Updated August 2026 · Verified against City of Windsor guidelines
✓ First-Timer Friendly Reimbursement
Grant Municipal Active

Windsor Downtown Facade Improvement Program

City of Windsor
Maximum Funding
50% of eligible costs
No closing date is stated on the application form. A pre-application meeting ...
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Difficulty
Moderate
Payment
Reimbursement
Trend
Stable
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Co-Funding
50%
Windsor Downtown Facade Improvement Program provides up to 50% of eligible facade costs, up to $20,000 per property; may be increased by up to $10,000 per property/project for additional-criteria projects. Provides 50% of eligible façade improvement costs, up to $20,000 per property, with a possible additional $10,000 for highly visible side/rear or heritage projects. The program covers up to 50% of eligible costs. No closing date is stated on the application form. A pre-application meeting with City planning staff comes first..

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Eligibility & Details

What this program funds and who can apply

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Program Description

Provides 50% of eligible façade improvement costs, up to $20,000 per property, with a possible additional $10,000 for highly visible side/rear or heritage projects. Subject to availability of funds; no fixed deadline.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Applicant must be a registered owner, assessed owner, or tenant of land/buildings within the Downtown Windsor CIP project area
  • Non-owners need written owner authorization
  • Mandatory pre-application meeting with City planning staff is required
  • Work begun or costs incurred before City planning staff approval are ineligible
  • Additional funding up to $10,000 may apply to side/rear façades highly visible from a public right-of-way/park or to properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act or on the Municipal Heritage Register
Provinces
Ontario
Industries
All
Business Stage
Startup Growth Established

Quick Assessment

Difficulty
Moderate
Competition
Moderate
First-Timer
Friendly

Funding Details

Amount
50% of eligible facade costs, up to $20,000 per property; may be increased by up to $10,000 per property/project for additional-criteria projects
Type
Grant
Level
Municipal
Co-Funding
Up to 50% of eligible costs
Deadline
No closing date is stated on the application form. A pre-application meeting with City planning staff comes first.

Program Scorecard

Competition, effort, and approval at a glance

Competition
Moderate
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Varies
Accessibility
3/5

Moderate — standard application process

Competition
3/5

Moderate competition — prepare a strong application

Difficulty
3/5

Moderate — standard requirements

Budget Trend
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How to Win

Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like

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Insider Tip

Schedule the mandatory pre-application meeting early and confirm Council approval before incurring any costs.

Rejection Pitfalls 5

  • Work started or costs incurred before City planning staff approved a complete application
+4 more pitfalls
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Success Profile

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Evaluation Criteria

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How the City of Windsor judges your application

What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.

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Written answers3no length limits stated
Judged on2 criteria
Can reject you4 rules
To attach9 documents

Distilled from 5 source documents on citywindsor.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-07.

5 sources

What the City of Windsor favours

Restore façades to original state with authentic materials◦

“This program encourages the restoration of façades to their original state using authentic or original materials.”

1 more, in their words

The form2 prompts shown

Applicant and owner2 sections
  1. BB APPLICANT INFORMATIONtable
  2. CC OWNER INFORMATIONtable
Property2 sections
  1. 3E PROPERTY INFORMATIONtable
  2. 4E PROPERTY INFORMATIONyes/no + written

    Is this property in tax arrears?

Funding and program2 sections
  1. FF OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDSyes/no + written

    Have you applied for or will you be obtaining any other sources of grant funding?

  2. 6Program selectioncheckboxes
Project description4 sections
  1. 7G PROJECT DESCRIPTIONwritten answer
  2. 8G PROJECT DESCRIPTIONtable
  3. 9G PROJECT DESCRIPTIONselection
  4. 10G PROJECT DESCRIPTIONcheckbox
Eligible costs2 sections
  1. HH ESTIMATE OF ELIGIBLE COSTStable
  2. 12Eligible Costs Detailstable
Attachments1 section
  1. II REQUIRED APPLICATION ATTACHMENTSlist
Declaration1 section
  1. JJ SWORN DECLARATIONtable

the City of Windsor states no length limits for these answers.

11 more prompts, in the funder’s words

Judged against4 questions · 2 criteria

  1. 1

    Does the design meet the Urban Design Guidelines?

    Show them Walk through each building element you will alter, the material you will use, and how it complies with the guidelines.◦

    In the funder’s words · 1
    • All work must be consistent with Downtown Windsor Urban Design Guidelines. The evaluation of the applicant’s proposal will be based on the extent to which the project enhances building aesthetics and functionality with regard for the interface between building and adjacent street(s) and/or public spaces.
  2. 2

    Does the project improve the building and street?

    What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium

  3. 3

    Are the eligible costs properly evidenced?

    What to show them in Premium

  4. 4

    Will Council approve on these terms?

    What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium

Where applicants failin the City of Windsor’s words

“Please note that any work carried out or cost incurred prior to City planning staff approval of a complete grant application will not be eligible for funding.”
“Labour contributed by the applicant is not an eligible expense.”
“Approval of grants is subject to availability of funds. Contact City staff to ensure funds are available for proposed project.”

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1 more criteria · 11 more prompts

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Do you pass?4 checks

Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.

You

  • Meet program requirements

    Applicants are eligible to apply for funding under this program, subject to meeting the general program requirements, the following program specific requirements, and subject to the availability of funding as approved by Council:

  • Owner consent if not the owner

    If the applicant is not the owner, the applicant must provide written consent from the owner of the property on the application.

The project

  • In CIP area, not Wyandotte BIA

    The Commercial/ Mixed Use Building Facade Improvement Program is applicable to the entire Community Improvement Project Area, excluding the lands that fall within the Wyandotte Town Centre BIA, for projects that meet the program requirements outlined above.

