Storefront Improvement Grant
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- The heaviest thing to produce is technical documentation. 14 ask for that.
- Scored mainly on community benefit. 17 lead with that.
- What does not disqualify you: Proof of property ownership. 119 record an exemption like this.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Matching reimbursement grant for large, significant exterior renovations in designated Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) of Edmonton.
Eligibility Requirements
- Property owner — or a tenant/representative with written owner authorization — of a building in an Edmonton Business Improvement Area or other Council-approved Target Area
- Building has a commercial ground-floor use facing a public street; home-based businesses do not qualify
- Property has not previously received a Storefront Improvement Grant or Facade Improvement Program Grant
- Project includes at least three improvements, including at least one critical improvement: redesigning the storefront; upgrading windows and/or doors; re-cladding the building with new materials; adding awnings or canopies; installing new permanent patios, walk-up counters, rolling doors, windows that open onto the sidewalk, or other active streetfront uses (not including sidewalk cafes); installing new accessibility features such as ramps, handrails, or automatic doors; parking-lot improvements (if the building has a front parking lot); or a privately funded, professionally installed mural covering over 50% of a wall facing a public sidewalk
- Construction work has not started
- Building will have clear, unobscured street-level windows once construction is complete and for the 5-year maintenance period — no more than 10% of total glazing may be obscured at project end (Procedure 2.2.2)
- Property must be current on municipal property taxes (most recent property tax notice required at reimbursement)
- Property is not subject to outstanding City of Edmonton work orders or bylaw violations
- Building is 20 years old or older (Building Age = the year built per municipal tax records)
- Buildings built specifically to accommodate auto-oriented uses, such as gas stations, are not eligible
- Work must be performed or overseen by a general contractor holding a valid City of Edmonton business licence; if the owner does the work themselves, only materials are reimbursable
- The first storey of the building must always be improved in order to receive a grant
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $25,000 (mid-block), $30,000 (corner building with one active facade) or $50,000 (corner building with two active facades) — 50% of eligible costs
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Municipal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Three intake windows: February 1-28, April 1-30, November 1-30 (next: November 2026)
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Moderate — standard requirements
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipInclude professional architectural renderings even if not strictly required — the Project Review Committee heavily weights design quality.
Rejection Pitfalls 11
- Construction started before application approval
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How the City of Edmonton judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents on edmonton.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-11.
6 of the sources
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What the City of Edmonton favours
Give the Project Review Committee detail on your renovations and expected outcomes◦
“TIP: The more information you give the Project Review Committee about what renovations you are doing, why you are doing this work and what you think the outcome will be, the more likely your application is to be successful.”
The form
Applicant and project
- 1Part 1: Applicant Informationshort answer
- 2Part 1: Project Informationshort answer
- 3Part 1: Other City of Edmonton grant programscheckboxes
Eligibility and scope
- 4Part 2: Eligibility Criteriacheckboxes
- 5Part 2: Critical improvementscheckboxes
- 6Part 2: All other renovations in scopelist
Design and impact
- 7Part 3: How the renovation improves the buildingcheckboxes
- 8Part 3: Other reasons for renovatingwritten answer
Are there any other reasons why you are renovating your storefront?
- 9Part 3: Design principles metcheckboxes
- 10Part 3: How the project addresses each principle checkedwritten answer
Explain to the Project Review Committee how your storefront renovation project addresses each principle you checked off above. Here are some examples:
- 11Part 3: Front parking lot improvementswritten answer
- 12Part 3: Anything else for the Committeewritten answer
Documents
- 13Part 4: Attached Documentationcheckboxes
Declaration
- 14Part 5: Applicant Declarationcheckboxes
Before applying
- 15Before applying: mandatory consultation with the Program Managershort answer
After approval
- 16After approval: stage-two documents for the Reimbursement Agreementcheckboxes
- 17After construction: the reimbursement claimcheckboxes
the City of Edmonton states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Does the design make the street better?
Show them For every design principle you tick, name the physical element in the scope and the effect it has on the person on the sidewalk, in one sentence each.◦
- 2
Is this building and owner eligible?
What to show them in Premium
- 3
Is the scope substantial enough?
What to show them in Premium
- 4
Can we see it, and can it be built?
What to show them in Premium
5 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Where applicants fail
“If you start work before the Reimbursement Agreement is signed, the project will not receive a grant-- even if it was approved by the Project Review Committee.”
“If this documentation is not provided within three months of the approval letter, the project file will be closed and the funding reallocated.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 17 rules that can reject you and every pitfall. Then we draft your application for you.
14 more rules that can reject you · 15 more prompts · 6 more pitfalls
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
You
Owner or owner's designate applies
The applicant must be the building owner(s) or that person's designate
The project
Building is 20 years or older
The Building Age must be 20 years or older
Clear glass, little obscuring
Projects that cannot achieve a Storefront with transparent glass or less than 10% of the total glazing obscured by the end of the project are not eligible for the Program.
