Happy New Year! It’s time once again to open up the DDA’s local Building Improvement Grant (BIG) program for applications. This long-standing program – formerly known as “facade grants” – provides financial assistance to downtown building owners to assist in renovation and improvement of buildings in our historic downtown. Since 2009, the BIG program and previous versions have been involved in renovating about 20 Downtown Iron Mountain buildings.
The BIG program provides up to $20,000 per year, and up to $10,000 per project, to fund downtown building improvements. Historic buildings – those built before 1940 – are generally eligible for a higher level of funding than buildings built after 1940. Depending on the number and characteristics of applications received by the DDA in any given year, there may be multiple grants awarded. To receive a grant award, the property involved (the applicant) must attain a minimum score of 50 points, and the maximum attainable score is 100 points. While the scoring guidelines provide an objective measure of applicants in the selection process, the DDA Board of Directors reserves the right to make final decisions regarding grant awards.
Applications open on January 2, 2025 and will close on March 28, 2025. A grant review panel will review the applications on April 23, 2025 and applicants are strongly encouraged to present their proposals at City Hall on that date. The DDA Board of Directors will vote on final awards on May 12, 2025 and the selected applicants will be notified by May 14, 2025.
To get all of the details, visit the Building Improvement Grant (BIG) Program page on this website and download the program information and application by clicking on the big green button near the bottom of the page.
For questions and inquiries, please contact Tim McCauley, DDA Program Coordinator, at programs@downtownironmountain.com or call the DDA office at (906) 774-8534.
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