Meeting on Main Street Grants, March 4
By • March 2, 2020 0 502
Reimbursement grants of up to $5,000 are available to dozens of Georgetown businesses whose owners apply to Georgetown Main Street by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 6.
An information session will be held on Wednesday, March 4, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Georgetown Inn, 1310 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
To qualify for a grant, applicants will have to document expenses they have incurred or intend to incur for approved operational and/or physical enhancements during the period from October of 2019 to Sept. 15, 2020.
Small businesses in Georgetown along the mile-long Georgetown Main Street corridor — Wisconsin Avenue between K Street and Whitehaven Parkway NW — are eligible to apply. According to Executive Director Rachel Shank, the new online form makes applications easier than before.
Projects eligible for Storefront and Interior Improvement grants include: façade and storefront improvements, including repairs to masonry, glass, woodwork or other façade components; awning and canopy repairs or replacements; exterior lighting; signage, including signs, mounting brackets and other hardware and window lettering; and interior improvements such as repairs to brickwork, plaster, HVAC systems and furniture and interior decorations including murals, lighting and paint.
Among the projects funded for Business Operation Improvement grants are: business planning, management training, government regulation assistance, marketing and branding assistance (social media, website, storefront/on-site, Yelp reviews, etc.), tax preparation and accounting assistance, legal assistance and one-on-one or collaborative business assistance.
“In 2019, we gave out 14 grants,” Shank told The Georgetowner. “We hope to have many more in 2020.”
Approved grant projects must be completed and paid for by Sept. 15.
Georgetown Main Street is one of 24 independent nonprofit units of the DC Main Streets program, supported by the Department of Small and Local Business Development to “revitalize communities by retaining and recruiting businesses, improving commercial properties and streetscapes, and attracting consumers.”
Grant applications are available at georgetownmainstreet.com.
