Storefront Improvement Program

Program Guidelines

The CDBG Storefront Improvement Program is intended for small businesses in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)-eligible areas in the City of Springfield. The program aims to improve streetscape appearances, leading to increased economic activity, pedestrian traffic, and business development.

This program is funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), under the CDBG program. The program is administered by the Office of Planning and Economic Development (OPED) and the Community Development Department (CD).

Language assistance is available free of charge. Call (413) 787-6020.
Asistencia en español disponible sin costo. Llame al (413) 787-6020.
Reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available on request. Call (413) 787-6020 or use the Massachusetts Relay Service at 711.

Key Program Details

Funding: Up to $25,000 per storefront for exterior improvements that strengthen the streetscape.

Award Structure: Business owners may apply for up to $25,000 per storefront. Property owners may apply for up to $25,000 per storefront, for a total of three (3) storefronts, for a maximum grant amount of $75,000. No single facade will receive more than $25,000.

Program Goals:

  • Help small, ground-floor, for-profit businesses grow, and create and retain jobs.
  • Preserve the character of neighborhood shopping areas and attract visitors.
  • Create an attractive environment for new investment and business activity.
  • Revitalize commercial corridors through increased sales and property values.

How It Works: Two Stages

Stage 1, Pre-Application (about 15 minutes). Tell us about your business, your property, and the improvements you have in mind, and upload photos of your storefront. No quotes or legal documents are needed.

Stage 2, Full Application (by invitation). If your project fits the program, the Program Administrator invites you to submit a full application with contractor quotes, business documents, and the legal and vendor forms. Full applications are scored, and projects are selected for funding.

An invitation to apply is not an approval. No funds are committed, and no work may begin, until the contract is fully executed and you receive a written notice to proceed.

Start the Pre-Application

Eligibility Basics

Eligible uses: Business signs and awnings, exterior painting, doors and window glass, facade improvements, new plantings, exterior lighting, removal of security gates or bars, and exterior ADA accessibility improvements.

Not eligible: Interior improvements, roofing, parking or paving, interior signage, routine maintenance, and new exterior security gates or bars.

Eligible businesses: Retail shops, restaurants with food service, professional services, personal services, certain repair services, and business services. Businesses must be open and operating with an active, ground-floor, street-facing space in a CDBG-eligible area.

Ineligible businesses: Home-based, web-based, banks, non-profits (case-by-case exceptions), auto-related, gas stations, liquor stores, night clubs, adult entertainment, franchises, real estate investment, cannabis or tobacco, interior mall-based businesses, upper-story tenants, and storefronts more than 50 feet from the street.

Applicant history: Applicants who have defaulted on a past City of Springfield or HUD loan, grant, or fee cannot apply. A property address, business owner, or property owner may not receive funding from this program if they have received funding from the program in the last five (5) years. Generally, we are looking to fund new recipients who can most benefit from the storefront improvement. 

Before Starting an Application

  1. Confirm your address is in a CDBG-eligible census tract using the City’s GIS database: https://maps.springfield-ma.gov/gis/ 
  2. Verify your business type is eligible (see section above)
  3. Confirm you and your landlord are current on all City taxes and fees
  4. Verify the property has no active code violations
  5. Ensure you have not begun construction yet
  6. If you rent, talk to your property owner. They will need to sign the Property Owner Acknowledgement Form for the full application.
  7. Confirm you can get two (2) Davis-Bacon-compliant contractor quotes for each construction item over $2,000, and two (2) prices for any non-construction purchase over $3,500.
  8. Register for a free Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) at SAM.gov if you don’t already have one — not required to apply, but required before contracting, and processing can take several weeks.

Own a building with multiple storefronts? Property owners may apply for up to $25,000 per storefront, across as many as three storefronts, capped at $75,000 total. A single joint application is encouraged to keep design consistent across the building. See the Program Guidelines for details. 

Planning your project? The most common reasons applications need revision are sign type, awning material, and masonry treatment. Before you request contractor quotes, review the Design Quick Reference in the full guidelines to confirm your planned improvements meet program standards. 

Program Timeline

Expect roughly two to three months from full application to notice to proceed.

Step 1: Confirm eligibility (a few days). Check your address on the GIS map or contact the Program Administrator.

Step 2: Submit the pre-application (about 15 minutes). The Program Administrator reviews it for eligibility and project fit and may call you with questions.

Step 3: Full application, by invitation (2 to 4 weeks). Get your contractor quotes and gather the documents listed below. Submit only when every attachment is ready. 

Step 4: Review and selection (varies). You need at least 15 of 20 points to be funded. Funding is limited, so not every qualifying project is funded.

Step 5: Environmental Review and contract (4 to 8 weeks). The City completes the federal Environmental Review, tax certification, and vendor setup. You provide your insurance certificate, active SAM.gov registration, and Historical Commission approval if it applies.

Step 6: Notice to proceed. Once the contract is fully executed and the City has your contractor's construction schedule, you receive a written notice to proceed and work can begin. Construction must start within ninety (90) days of contract execution.

