Improvement grants beyond the facade
Signs, interiors, build-outs: smaller matching grants that reach the businesses a facade grant never will.
Improvement grants beyond the facade cover signs, interior renovation, tenant build-out and sometimes equipment, usually on a 50/50 match with a cap. They reach service businesses and second-generation spaces that a facade grant never touches.
What is a small business improvement grant?
A facade grant only helps the businesses with a storefront to fix. The next step is a grant that covers what happens inside and on the sign. Dayton's Small Business Grant Program covers facade work, tenant build-out and interior renovations on a 50-50 match, up to $7,500 for exterior and $7,500 for interior projects, and the city's Downtown Improvement Grant covers larger projects on the same match up to $25,000, with signage, parking and landscaping eligible as part of a bigger job.
Service businesses, restaurants moving into a second-generation space, and the shop whose sign fell apart in the last storm: this is the grant that reaches them.
Why does it work?
- Small checks reach many businesses.
- A new sign is the most visible fix on the block.
- Interior and build-out money is what gets a vacant space filled.
How do you start a small business improvement grant?
- Decide the categories (sign, interior, build-out, equipment) and the cap for each.
- Write a one-page application.
- Reimburse on receipts after an inspection.
- Cap one award per business per year.
- Track every award and report the private match it pulled in.
Texas examples
- City of Dayton, Texas, Incentives and Grants: Small Business Grant and Downtown Improvement Grant
- City of Taft, Business Rebuilding and Facade Improvements Grant Program (2025)
What to watch out for
- Eligibility under the Development Corporation Act is a legal question. Get the answer in writing before you publish the program.
- Never fund operating costs. Fund things that stay with the building or the business.
Pair it with: the facade grant. Run them as one application with two checkboxes.
Questions directors ask
What do these grants typically cover?
Signage, interior renovation and tenant build-out, with landscaping and parking sometimes eligible as part of a larger project. Dayton, Texas covers exterior and interior work on a 50-50 match, up to $7,500 each.
What should never be funded?
Operating costs. Fund things that stay with the building or the business.
Is EDC sales tax money eligible?
It depends on the project and your EDC type. Get the legal answer in writing before the program is published.