1 thing this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Grant ceilingUp to 50%, max $25,000-$50,000
A matching reimbursement grant of up to 50% of eligible construction costs, to a maximum of $25,000 for a mid-block building; $30,000 for a corner building with one active facade ($25,000 for the active facade, $5,000 for the inactive facade); $50,000 for a corner building with two active facades ($25,000 per facade). Maximum grant amounts are not guaranteed and lesser amounts may be allocated at the discretion of the City.
Paid after completionOnly after completion, permits, taxes paid
The Storefront Improvement Program grant is paid only when: all construction work associated with the project is completed and formal permit reports have been issued by the City (if permits were required to complete the work); the work conforms to changes/improvements as outlined in the executed Reimbursement Agreement; the applicant provides a current tax notice showing all municipal property taxes are paid; and all invoices, proof of payments and cost summaries have been submitted and reviewed/approved by the City.
Cheque timingThree to six weeks
It usually takes three to six weeks to issue a reimbursement cheque. The applicant is responsible for payment of all contractors; the City will not pay the contractors directly.
Maintenance clawbackRepay up to 50% of grant
All storefront renovations supported by the Storefront Improvement Program must be maintained for 5 years. This includes general maintenance, graffiti removal, and keeping windows and doors clear of clutter, vinyl wraps and security bars or shutters. If the owner fails to maintain the building, they may be required to repay up to 50% of the grant.
Doing the work yourselfMaterials only; licensed contractor required
If you wish to do the work yourself (no contractor) then only the cost of the materials is eligible for reimbursement. Work must be performed or overseen by a general contractor with a valid City of Edmonton business license.
Your shareUp to 50% of eligible construction costs
up to 50% of eligible construction costs
Costs before approvalNo work before executed Reimbursement Agreement
To be eligible for reimbursement, no work, excluding design and engineering work, may be performed until a Reimbursement Agreement has been signed by all parties and fully executed by the City.
What it pays for · 12
- design/engineering fees (the program may reimburse up to 20% of the total grant)
- Project management and administration costs (the program may reimburse up to 10% of the total grant)
- labour
- new paint or cladding
- adding new or replacing existing windows or doors
- electrical and light fixtures
- signage
- landscaping
- repairing or upgrading canopies and awnings
- permanent patios on private property
- bike racks and/or benches
- brick power wash cleaning
What it does not pay for · 7
- Examples of ineligible costs include permit fees, insurance, gas, tools, consumables, cell phone fees and other incidental costs.
- Bars and shutters are not an eligible cost and will not be reimbursed through the Storefront Improvement Program.
- Reducing transparency by removing storefront windows or filling them with glass blocks
- Mirrored, frosted or tinted windows or doors, or windows or doors with vinyl wraps, advertisements or other obstructions and/or visual clutter
- Digital screens, flashing signage, backlit box signage
- Radically altering the design of a building with the potential for heritage designation
- Removing ramps, curb cuts or other accessibility features
From application to money
- Meet the Program ManagerConsult Program Manager before applying
- Apply during a windowApply in February, April or November
- Project Review Committee reviewReview in four to five weeks
- Sign the Reimbursement AgreementAgreement within three months of approval
- Build within 12 monthsConstruction finished within twelve months
- Claim reimbursementClaim within 30 days of completion
In the funder’s words · 6
- Meet the Program Manager
- Prior to submitting an application the applicant shall consult with the Program Manager regarding the application process, requirements, criteria, rules of eligibility and project design.
- Apply during a window
- Applications are accepted only inside a published application period, and applications submitted outside one will not be accepted.
- Project Review Committee review
- The Project Review Committee reviews the application and recommends approval, approval with conditions, or refusal to the Deputy City Manager.
- Sign the Reimbursement Agreement
- Two quotes, a cost breakdown, the contractor's City of Edmonton business licence number, a budget summary and copies of permit applications go to the Program Manager within three months of the approval letter, producing the Reimbursement Agreement. (Within three months of the date on the approval letter)
- Build within 12 months
- Construction must finish within twelve months of the executed Reimbursement Agreement, and a Pre-Construction Inspection confirms no work has started. (Twelve months from execution of the Agreement)
- Claim reimbursement
- Send paid invoices, proof of payment, a cost summary, the tax notice and permit service reports to the Program Manager.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win Storefront Improvement Grant
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 11 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 9-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 10-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
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 9
Eligible Expenses 11
Ineligible Expenses 7
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskHow Storefront Improvement Grant Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storefront Improvement Grant | Up to $25,000 | Moderate | Reimbursement | Three intake windows:... |
| Commercial Façade Improvement Grant P... | Up to $12,500 (50% of costs) | Easy | Reimbursement | Annual Intake |
| Storefront Refresh Grant | Up to $1,000 (50% of costs) | Easy | Reimbursement | Ongoing |
| Yukon Economic Development Fund (EDF) | up to $30,000 | Moderate | Milestone-Based | Tier 1 (up to $30,000):... |
| Circular Economy Grant Program | $5,000 - $25,000 | Moderate | Reimbursement | Between intakes — 2026... |
Related Programs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Storefront Improvement Grant