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Keep Route 66 Beautiful

Applications are closed for 2025.
This is an image of a rolling stretch of Historic Route 66 next to a new 4-lane highway with cars and semi-trucks driving on it.
This image is a shield shape with a ribbon across the bottom and the outline of Oklahoma at its base. The shield says "Keep Route 66" and the ribbon says "beautiful."

Celebrate 100 Years of Route 66 

with Keep Oklahoma Beautiful Grants!

 

To honor the 100th anniversary of Route 66, Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is launching a new initiative to beautify the Mother Road and build strong community partnerships across the state's 400+ miles of historic highway.

Route 66 Grant Applications Are Closed

Thank you to everyone who applied for Route 66 Centennial grants! We received amazing interest from communities across Oklahoma.

Applications are now closed. We approved grants for many projects and need to focus on helping those communities complete their projects before the 2026 deadline.

We're working hard to find more funding. Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is actively raising money to support more Route 66 projects. If we're successful, we hope to open applications again in 2026.

Want updates? Follow us on social media @keepokbeautiful or check back at keepok.org.

Select the icons below to learn about programs. 

 

Keep Route 66 Beautiful Resources

At KOB, our goal is to foster strong community partnerships and support local economies through the Keep Route 66 Beautiful funding. Plants and other supplies are sourced from locally owned nurseries and businesses whenever possible. Nursery partners must use sustainable practices that minimize harm to native wildlife and landscapes.

  • Paint a community building! As part of KOB's Paint Oklahoma Beautiful program, free recycled, eco-friendly paint is available to communities that want to refresh a public structure (community buildings, picnic tables, park benches, main street buildings, etc.).

  • Pick up trash with free supplies! Help us celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 by keeping Oklahoma’s stretch of the Mother Road clean, safe, and beautiful for the next hundred years. Whether it’s a mile, a block, or a whole downtown, every cleanup counts.

  • Plant native trees! We're partnering with rural communities along Western Oklahoma's stretch of Route 66 to plant beautiful, native Caddo Sugar Maple Trees in clusters of five. Each grove will help shade travelers, beautify neighborhoods, and create a living tribute to one of America’s most iconic highways.

  • Pollinators need our help! Turn open spaces into ideal habitats for Oklahoma's pollinators (bees, birds, bats, and butterflies).

  • Purge waste and protect our environment! Keep Oklahoma Beautiful partners with organizations across the state to help communities safely dispose of hazardous waste and difficult-to-recycle materials.

  • If you have an idea for a community project, let us know what you're thinking! We'd love to partner with people passionate about keeping Oklahoma a beautiful place to live. Please fill out this grant application to have your project considered.

Please submit your report through the Keep Route 66 Beautiful Portal.

Approved applicants will get an email to log in to the portal for the first time. Please apply for a program before requesting an account. 

 

 

 

Keep Route 66 Beautiful is a two-year intensive initiative focusing on Oklahoma's 400+ miles of historic roadway and nearby communities. Keep Route 66 Beautiful runs through December 31, 2026. Working with communities along the Route, we can improve visitor, tourism, and community experiences. Let's work together to keep Oklahoma's stretch of the "Mother Road" clean and green for its 2026 100th anniversary.