City offering grant funding to businesses interested in making upgrades to public facing portions of storefront
Up to 15 matching grants of up to $5,000 to be awarded to local small businesses in 2022
(MEDFORD)—The City’s Office of Planning, Development, and Sustainability is launching a matching grant program for new and existing small businesses looking to make façade improvements. The program is intended to enhance the exterior appearance of commercial spaces and attract new customers and patrons to the City’s local business scene.
The Medford Storefronts program will award up to 15 grants to small businesses and property owners interested in making street front exterior improvements to lighting, awnings, signage, and new paint. The grant will reimburse 50% of a business owner’s qualifying project costs up to $5,000.
“Our local businesses have been incredibly resilient these past two years, adapting to a changing social environment while still serving and assisting the public,” Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said. “This grant program will help those businesses in need of some cosmetic upgrades and hopefully bring more people to Medford to shop, eat and enjoy everything we have to offer.”
As part of the grant program, successful applicants will receive design and construction management assistance from Favermann Design, the on-call urban design consultant designated by the City and funded through an additional Massachusetts Gaming Commission grant. As part of the design consulting services provided to the city, Favermann Design will also develop storefront design guidelines for Medford’s commercial districts.
The Office of Planning, Development, and Sustainability will begin accepting expression of interest applications from May 17th through May 31st and full applications to Round 1 of the grant program from May 24th through June 14th. The city anticipates opening a second round of funding in the fall, subject to available funds.
Interested businesses and commercial property owners can attend a virtual public information session on May 13th at 10am. The Office of Planning, Development, & Sustainability will also be offering drop-in office hours during the following times:
Monday, May 16th from 9-10am | Zoom
Wednesday, May 18th from 5-6pm | In person at City Hall, Rm. 207
Friday, May 20th from 10-11am | Zoom
Tuesday, May 24th from 1-2pm | In Person at City Hall, Rm. 207
Thursday, May 26th from 10-11am | Zoom
For more information regarding the Storefronts grant Program, visit http://www.medfordma.org/storefront-improvement/ . Please contact Medford’s Office of Planning, Development, and Sustainability at 781-393-2480 or yniwa@medford-ma.gov with any questions.