Arvada Exterior Improvement Grant Application

The Arvada Economic Development Association (AEDA) Exterior Improvement Grant is designed to help business and property owners who want to improve the external appearance of their commercial properties. This is a matching grant program that leverages AEDA funds and private sector investment to achieve specific goals which include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Enhance the appearance of the commercial properties in the community
  • Assist existing Arvada businesses with property capital improvements
  • Encourage private sector investment
  • Create goodwill in the community

Property owners and/or businesses are eligible for up to a $15,000 maximum 50/50 matching grant per property. Primary uses for the grant are for exterior improvements i.e. façade, permanent landscaping and overall site improvements. If your project includes a sign, in order for the sign to be considered it must not exceed 25% of the total cost of exterior improvements. The grant may also be used for property maintenance i.e. painting, asphalt resurfacing, roofing, annual planting material.  The grant does not include interior improvements, furniture or non-fixed improvements.

The intent of the grant is to fund improvements. Maintenance may be considered for grant funding only if at least one material improvement is included as part of the application.

All improvements must comply with City of Arvada codes and ordinances.

Eligibility

Arvada property owners and/or businesses located in commercially or industrially zoned property within the Arvada City limits are eligible for the grant program. Home-based businesses are not eligible. Business applicants must have the property owner’s written approval before they are eligible for the grant. If you have additional questions or comments about the grant, contact Sarah Miley at [email protected] or 720-955-4238. To apply, complete the application below.

Application Process

Grant applications are reviewed once an application period closes. The application period for Phase VIII of the grant program closes on March 26th, 2024 with final decisions announced the following month. Application periods are determined at the sole discretion of the AEDA Board. Application periods due dates will be published on the AEDA website. Applicants will be required to apply by the published date to be considered within the application period. All applications will be reviewed by a designated committee of the AEDA Board of Directors. AEDA has a finite amount of funds. Applicants may not receive full funding for their projects. Funding will be considered and distributed based on the availability of funds, number of applicants, and the ability of applicants to meet the scoring criteria. Applications that score higher will be given first priority for available funds.

Formal feedback will not be provided by the AEDA Board, or any committee of the Board, however; informal questions may be asked of AEDA staff about the relative competitiveness of an application after they approved the applications for that period. AEDA will not permit examination of any competitors’ application during any application process. AEDA will, consistent with applicable law, limit access to any information in an application that is deemed by AEDA to be confidential or proprietary. The AEDA Board retains the sole and exclusive discretion to evaluate the applications and to deny or make an award based on its evaluation of the applications. All decisions of the AEDA Board are final.

Applications will become the property of AEDA. While AEDA will take reasonable steps to protect proprietary or confidential information in an application, AEDA makes no guarantees or assurances that all information made a part of the application will remain confidential. Names of participants and any grant documents may be subject to disclosure pursuant to certain State of Colorado laws.

Applications must be complete in order to be considered for review.

Ready to apply? Please submit the following information:

Application Scoring Criteria

The AEDA committee will score the application based on the following: capital investment, ratio of your project investment vs. AEDA’s match, what percentage of the project is new improvement vs. maintenance, and the overall public benefit of the project. Points are awarded for each category. This information is provided so that each applicant can better understand the scoring process. The applicant does not need to score their application.

Capital Investment (maximum of 30 points)

  • $0 - $10,000 (6 points)
  • $10,000 - $20,000 (12 points)
  • $20,000 - $30,000 (18 points)
  • $30,000 - $40,000 (24 points)
  • $40, 000 - $50,000 + (30 points)

Project Ratio – your investment vs. AEDA’s match (maximum of 30 points)

  • 1:1 (15 points)
  • 2:1 (20 points)
  • 3:1 (25 points)
  • 4:1 + (30 points)

Percentage of the project that qualifies as improvement vs. maintenance (maximum of 20 points)

2 points per 10% of project funding going toward capital investment or improvement

Public Benefit (maximum of 20 points)

Public benefit is determined by a number of factors, including, but not limited to: risk, rehab or reuse of distressed property, public infrastructure, jobs, unique user, new good or service, years in business, years in business in Arvada, visibility, and other community benefit or need.