Stage 1: What the Pre-Application Asks For

  • A few yes/no eligibility questions
  • Contact and business information
  • Whether the property is in a Local Historic District
  • Current photos of your storefront (up to five)
  • A description of the improvements you are planning
  • Renderings or sketches, if you have them (not required)

Stage 2: What the Full Application Requires

Listed in the order the online form asks for them:

  1. Contractor quotes and licenses: Construction bids from at least two (2) licensed and insured contractors that comply with Davis-Bacon wage rates, for each construction work item over $2,000, with each contractor's license. Two (2) quotes or prices for any non-construction purchase over $3,500. For retail items, prices from two sellers, including online prices, are acceptable. Mark the quote you are selecting and sign it.
  2. Property Owner Acknowledgement Form: Signed by the property owner and the business owner.
  3. Proof of business registration and signing authority: City of Springfield Business Certificate or Secretary of State listing (and a vote of the corporation, if applicable), or IRS EIN assignment letter. The person who signs the contract must be the same person shown on these documents.
  4. Business plan or tax returns: Businesses open less than two (2) years: a business plan written and reviewed with the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC). Businesses open two (2) years or more: the two (2) most recent business tax returns.
  5. Design detail: For every element you are changing, what it is now and what it will be: size and dimensions, materials, colors, and product information, with photos and sketches. Required for properties in a Local Historic District, which will also need a separate Historical Commission application; recommended for everyone.
  6. Unique Entity ID (UEI): Your UEI from SAM.gov, or proof you have started registration. An active SAM.gov registration is required before contract.
  7. W-9 Form: With the legal business name and information, matching your business registration.
  8. Vendor Maintenance Form: Used by the City to set you up as a vendor so payments can be issued.
  9. Copy of your lease: If you are a tenant.
  10. Legal status documentation: The signed Declaration and Consent to Verify Legal Status, with the identity and legal status documentation it lists. For applicants who are not U.S. citizens, including green card holders, the City verifies legal status through the federal SAVE system before releasing funds.
  11. Tax Certification Affidavit: For the business and for the property owner. The City Treasurer must confirm both are current before the contract can advance.
  12. Conflict of Interest form: Signed by the business owner.
  13. Davis-Bacon certification statements: A Business Davis-Bacon Certification Statement and a Contractor Davis-Bacon Certification Statement that lists the work classification(s). Required for projects involving construction.

Blank forms are in Download Program Documents below.

Before the City signs a contract (if selected)

  • Active SAM.gov registration: Your UEI registration must be active, not only started.
  • Certificate of Liability Insurance: Comprehensive General Liability of $1,000,000/$2,000,000 (per occurrence/annual aggregate), and automobile liability of $500,000/$1,000,000 where applicable, with the City of Springfield listed as Additional Insured under the description of operations. Additional Insured means the policy also covers the City for claims that come out of the project. Ask your agent for the additional insured endorsement. A certificate that only lists the City as certificate holder is not enough.
  • Historical Commission or SRA approval: If your property is in a Local Historic District (Springfield Historical Commission) or a designated Urban Renewal District (Springfield Redevelopment Authority).
  • Contract acknowledgements: Signed Affirmative Action Guidelines, Public Information Disclosure, and HUD-4010 Federal Labor Standards Provisions, provided by the Program Administrator with the contract.

Start these now

  • Register in SAM.gov. A UEI and active registration are required before the City can sign a contract. It is free and can take two to eight weeks. Do not pay any company to do it for you.
  • Talk to your property owner. Tenants need the owner to sign the Property Owner Acknowledgement Form for the full application.
  • Start on contractor quotes. You need two Davis-Bacon quotes for each construction item over $2,000, and two quotes or prices for any purchase over $3,500. Check the Design Quick Reference first.
  • Check your taxes, and your landlord's. Both must be current with the City before the contract can advance.
  • Start your Historical Commission application early if your property is in a Local Historic District. It needs photos, dimensions, materials, and drawings for everything you are changing.

How You Get Paid

Reimbursement (standard): Complete the work, pay your contractor by check, then submit cancelled checks (front and back), contractor invoices, and the contractor's certified payrolls. Reimbursement is typically available about two weeks after complete documentation is approved.

Upfront installments: If your contractor needs a deposit or materials to start, the City can pay you in three installments of 25%, 50%, then 25%, each against a contractor invoice. Pay your contractor with each installment and send proof of payment and certified payrolls before the next one is released. The final 25% comes after the work passes final inspection. The City does not pay contractors directly.

Important: The City will not reimburse without documentation. Never pay contractors in cash. Costs above the approved project amount are your responsibility.

What You Commit To

  • Finish the project within twelve (12) months of the notice to proceed. A business not yet open must open within one (1) year of the signed contract.
  • Maintain the improvements for one (1) year after all work is complete.
  • Remain open at the project address for two (2) years.
  • Make company records and payroll available to the City for monitoring.
  • Make no scope or contractor changes without prior written approval.
  • Cover any costs above the approved project amount.
  • Carry $1,000,000/$2,000,000 general liability insurance with the City of Springfield as Additional Insured.

Design Standards

Projects must follow federal construction requirements and the City's design standards. The City has final determination on project designs.

