Grants

All of GURA’s grants are first-come, first-served. There are no grant application cycles. Grant funds will be disbursed until the budget is reached. Grant seekers should review the Grants Guidelines before clicking on the links to each grant program to begin the application process.

Public Improvement Grant Program

GURA budgeted $30,000 towards grant requests for projects other than those already included in the 2010 cycle.

Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy

GURA will continue funding this program at $10,000 to help downtown businesses save money by improving the use of energy and other resources.

Web Site & E-Commerce

GURA will provide up to $10,000 ($1,000 per business for ten businesses) to help design and host for one year a new/improved website, or to upgrade e-commerce software. This will be the third year for this program. GURA has funded a number of websites so far, and the benefits to the merchants have been immediate and lasting.

Provided assistance for these existing websites:

• www.sironapt.com - provided search engine optimization advice
• www.benefitriver.com - built a marketing portal page (tied into the legislative health care reforms) that matched their existing site
• www.caribbeanreefspice.com - helped them move to a new, less expensive e-commerce system
• www.vcgoldenwinery.com - added e-commerce ability so they could take online orders for their wine

Downtown Façade Renovation Program

Since 2008, GURA has been working with downtown building owners to improve the facades of their buildings and, where possible, restore their historic integrity. This page describes the projects completed so far under this program.