Ada Business Improvement Grants Open on September 7
ADA, OKLAHOMA – The Ada Business Improvement Grant program is moving forward with the 4th year of funding. $75,000 has been committed for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year, and the first round of applications for this year will be open from September 7th through September 30th. The Business Improvement Grant (B.I.G.) is a collaborative effort between the City of Ada, Ada Main Street, and the Ada Jobs Foundation. The grant program matches up to $5,000, one-to-one, each fiscal year for structural improvements to properties in Ada’s Main Street and downtown area.
“Ada Main Street looks forward to reviewing applications for the next B.I.G. round,” said Marissa Tucker, Executive Director of Ada Main Street. “This grant encourages historical preservation and economic development, which leads to growth for the whole community. We are thankful the business district has access to such a great program.”
To better prepare applicants for the upcoming year of funding, from July, 2021, to June, 2022, an informational webinar is available for viewing. Other changes include a new online application process that will be available on September 7th through the Ada Main Street website. New for this year, there will be new criteria that require all grant projects to submit 3 month status updates and the new criteria will require all projects to submit any project timeline extension requests before the end of a 6-month project deadline.
The Ada Business Improvement Grant has made a substantial impact to Ada’s Main Street area in recent years. Since, 2018, 34 projects have been completed. To date, receipts from completed projects have resulted in $272,411 in total investment, with $147,870 leveraged in private funding.
“The Business Improvement Grant has been incredibly successful to date, thanks to the participation of our local business community,” said Randy McFarlin, Vice Mayor and Ada City Council Member. “This program has allowed building and business owners to make improvements that increase their ability to thrive in these challenging times. The shared investment in our Main Street area can do nothing but help Ada remain a viable destination.”