April 18 Deadline to Submit Applications; Public Information Session Set for March 19

Durham business owners interested in funds to help improve their building locations should now apply for a City of Durham grant opportunity.

The City of Durham Office of Economic and Workforce Development is accepting applications for targeted areas inside the city limits for Building Improvement Grants. Proposed projects must be within the Downtown Development Tier, including Parrish Street and the Ninth Street Commercial Corridor.

The Building Improvement Grant requires that eligible applicants own the building at the time of the application and the project must be private property and non-residential. Capital investment improvements must be on an existing building that has vacant spaces for the purpose of improving and/or upgrading the interior and exterior in order to make the first floor more rentable or retail or restaurant-ready. The total value of the project cannot exceed $1 million and the minimum total project capital investment must be at least $225,000.  Building Improvement Grant recipients are eligible to receive up to $75,000 in matching funds from the grant program. The eligibility for public incentive payment and the amount of payment will be based upon the likelihood of success of the project and the need for public funds as determined by a competitive scoring process based   upon submitted proposals. To determine whether a project is within the eligible geographic location, business owners should contact the Durham Development Services Center at (919) 560-4137.

An overview of the grant guidelines and application process is now available on the City’s website. Business owners seeking additional assistance are encouraged to attend a public information session on Tuesday, March 19 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Durham City Hall, 101 City Hall Plaza, in Conference Room 1A where they can meet directly with City staff.

The deadline to apply for this grant is 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 18. Interested applicants who need more information may also contact Senior Economic Development Coordinator Reginald Jones with the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development by [email protected] or at (919) 560-4965, ext. 15207.