GRAFFITI HURTS^®

A national partnership with The Sherwin-Williams Company and its Krylon brand, Graffiti Hurts^® provides communities with educational and programming tools to reduce the incidence and severity of graffiti and tagging.

The Graffiti Hurts^® program is focused on educating people in schools, in communities, in law enforcement and in the media that graffiti hurts our communities. The program addresses community-based solutions for graffiti abatement and prevention.

Graffiti Hurts® National Grant Program

In 2007, KAB launched the Graffiti Hurts^® National Grant Program, which provided $2,000 grants in two population categories: communities with populations over 300,000 and less than 300,000. The Graffiti Hurts^® Grant Program expanded in 2008 to provide an additional $2,000 grant, bringing the total to three grants of $2,000 -- for a community under 100,000 population, a community between 100,000 and 300,000 population, and a community over 300,000 population.

Now, in 2009, the program is offering three grants of $2,500 to communities, an increase of $500 for each grant over 2008 awards. Grants are offered to one community under 100,000 population, one community between 100,000 and 300,000 population, and one community over 300,000 population.

The 2009 Graffiti Hurts^® National Grant Program winners will be announced in September.

2008 Graffiti Hurts^® National Grant Program

The 2008 grant recipients were the Kent (Wash.) Police Department, ASPIRA, Inc. of Newark, N.J., and the Corcoran Neighborhood Organization (Minneapolis, Minn.), all of which received $2,000 graffiti prevention grants.

>Read the press release

2007 Graffiti Hurts^® National Grant Program

The recipients of the 2007 grants were the City of Deming (N.M.) Police Department and the YMCA of Riverside (Calif.) City & County. 

>Read the press release

2006 Graffiti Hurts® National Award Winners

Three cities took top honors in Keep America Beautiful's 2006 Graffiti Hurts^® National Award competition for their innovative and results-focused graffiti prevention programs. The award-winners were: Keep Dallas Beautiful, Dallas, Texas (Communities greater than 300,000 population); Together Against Graffiti, El Mirage, Arizona, (Communities less than 300,000 population); and Celebrate the Arts, Wilmington, N.C. (Paint brush mural).

Entrants in the competition represented the best of local governments, police departments, nonprofit volunteer organizations, and other groups dedicated to eradicating graffiti vandalism. Winning programs receive a cash award of up to $1,000, a plaque, and graffiti prevention prizes.