Business Facade Improvement Program

The Business Facade Improvement Program is a City of Decatur grant program intended to encourage improvements to the appearance of commercial building facades and support the economic vitality of the surrounding area. The City states that improving building facades can have a significant impact on the attractiveness and marketability of an area. Better building aesthetics can increase property values, improve the marketability of space within buildings, and help draw businesses and residents to the area. The program is currently accepting applications. The program provides grants to eligible commercial businesses and property owners that complete qualified facade rehabilitation projects. For purposes of the program, an eligible facade is the front face or elevation of a building, which typically faces the street and contains the building's windows and principal entrance. The program therefore focuses on improvements associated with the visible exterior presentation of eligible commercial properties. Eligible work identified by the City includes facade renovation, repair or installation of storefront windows, awnings, doors, signs, exterior lighting, parking lots, and landscaping. These activities support the program's broader objective of improving the appearance, attractiveness, and marketability of commercial areas. The supplied source does not identify additional eligible expenses, expressly prohibited expenses, project-location boundaries, procurement requirements, or other restrictions, so such requirements should be verified in the Business Facade Program Manual before project costs are incurred or an application is submitted. The program offers a repayment matching grant of up to $25,000 of approved project costs. A project must have a minimum project cost of $5,000. The $5,000 figure is identified as the minimum project cost rather than a minimum grant award and therefore should not be interpreted as an expressly stated award floor. Although the program is described as a matching grant, the supplied source does not state the required matching percentage, ratio, or applicant contribution. Applicants should consult the program manual for the specific match structure, reimbursement or repayment conditions, documentation requirements, and other financial terms. Eligibility is described in the supplied information as extending to eligible commercial businesses and property owners completing qualified facade rehabilitation projects. The source is presented as a City of Decatur program and provides City of Decatur contact information, but the supplied text does not expressly state the precise geographic eligibility boundary or specify whether all properties within Decatur qualify. It also does not provide additional eligibility conditions concerning business size, ownership structure, property occupancy, tenant participation, or property-owner authorization. Those requirements, if applicable, should be confirmed from the program manual. The source identifies a Business Facade Application PDF and a Business Facade Program Manual PDF, indicating that applicants should use the program's designated application materials and consult the manual for program requirements. However, no complete PDF URL, application portal URL, application opening date, final deadline, pre-application requirement, evaluation criteria, review schedule, award notification date, or project performance period is included in the supplied text. The page expressly states that the program is currently accepting applications, but it does not state that applications are accepted continuously or year-round and does not establish a recurring application cycle. The identified program contact is LeAnne Bond, Grants Specialist - Project Implementation. The supplied telephone number is 217-424-2797. Although the source includes the text "Email LeAnne Bond," it does not provide the actual email address, so an email address cannot be entered without additional source information. General City of Decatur contact information is also provided at 1 Gary K. Anderson Plaza, Decatur, Illinois 62523, with the City's general telephone number of 217-424-2700. Applicants seeking details not contained in the supplied program description should use the identified program contact and consult the Business Facade Program Manual and Business Facade Application.

Align the proposed facade rehabilitation with the City's stated goals of improving attractiveness, marketability, property values, and economic vitality; ensure proposed work corresponds to the listed eligible improvements.