Seventh Round City of Albany Small Business Facade Improvement Program Application Window Now Open
April 1, 2025
Now Accepting Applications, Matching Grant Program Reopens For City Of Albany Small Business Owners To Reinvest And Grow
View Announcement Press Release
Applications are now available as part of the City of Albany Small Business Façade Improvement Program’s Round seven funding window with matching grants being made available to support small business owners citywide. The program can provide matching grants to assist eligible small businesses and not-for-profits with up to $10,000 for exterior renovations.
For questions and technical assistance business owners can contact the City’s economic development organization Capitalize Albany Corporation at [email protected]. For an application and program resources visit www.CapitalizeAlbany.com/Grants. Grant applications are due at 3 p.m. on May 14, 2025.
An announcement was made outside the Copper Crow restaurant and bar located at 904 Broadway in Albany’s warehouse district. A previous grant awardee, the Copper Crow received program funding to assist with the replacement of its exterior awning on the North side of the building which was in a state of disrepair.
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Previous rounds of the Small Business Façade Improvement Program have been tremendously successful. Since 2018 more than 50 City of Albany businesses throughout 16 different Albany neighborhoods and commercial districts have received matching grant awards to support owners’ reinvestments into their properties. To date, the program has leveraged more than $725,000.00 in private investment. The program is made possible by the City of Albany Capital Resource Corporation and the Albany Community Development Agency and is administered by Capitalize Albany Corporation.
Since 2016 Capitalize Albany has designed and administered several grant programs including the Small Business Façade Improvement Program. Across its administered programs the Corporation has made grant awards totaling more than $2.4 million to assist small businesses and organizations throughout the City of Albany. More than 90 percent of this funding has been awarded within Albany Community Development Agency’s Neighborhood Strategy Areas (NSAs) and Qualified Census Tracts. These programs have leveraged more than $3.3 million in new, private investment throughout the Capital City. The Facade Program is not only designed to support and provide critical assistance to small businesses citywide — the program encourages new investment in City of Albany identified NSAs and the creation of low barrier to entry level jobs for City of Albany and Capital Region residents. In an effort to increase employment opportunities for local residents the City of Albany’s office of Youth & Workforce Services has been available to work with awarded applicants on identifying localized talent for their expanding small businesses.
The current application window is open as of April 1 and will close on May 14 at 3 p.m. Details regarding eligible applicants and improvements can be found in the Program Guidelines. An overview of improvements or renovations eligible to receive support include decorative or functional enhancements such as exterior signs, lighting, energy conservation, windows, awnings, storefronts and entrances, doors, brickwork, painting, repair to decorative details, cornices, correction of code violations, removal of non-historic materials, and upgrades of blighted buildings. Grants can also support renovations to improve compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Improvements to interiors, parking lots, or sidewalks are not eligible improvements.
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