The Downtown Spokane Partnership is pleased to announce the availability of matching grants to support Spokane businesses located in the Downtown Spokane Business Improvement District (BID) to enhance and repair storefront façades and improve their property visible from the street, the sidewalk experience and appearance of downtown.
Donor Name: Downtown Spokane
State: Washington
City: Spokane
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/02/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to $2,500
Details:
The goal of the Small Business Façade Improvement and Repair Program is to improve the aesthetic of areas of downtown that face challenges associated with vacant and underutilized properties. Research indicates that exterior improvements to buildings lead to increased economic vitality for businesses in that commercial area, along with increased foot traffic and public safety.
Grant awards are intended to improve the aesthetic of downtown by helping business owners upgrade, repair, or address safety needs that may have gone unaddressed due to prioritization of available funding.
Façade improvements may include (but are not limited to): improvements to signage, building entrances, doors and windows, painting, lighting, landscaping, fencing and/or artwork. All work performed under the provisions of this program shall meet all applicable development standards in the City’s adopted zoning, building and safety codes.
Funding Information
- The grant program will provide up to $30,0000 in grants to eligible businesses to invest in renovating or repairing the street-front exteriors of their properties
- The maximum contribution awarded per address is $2,500.
Eligibility Criteria
- Any property owner or tenant of a commercial or industrial building located within the boundary of the Downtown BID
- All interested applicants must first request, and participate in, a Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) assessment of their property or façade
- Projects are for work done to the exterior of the site only; interior work or projects are not eligible.
Eligible Improvements
Any improvement to primary front-facing commercial facades is eligible, such as attached signage, building entrances, doors, windows, awning, brick, stone, tuck-pointing wood, or other building surfaces material. Additionally, flexibility will be given for façade improvements that incorporate design elements to prevent crime (e.g. nighttime lighting, windows looking onto streets and parking lots, etc.), repair damage to facades, and COVID-19 adaptations (example: signage, attached awning, walk-up service window, outdoor seating structures, etc.). Street-facing murals/public art on commercial facades are eligible on a case-by-case basis. Permitting fees for this work, when required, are also eligible expenses for matching grants.
For more information, visit Downtown Spokane.