Permitted: Hand-painted or raised-letter sign boards, externally lit signs, traditional canvas or fabric awnings, clear low-E glazing, interior security gates, and removal of existing exterior gates and bars.

Not permitted: Internally lit plastic or box signs, vinyl or internally lit awnings, tinted or reflective glazing, painting unpainted brick or stone, sandblasting, and new exterior security gates or bars.

Additional review: Properties in a Local Historic District need prior approval from the Springfield Historical Commission before the City can sign a grant contract, and the Commission has final authority to approve projects it finds historically appropriate and/or acceptable. Properties in a designated Urban Renewal District may also need approval from the Springfield Redevelopment Authority.

In a Local Historic District? What to prepare

You will submit a separate application to the Historical Commission and will likely present your project at a public hearing. The Commission needs as much detail as possible about everything you are touching: what it is now, and what it will be.

  • A separate application to the Springfield Historical Commission. Usually a Certificate of Appropriateness. If you are replacing something with no change in materials, design, or dimensions, ask about a Certificate of Non-Applicability. The property owner must sign it. Application form: www.springfield-ma.gov/planning/fileadmin/Planning_files/Historic_Applications/SHC_Application_Fillable_04022025_.pdf
  • A written description of the project, element by element.
  • Color photos of existing conditions on every side of the building the work touches, plus close-ups of each element (sign, awning, windows, doors, masonry, lighting).
  • Existing and proposed for each element: what it is now and what it will be, with dimensions (height, width, projection, mounting height), materials, finishes, and colors.
  • Scaled drawings or elevations showing the proposed storefront with materials, textures, and colors marked. Sketches with dimensions are acceptable for simple projects; new construction needs architect drawings.
  • Product information: manufacturer cut sheets, brochures, or order sheets for windows, doors, lighting, awning fabric, and sign materials. Paint and fabric color samples. Bring physical samples to the meeting if you have them.
  • Sign details: overall size, lettering size and style, materials, how and where it mounts (into mortar joints, not brick faces), and how it is lit.
  • Masonry details: mortar color, joint profile and strength for repointing, and the cleaning method, which must be the gentlest method that works. No sandblasting.
  • Historic photos, if available, including the 1939 WPA photos at springfieldpreservation.org/wpa/, to show original features you are restoring.
  • Incomplete applications are not accepted or scheduled. Staff schedules the hearing after a complete application is received.
  • Abutters receive mailed notice at least 14 days before the hearing.
  • The property owner, or a representative the owner authorizes in writing, presents the project at the hearing. Plan for the business owner and contractor to attend to answer questions.
  • If the Commission does not have enough information, the item will be continued to another date, possibly resulting in a delay.
  • Historical Commission approval is required before the City can sign your grant contract. It is separate from the federal Environmental Review, which the City completes.

Renderings are not required to apply, but your pre-application must include enough design detail (materials, appearance) for the City to evaluate it. Historic district applicants are highly encouraged to provide renderings and as much detail as possible. If the Historical Commission does not have enough information, the item will be continued to a later meeting, which can delay your project.

*See the full Program Guidelines for complete design standards.

Federal Requirements

Davis-Bacon wages: Required on all construction work over $2,000. Quotes must state that Davis-Bacon wages apply and list the wage codes. Contractors submit certified payrolls, and the City monitors the job site.

Environmental Review: A federal review the City completes after selection and before any funds are committed. It includes historic review and takes four (4) to six (6) weeks or more.

UEI and SAM.gov: A UEI with an active SAM.gov registration is required before the City can sign a contract.

Legal status documentation: Federal law sets verification requirements for certain federal public benefits. Every applicant signs the Declaration and Consent to Verify Legal Status and provides documentation. For applicants who are not U.S. citizens, including green card holders, the City runs a SAVE verification before releasing funds.

Get Free Help Before You Apply

Massachusetts SBDC, Western Regional Office: Free one-to-one advising. Required business plan review for businesses open less than two years. (413) 737-6712. https://www.msbdc.org/wmass/

SCORE Western Massachusetts: Free mentoring. (413) 785-0314. https://westernmassachusetts.score.org/

WNE Law Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Free legal and business consultation. (413) 796-2030.

Financing your project

If you choose reimbursement, you pay your contractor first. With any option, you cover any match and costs above the grant. These lenders can help with bridge financing, your match, or costs above the grant. They are listed for information only; the City does not endorse any lender.

Mass Development Microloan Program: Microloans provide financing from $5,000 to $100,000 for Massachusetts small businesses to assist with working capital, or the purchase of furniture, fixtures, supplies, materials, and/or equipment. 

Common Capital: Springfield-based community lender and SBA Microloan lender. 1780 Main Street, Springfield. (413) 233-1680. 

Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC): State small business lender and SBA Microloan intermediary. 

SBA Lender Match: Free tool that connects you with SBA-approved lenders.

Frequently Asked Questions

Download Program Documents

Read first: Program Guidelines

Properties in a Local Historic District also need the Springfield Historical Commission application

Start the Pre-Application

 

 

Economic Development

   

Page last updated:  Thursday, November 12, 2026 12:35 pm