Apply for a Facade Improvement Grant!

Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA) is proud to announce that we received the Business Façade Improvement Grant from Greater Streets Minneapolis! We have $17,000 that we can give to businesses in our neighborhood to help them with the upkeep of their storefronts. If a business is willing to pay for two-thirds of the project, this grant will pay for the final third (up to $5,000). The Façade Improvement matching grant is “designed to help create healthy commercial areas by providing incentives to improve the appearance of building facades and stimulate private investment,” according to Great Street’s website. “The Great Streets program aims to help revitalize and sustain neighborhood business districts.”

The Minnesota branch of the program started in 2008. As the recession hit the United States, the government found a way to help local businesses. Roger Worm, board member for the Southwest Business Association, has seen the program since the beginning. “I think it’s one of the best programs that the city does because it helps businesses do updates that they wouldn’t normally do,” said Worm. “Start-up costs are big and every little bit helps, and this program really helps.” He told me how some businesses “marvel at the savings” from their electricity bills when they added a second window pane or a new door. Among his grant stories, he told me about one business who got a new sign. More customers came to the store. Some would ask, “When did you open?” He has helped administer over 300 grants in 15 rounds of funding for the Southwest Business Association. During his time working with so many grantees, he created a list of vendors businesses have used in the past. Now, with this list of “reliable known capable and cost-effective vendors," he is able to help businesses find competitive prices for the work that needs to be done to help a business thrive. He added that he likes doing this work because “it’s a great way to meet local businesses."

I spoke to two local business owners who have used the grant in the past. “My experience with the façade grant was really golden,” said Mike Welsh, the owner of Nokomis Tattoo (4933 S 34th Ave.). “It was really really exceptional. We didn’t have a lot of money for painting the building, and it was $1,600 or $1,800 to replace the window.” Now his building has beautiful windows and murals on it to make it stand out as an amazing part of our neighborhood.

Mark McDonald, owner of McDonald’s Liquor, also used the grant in 2020 to get an awning at his storefront. “We got three quotes from three awning companies. It was pretty simple… I thought it would be pretty hard since it was the city, but it was pretty simple… The biggest thing is when it’s raining out, you can pull up to the building and you never get wet.”

The façade improvement grant can pay for one-third of a business awnings, signs, exterior paint, masonry repair and more up to $5,000. The Nokomis East Neighborhood Association and the Nokomis East Business Association are proud to actively work with government and local businesses to make our neighborhood a more inviting and economically prosperous place.

If you are interested in applying, and would like to learn more, please check our website at https://www.nokomiseast.org/facade-improvement-grants. We have limited funds, so applications are on a first come, first serve basis. Only businesses who are up to date on all property tax payments and are located in the designated areas are eligible to apply. All work must be visible from a public street, and each business must have at least two bids if the project is more than $5,000. All work must be completed within nine months of the application. To apply, please contact NENA to set up a consultation by calling (612) 724-5652 or emailing nena@nokomiseast.org.