Don’t miss out on Small Business grant dollars

WASHINGTON — In downtown Washington, grant dollars often decide whether a building sits dark for another year or buzzes with customers again. Main Street Washington leaders kicked off 2026 by urging local owners to move quickly on a national opportunity that could inject $20,000 into a storefront, project or expansion. Taking a look at recent local wins show proof that grants can turn plans into reality.

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“Don’t leave money on the table!” Main Street Washington wrote in a community update promoting the Amex Shop Small Grant. The program, run through Main Street America in partnership with American Express, will award 250 grants of $20,000 to eligible small businesses nationwide.

With a deadline initially set at Jan. 16, small businesses have more opportunity to apply for this grant as the deadline was extended to Jan. 23 at 11:59 p.m.

American Express describes Shop Small as an effort to help businesses “grow, innovate and support their local communities.” For a small downtown, the impact can stretch beyond a single cash infusion. The upgrades often improve sidewalks and sightlines, add welcoming signage, restore historic details and fill once-empty spaces that weigh down foot traffic.

Washington’s recent projects offer a window into what grant funding changes on the ground.

Just before Christmas, community members gathered to celebrate an expansion and renovation at La Morenita Tienda y Taqueria, a family-owned downtown business that broadened both its grocery and restaurant areas. The project took about three months and received a $25,000 Downtown Investment Grant through Main Street Washington.

That type of boost has become part of Washington’s downtown development playbook. Main Street Washington’s Downtown Investment Grants program — which includes a smaller Micro-DIG option — aims to encourage visible improvements that attract shoppers and new businesses. The organization says the program is funded through a grant from the City of Washington, supported by the Washington County Riverboat Foundation.

In November, state-level support added a larger tool for bigger downtown needs. Main Street Washington received a $100,000 Main Street Iowa Challenge Grant, one of 10 awards totaling $950,000 statewide from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The state said the Challenge Grants help communities rehabilitate underutilized downtown buildings “to stimulate economic growth and further investment” in Iowa’s historic main streets.

For Washington, that investment reflects a broader pattern: grants that restore old spaces for modern use can spark the next private dollar.

In 2024, Main Street Washington won a separate $100,000 Challenge Grant tied to renovations at the long-vacant building at 106 S. Iowa Ave. where Libations on Iowa recently opened its doors.

These stories, and many others, point to a common theme in downtown Washington: grant programs help bridge the affordability gap for projects that otherwise stall. Renovations often involve older buildings, hidden structural costs and code updates — expenses that can scare off owners even when demand exists.

Main Street Washington’s message to businesses this winter takes aim at that problem. A $20,000 Shop Small grant won’t rebuild a block, but it can underwrite new equipment, updated signage, marketing, or interior improvements that help a shop open sooner or reach more customers.

And in a downtown built on reinvestment, each project tends to build on the last with one more light turned on, one more sign hung, one more reason for residents to park, walk the square and stay awhile.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com