The City of Camrose has opened applications for its 2026 Façade Improvement Grant, providing local small businesses with financial support to upgrade the appearance of their storefronts. This program offers a 50 per cent matching grant of up to $4,000 to help business owners enhance the streetscape and strengthen the local community.
Eligible projects include a variety of aesthetic and functional improvements for street-facing facades. Business owners can use the funding for projects such as new or refurbished signage, lighting, exterior painting, murals, and landscaping elements like permanent planters or benches. The grant also covers general building improvements, including the installation of awnings, accessibility upgrades, and other creative features meant to improve the customer experience.
To qualify for the funding, businesses must be located in Camrose and have held a valid city business license for the same storefront for at least two years. The business must also have fewer than 20 employees, own the building or have written permission from the property owner, and maintain a clean account with no overdue balances owed to the city. Additionally, businesses that have received a façade grant within the last five years are not eligible to apply.
The application window is open until May 15, 2026. Successful applicants will be notified by May 22, 2026. All approved work must be finished and documented with receipts, photos, and project reports by November 30, 2026. This initiative is part of the ongoing efforts by the City of Camrose to support its business community, which includes roughly 280 unique businesses in the downtown core alone as noted by the Downtown Camrose Business Improvement Area.
This grant program builds upon the long-term goals of the 2018 Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan, which seeks to rejuvenate the downtown area into a premier destination through improved land use and design. The city is also currently working on an Urban Design Framework to further guide these future improvements.
