2 Separate Grant Programs Available for St. Cloud Businesses

ST. CLOUD -- Soon businesses in the core of St. Cloud will be able to apply for two separate improvement grants.

St. Cloud Economic Development Authority Executive Director Cathy Mehelich says business owners can apply for the Minnesota Main Street Grant starting on July 1st.
This is a grant we first told you about a month ago.

She says eligible properties can get up to a 30 percent grant for repairs, renovations, new construction, and demolition in the downtown core both east and west of the Mississippi River.

We are already receiving a great deal of interest, I probably have a list of two dozen interested parties large and small and all in between for proposed renovations and projects that could be very impactful for downtown, and stalled by the availability of capital for these improvements.

On Tuesday the EDA board approved another separate small grant program for exterior improvements. They made $100,000 available for starting a facade improvement program in the same downtown area as the first grant.

It is a matching grant, so up to $10,000 in matching funds for facade improvements. This program as well will be launched on July 1st. It cannot be used in conjunction with the other grant. It needs to be one or the other.

Below is a map of the area included for eligible grant applications for both grants.

Image courtesy of the city of St. Cloud