  • Follows Urban Design Guidelines

    All work must be consistent with Downtown Windsor Urban Design Guidelines.

Documents to attach9

Ticks are kept on this device.

The money

Maximum grantUp to $20,000 per property

The amount of the grant will be determined based upon the total cost of the facade improvements divided by two, with the amount of the grant capped at $20,000 per property.

When paidOn compliance and work completion

Payment of the grant is made to the grant recipient upon the City being satisfied that the grant recipient has complied with all terms and conditions of the application procedure, inspection procedures, development procedures, and completion of work within the required time frame.

StackingCombine with other incentives, capped at eligible costs

Projects that are eligible for the Commercial/ Mixed Use Building Facade Improvement Grant Program are permitted to be combined with the incentives from any other City of Windsor approved Community Improvement Plan provided that the total of all property tax assistance, grants and loans provided by the City in relation to this, or any other CIP, cannot exceed the approved eligible costs for all approved incentive programs.

Costs before approvalWork before approval not eligible

Please note that any work carried out or cost incurred prior to City planning staff approval of a complete grant application will not be eligible for funding.

What it pays for · 10
  • Repair or replacement of storefront, including repair or replacement of storefront doors and windows;
  • Exterior and entrance modifications to provide barrier free accessibility;
  • Repair or repointing of facade masonry and brickwork;
  • Repair or replacement of cornices, parapets, eaves, soffits and other architectural details;
  • Repair or replacement of awnings or canopies;
  • Facade painting and cleaning/treatments;
  • Addition of new lighting/upgrading of existing fixtures on exterior facade and in entrance and storefront display areas;
  • Installation/improvement of signage (as permitted by the Sign By-law);
  • Landscaping, including plant materials (to a maximum of 15% of the approved grant amount);
  • Architectural/design fees required for eligible works (to maximum of 10% of the grant amount);
What it does not pay for · 2
  • Labour contributed by the applicant is not an eligible expense.
  • Grants will not apply to any portion of the personal property, inventory or land purchase value of the project.

From application to money

  1. Pre-application meetingRead guide, meet staff before applying
  2. Submit applicationEmail or submit complete application
  3. Staff review and CouncilStaff review, then Council recommendation
  4. Grant AgreementEnter agreement with City
  5. Work may startProject work may start
  6. Completion and paymentContact staff after completion for payment
In the funder’s words · 6
Pre-application meeting
Read the Program Guide and meet City planning staff before you fill out the form.
Submit application
Email a complete application to [email protected] or submit it to Planning & Development Services.
Staff review and Council
Staff review eligibility, may inspect or seek clarification, and forward a recommendation to City Council.
Grant Agreement
Approval is conditional on entering into an agreement with The City.
Work may start
The project can now commence
Completion and payment
Contact City staff when the work/project is completed, so that staff can review the work and ensure contractors have been paid in full

Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.

What's in this Playbook

Everything you need to win Windsor Downtown Facade Improvement Program

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Application Playbook

Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses

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Application Steps

1 Read the Program Guide and book a pre-application meeting City planning staff use the pre-consultation meeting to confirm which attachments they will require for your project.

Required Documents 8

✓ Completed grant application form with the sworn declaration signed
✓ Owner authorization (section D) signed by the registered owner, if the applicant is an agent or tenant

Eligible Expenses 5

Ineligible Expenses 2

Intake Periods

Deadline Notes

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Funding Stack Strategy

Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential

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Compatible Programs

Other Downtown Windsor CIP grant programs (Upper Storey Residential Conversion, New Residential Development, Retail Investment, Building/Property Improvement Tax Increment) Federal, provincial, Federation of Canadian Municipalities or Business Improvement Area funding
Combined Funding Potential See your total funding potential

Clawback Risk

Medium Risk

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How Windsor Downtown Facade Improvement Program Compares

Side-by-side with similar programs

Free
Program Amount Difficulty Payment Deadline
Windsor Downtown Facade Improvement P... up to $20,000 Moderate Reimbursement No closing date is...
Ontario Job Grant (formerly Canada-On... Up to $10,000 per employee Easy Varies Ongoing — year-round...
Ontario Innovation Tax Credit Up to 8% tax credit Moderate Tax Credit Offset Ongoing
Commercial Façade Improvement Grant P... Up to $12,500 (50% of costs) Easy Reimbursement Annual Intake
Creative Industries Funding Varies Moderate Reimbursement Ongoing (multiple...

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Windsor Downtown Facade Improvement Program

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How much is the facade grant worth?
It covers 50% of the eligible cost of the facade improvements, up to $20,000 per property. The grant can be increased by up to $10,000 per property or project for properties and projects that meet additional criteria.
Can a tenant apply, or only the property owner?
An agent or tenant can apply, but the registered property owner must complete and sign the owner authorization section of the form. Once an agent is authorized, all correspondence goes to the agent.
Is there a fee to apply?
Yes. The Planning CIP application fees per project are a $500 base fee, a $50 GIS fee and a $40 e-permitting fee, totalling $590. Payment options are provided when the application is ready to be deemed complete.
Can I start the work before the City replies?
No. Any work carried out or cost incurred before City planning staff approve a complete grant application will not be eligible for funding.
What has to be attached to the application?
Elevation drawings, details of the materials and elements being removed, material samples, product details and specifications, current photographs of the property, and cost estimates including three quotes prepared by a bona fide contractor. City staff may also ask for incorporation documents, a property deed, reports, a business plan, a site plan and survey, or architectural drawings.

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