The Facade Improvement Planning Grant Application is open!
The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST
Facade Improvement Planning Grant
Application Demo
Cody Brown, Manager of Development, explains the application process for the Facade Improvement Planning Grant. Have any additional questions? Contact us at EconomicDevelopment@toledo.oh.gov.
Program Overview
The City of Toledo, Department of Economic Development hereby announces the availability of funding for the Facade Improvement Planning Grant Program. The program is designed to equip property owners with critical information with respect to the feasibility and cost associated with a comprehensive enhancement to their building’s facade, and to establish a pipeline of applicants for the Facade Improvement Grant Program.
The grant provides 100% of the funding for a facade condition assessment and conceptual design services for a commercial, industrial, or mixed-use building. Eligible buildings are located in a City designated Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA) or a low to moderate income (LMI) census tract in the city of Toledo, are occupied by a business, and have no active code violation citations. Projects located in a NRSA will be prioritized for funding.
The application is open from January 29, 2025, to March 5, 2025. Applications will be reviewed and scored by the City’s Incentive Advisory Committee (IAC) using the evaluation criteria contained in this notice. The IAC consists of eight independent citizens that provide oversight of the City’s incentive programs. Upon completion of review, the IAC will recommend the top-scoring applications to the Mayor, who shall have the sole and absolute discretion to award funds.
The program is part of the City’s Vibrancy Initiative, which is designed to enhance the city’s vitality by supporting revitalization efforts that create jobs, reduce blight, and preserve and improve structures in our community. A full list of Vibrancy Initiative programs can be found here.
The City partners with business development organizations to provide application and project support to applicants at no-cost. For more information, call (419) 245-1452 or email EconomicDevelopment@toledo.oh.gov. The City and its business development partners are also hosting office hours on Wednesday, February 5, from 12:00 to 2:00 PM at the Main Library.
Eligibility
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Applicant owns the building for which they are applying.
- Applicant is in good standing with governmental entities. To check standing, contact:
- Division of Taxation: (419) 245-1662
- Public Utilities: (419) 245-1800
- Code Enforcement: (419) 245-1400
- Lucas County Auditor: (419) 213-4406*
*Ensure that all properties owned by the applicant are current on property tax.
Eligible Buildings
Eligible buildings must:
- Be located in the Englewood, Old South End, or Junction NRSA, or an LMI census tract in the city of Toledo.
- Contain a first-floor commercial or industrial business. Occupying businesses must be registered with the City of Toledo.
- Have no active code violation citations
Ineligible Buildings
Buildings with an exclusively single-family residential, multi-family residential, or storage use, or which contain the following businesses are not eligible:
- Payday loan businesses
- Pawn shops
- Firearm or other weapons dealers
- Adult entertainment
- Self-Storage
Application Process and Timeline
Schedule
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Application Opens Notice of Funding Availability is released and the application opens in ZoomGrants. | Wednesday, January 29, 2025 |
| Webinar A Zoom webinar will be held to educate potential applicants about the guidelines and application process. The webinar will be recorded and posted to the City of Toledo website. https://toledo-oh-gov.zoom.us/j/87615493266 | Monday, February 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM EST |
| Office Hours Applicants are welcome to stop by the small business and nonprofit workspace at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library’s Main Library for in-person assistance with their application or project. | Wednesday, February 5, 2025 |
| Application Submission Deadline Completed applications are due in ZoomGrants. No late application submissions, amendments to applications, or additional application documents will be accepted. | Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST |
| Awarded Projects Announced Applicants will be informed of the decision on their application. | Friday, April 18, 2025 |
| Grant Agreement Deadline The grant agreement and restrictive covenant must be signed by the deadline or the award will be forfeited and the next highest-scoring application will be awarded funding. | Friday, May 2, 2025 |
| Feasibility Study Phase The City will release a Request for Proposals for professional services from qualified firms. The Feasibility Study and design services will begin once the firm is selected. | Monday, May 5, 2025 to Monday, December 1, 2025 |
| Feasibility Study Completion Deadline The facade condition assessment, conceptual rendering, and construction estimate will be complete. | Monday, December 1, 2025 |
General Instructions
Applications must be submitted online via the Zoom Grants platform. No paper or emailed applications will be accepted. Required documentation includes:
- Applicant’s W-9 (form provided in application)
- Business Tax Registration Form (form provided in application)
- Vendor Registration Form (form provided in application)
- Copy of Commercial Building Insurance Policy
- Current photos of the building’s facade
- Entity Operating Agreement unless individually owned)
- Board resolution authorizing entity to enter into agreement (unless individually owned)
- Evidence of first-floor occupancy, which may include:
- Tenant business lease agreement
- A statement of self-occupancy by the owner, including the name of the business.
Selection Process & Evaluation Criteria
Upon closure of the application, the Department of Economic Development will conduct an initial screening of applications to determine if all submission requirements are met. Any incomplete applications will be rejected. Members of the IAC will review, evaluate and score each eligible application based on the evaluation criteria below. Upon completion of review, the IAC will then recommend the top-scoring applications to the Mayor, who shall have the sole and absolute discretion to award funds. Projects located in a NRSA will be prioritized for funding.
| Criteria | Scoring | Weight | Max Score |
|---|---|---|---|
Project Need The applicant convincingly demonstrated the necessity of conducting a feasibility study for the redevelopment of the space. A rating scale from one (1) to five (5) will be used, with one being the lowest and five being the highest. Examples of demonstrating project need could include the following:
|
1-5 | x3 | 15 |
Historic Preservation The subject property is a building constructed prior to 1970 or has historical or design significance. Projects will be scored as follows: Zero (0): building was built post 1971; One (1): building was built prior to 1970; Two (2): building was built prior to 1950; Three (3): building was built prior to 1930; Four (4): building was built prior to 1910, Five (5): building was built prior to 1900. |
0-5 | x2 | 10 |
| Maximum Possible Score: | 25 |
||
Post Award Process
The awarded applicant will enter into a Facade Improvement Planning Grant Agreement with the City of Toledo to establish the terms and conditions by which the City will provide the funding for the facade condition assessment and conceptual design services.
The grant agreement must be signed by Friday, May 2, 2025, or the award will be forfeited and the next highest scoring application will be awarded.
The City will release a Request for Proposals for Professional Services from qualified firms to conduct a comprehensive facade conditions assessment and conceptual design services on the awarded applicant’s building. The property owner will be required to provide the City and its consultant(s) access to the entire building to perform the assessments. The deliverables of the assessment and design services will include:
- Comprehensive Façade Condition Assessment: A detailed evaluation of the exterior facade of a building. The purpose of this assessment is to identify and document the current condition of the facade, including any deficiencies, defects, or potential issues that may need attention.
- Conceptual Rendering: Artist renderings of the proposed facade transformation, showing its potential impact on the streetscape and plans for making it more accessible to people with disabilities or creating inclusive design elements.
- Construction Estimate: A construction cost estimate based on the assessments, facade improvements and other major scope items identified by the design professional.
DISCLAIMER
The Department of Economic Development, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to modify the above dates; suspend, amend, or modify the provisions of this Notice of Funding Availability, to waive selected requirements or limitations herein, to reject all proposals, to negotiate modifications of proposals, all in its sole and absolute discretion.
Questions?
Please email your questions to EconomicDevelopment@toledo.oh.gov.