Grant
Municipal
Active
Centretown Heritage Façade Improvement Program
City of Ottawa — Heritage Conservation
Maximum Funding
Up to 75% of eligible costs, maximum $75,000 per project
Applications accepted until December 2026 or until budget is exhausted
Difficulty
Moderate
Payment
Reimbursement
Trend
New Program
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Co-Funding
75%
Centretown Heritage Façade Improvement Program provides Up to 75% of eligible costs, maximum $75,000 per project. Cost-sharing grant covering up to 75% of eligible costs (maximum $75,000) for storefront beautification and heritage conservation work on designated commercial buildings along Ottawa's Bank Street / Centretown Heritage Conservation District corridor. The program covers up to 75% of eligible costs. Applications accepted until December 2026 or until budget is exhausted.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
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Program Description
Cost-sharing grant covering up to 75% of eligible costs (maximum $75,000) for storefront beautification and heritage conservation work on designated commercial buildings along Ottawa's Bank Street / Centretown Heritage Conservation District corridor. Funded buildings must be either individually designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act or contributing properties within Part V heritage conservation districts. Open now through December 2026 or until budget is exhausted.
Eligibility Requirements
- Property is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (individually designated), OR is a Contributing property, Grade 1, Grade 2, or Grade 3 property within a Part V Heritage Conservation District
- Owners of non-contributing (Category 4) buildings in Heritage Conservation Districts are not eligible
- Property is located within the Centretown / Bank Street Heritage Conservation District program boundaries
- Owners apply; where a property is leased on a long term to an individual or group, that lessee may apply
- Government and public agencies are not eligible to apply — this includes the City of Ottawa itself, the federal government or Crown corporations, the provincial government, and school boards
- Foreign embassies cannot apply for grants
- Project work must be on the exterior façade and must comply with Ottawa's Heritage Conservation Standards and Guidelines
Provinces
Industries
Business Stage
Quick Assessment
Difficulty
Moderate
Competition
Moderate
First-Timer
Friendly
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to 75% of eligible costs, maximum $75,000 per project
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Municipal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 75% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Applications accepted until December 2026 or until budget is exhausted
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Competition
Moderate
Deadline
Dec 31, 2026
Approval
Good
Accessibility
--/5
Competition
--/5
Approval Rate
--%
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How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
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Insider TipApply early — this is a pilot with limited budget and there is no guarantee of a 2027 renewal.
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Rejection Pitfalls 8
- Property not designated under Part IV and not a Contributing/Grade 1-3 property within a Part V HCD
+7 more pitfalls
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Success Profile
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Evaluation Criteria
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All 8 pitfalls, the checklist and the reviewer notes are in the Playbook below. See what it includes ↓
What's in this Playbook
Everything you need to win Centretown Heritage Façade Improvement Pro...
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 8 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 7-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 6-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 3-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
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6 steps
7 docs
Application Steps
1
Confirm heritage designation and program boundaries Verify that your property is Part IV designated or a Contributing/Grade 1-3 property within the Centretown / Bank Street Part V HCD. Contact Ottawa Heritage Conservation if unsure — they can confirm your property's status quickly.
Required Documents 7
✓ Completed application form (from Ottawa Heritage Conservation office)
✓ Evidence of a long-term lease (where a lessee rather than the owner is applying)
Eligible Expenses 8
Ineligible Expenses 6
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
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3 partners
Compatible Programs
Ontario Heritage Trust — Heritage Property Tax Relief
City of Ottawa — Commercial Building Renovation Grant (if available)
FedDev Ontario
Combined Funding Potential
See your total funding potential
Clawback Risk
Low Risk
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How Centretown Heritage Façade Improvement Pro... Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centretown Heritage Façade Improvemen... | Up to 75% of eligible costs,... | Moderate | Reimbursement | Applications accepted... |
| FedDev Ontario Funding | Varies | Hard | Reimbursement | Ongoing |
| CanExport SMEs | Up to $50,000 | Moderate | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Between intakes — the... |
| Commercial Façade Improvement Grant P... | Up to $12,500 (50% of costs) | Easy | Reimbursement | Annual Intake |
| Storefront Improvement Grant | Up to $25,000 | Moderate | Reimbursement | Three intake windows:... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Centretown Heritage Façade Improvement Pro...
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How do I know if my property qualifies under Part IV or Part V?
Contact Ottawa Heritage Conservation or search the Ontario Heritage Trust's heritage register. Part IV properties are individually designated by the City; Part V properties are in a designated Heritage Conservation District and classified as Contributing, Grade 1, 2, or 3. Non-contributing (Category 4) buildings in an HCD are not eligible.
Can tenants apply, or only property owners?
Owners apply. The only non-owner route the program states is for a property leased on a long term to an individual or group, in which case that lessee may apply — a short-term commercial tenancy with the owner's written permission is not an eligibility route.
Do I need a heritage permit for the work?
Almost certainly yes — exterior alterations to designated heritage properties in Ottawa require a Heritage Permit. The Heritage Conservation team can guide you through the permit and grant application simultaneously.
Is this a pilot program? Will it continue?
Yes — it is currently a pilot running through December 2026. On June 9, 2026 the Built Heritage Committee approved expanding it to more of downtown (including the ByWard Market, Sparks, Elgin, Rideau, Dalhousie and Somerset West), with Council considering the recommendations on June 24, 2026 and funding to be decided in the 2027 budget process. The live program page still describes the Bank Street pilot, so confirm the current boundaries before relying on the expansion.
What's the minimum project size?
There is no published minimum grant or minimum project size — the program simply covers up to 75% of eligible costs to a maximum of $75,000. For the grant to be worth the application effort, your project should realistically be at least $10,000–$20,000 in eligible work.
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Full Playbook: Centretown Heritage Façade Improvement Pro...
6 steps · 7 docs · reviewer insights