  And, contact your Orange County Neighborhood Services Division to obtain assistance with these early stages of neighborhood organizing, email Wes.Johnson@ocfl.net.

How can my neighborhood organization or homeowners' association receive important information from the County?
Simply register your organization with the Orange County Neighborhood Organization Directory.

How do I register my neighborhood organization or homeowners' association with Orange County?
Complete and submit a Neighborhood Organization Directory online registration form or mail/fax a completed registration to the address below.  If you have any further questions about registering your association, please email Maria.Figueras@ocfl.net.

Orange County Neighborhood Services Division
Post Office Box 1393
Orlando, FL 32802-1393
Fax: 407-836-0920

How can I research the existence of a homeowners' association or neighborhood organizations within Orange County?
You can search online through Orange County's Neighborhood Organization Directory, which lists neighborhood organizations and homeowners' associations that have voluntarily registered with the County. Or, you can search online through the Florida Division of Corporations database of corporations for listings of mandatory homeowners' associations that exist within the State of Florida.

What is the difference between becoming incorporated as a not-for-profit organization and becoming a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization?
Incorporating an organization of persons through a state office, provides legal recognition that the organization exists within the specified state as a legal not-for-profit corporate entity. In the state of Florida, this occurs when articles of incorporation and fees are submitted to the Florida Department of State ~ Division of Corporations.

The status of 501(c)(3) is an Internal Revenue Code that represents a nonprofit tax-exempt organization. A 501(c)(3) organization can be a charitable, community, educational, scientific, literary, etc. establishment. The organization must meet the Federal Governments 501(c)(3) requirements to apply for this status to be exempt from taxes at both the federal and state level.  For further information about 501(c)(3) or other types of tax exempt status go to: Internal Revenue Services, IRS.gov.