We all know how important the appearance of storefront is to attract and welcome customers into a business. Businesses that take a little more care with the exterior of their storefront by adding a fresh coat of paint, colourful flowers in a planter, or even a few strands of twinkly white lights, attract more customers and increase sales. Attractive storefronts also help create a more vibrant and welcoming atmosphere for a downtown or main street area.

To help our members enhance their storefronts, Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) is launching the ‘Beautify Your Business’ Grant. This Grant will subsidize the cost of freshening up storefronts with a maximum grant of $500.00 including tax per business between the timeframe of April 4, 2022*, and November 16, 2022. The Grant is available to businesses that are categorized as retail, food and drink, personal care/retail services, attractions, and accommodations. Eligible businesses must be located in the DHBC catchment area (see catchment map here).

A business looking to spruce up their storefront can use the grant for anything that improves their exterior for the 2022 spring, summer, fall, and/or holiday season, including:

  • Paint
  • Signage
  • Awnings
  • Lighting
  • Planters
  • Flowers
  • Patio enhancements and furnishings
  • Professional power-washing
  • Holiday decorations and trimmings including but not limited to:
    • Lights
    • Wreaths
    • Garlands
    • Ornaments
  • Labour and/or hardware for any of the above

Businesses should focus on exterior projects that face the street or sidewalk and enhance the pedestrian experience. Interior improvements or improvements to the back of a building or alleyway, are not eligible for the grant.

TO APPLY

*Applications for the Beautify Your Business Grant is now closed.*

nterested businesses or organizations can email Kimberly Dossett, DHBC Director of Finance & Operations , at kimberly@downtownhalifax.ca, by 11:59 pm (ADT) on Friday, October 21, 2022**, with the following information to be considered for a grant:

  • Name of business
  • Address
  • Contact name and title
  • Email and phone number
  • Type of business (e.g. restaurant/bar/café, retail, personal care/retail services, attraction, or accommodation)
  • Outline of what the grant will be used for and when the grant will be used

Applicants are asked to read the Grant’s Terms & Conditions, below, before submitting a grant application.

*All purchases made and/or work done must be dated between Monday, April 4* and Friday, November 16, 2022, to be used within the 2022 spring, summer, fall, and/or holiday season timeframe.

 

TERMS & CONDITIONS

The Beautify Your Business Grant  is offering grants up to a maximum of $500.00, including tax, per business. Businesses are welcome to apply for an amount LESS than $500.00. Beautify Your Business funding is a one-time-only grant to assist businesses and organizations 'beautify' their storefront for either the 2022 summer, fall, and/or holiday season.

To be eligible for the Grant, businesses or organizations must be a Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) member, located in DHBC's catchment area, and are either a retail, food and drink, personal care/retail services, attractions, and/or accommodation-type business. Organizations with more than one business can apply for each business individually.

Exterior enhancements can include the following: paint, signage, awnings, lighting, planters, flowers, patio enhancements and furnishings, professional pressure-washing, decorations including lights, wreaths, garlands, and ornaments, and any labour and/or hardware associated with the improvements. Other items or enhancements may be considered if presented by a business as being necessary to improve the exterior appearance of their storefront. Only improvements or enhancements to the street-facing exterior of a business or organization will be considered. The Grant may not be used for interior improvements.

The Call for Applications is now closed, and applications were accepted until 11:59 pm (ADT) on Friday, October 21, 2022.** Grant applications will be reviewed and approved by DHBC, contingent upon meeting the evaluation criteria and sufficient funds in the overall program. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and applicants will receive notification within five (5) business days if their application is successful or not. If the funds for the grant are depleted before Friday, August 12, 2022, DHBC will make an official announcement by email to all members and applicants that the grant application process is closed.

Businesses can use the grant for purchases made and/or work done between Monday, April 4* and Friday, November 16, 2022. Once the material is purchased and/or the work is done, the business/organization must submit proof of purchase/payment (receipts and/or invoices with dates between April 4* and November 16, 2022), an invoice for the material amount (up to $500.00 including tax) and “before” and “after” photographs of the completed exteriors to Kimberly Dossett, DHBC Director of Finance & Operations, at kimberly@downtownhalifax.ca by Friday, December 9, 2022. DHBC will provide the funds to the businesses once sufficient proof has been submitted. Refunds will be processed every thirty (30) days and mailed directly to the applicants in the form of a cheque. If it is determined by DHBC that a Grant recipient did not use the full amount they were awarded, the materials were purchased outside of the outlined timeframe of Monday, April 4* and Friday, November 16, 2022, or the materials purchased were not eligible or used for the 2022 spring, summer, fall, and/or holiday season, DHBC reserves the right to either deny payment to the grant recipient, or pay an adjusted amount based on valid receipts received. Grants are provided at the discretion of DHBC.

The Beautify Your Business Grant program is financially supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), a division of the Government of Canada. DHBC reserves the right to undertake evaluations, reviews, and audits of the project, and the recipients of the Beautify Your Business Grant program give their consent to DHBC to provide copies of any reviews, evaluations, or audit reports to ACOA and authorizes ACOA to further share the information with other government departments and agencies for performance management of the program. The Grant Recipients also allow ACOA access to the information, documents, and premises of the participants, for the purpose of monitoring compliance with the funding if requested. 

Please direct any additional questions or comments to Kimberly Dossett, DHBC Director of Finance & Operations, at kimberly@downtownhalifax.ca or 902-423-3848. 

*The start date for eligible expenditures has been revised to April 4, 2022. This means that businesses can now apply for reimbursement of any type of exterior improvements/enhancements that were undertaken between April 4, 2022 and November 16, 2022. 

**The application deadline was extended to Friday, October 21. The original deadline was August 12.

 

PHOTOS: Seven Collective Salon, Flower Child, Le French Fix Patisserie