Main Street Revitalization Program Fuels Investments
Since 2023, the Initiative Foundation has helped distribute more than $4 million in Minnesota Main Street Economic Revitalization grants to support 127 projects across 10 Central Minnesota communities. The investments helped business owners, nonprofits and community leaders improve commercial properties, strengthen downtown districts and enhance community spaces throughout the region.
Collectively, those grants leveraged more than $34 million in additional local and private investment, generating nearly $39 million in documented project investment. For every $1 awarded through the program, communities, businesses and organizations invested nearly $10 of their own funding in redevelopment and improvement projects. As hometown improvements move forward, the Foundation anticipates the program could ultimately support as much as $47 million in total community and business investment.
The program supported projects in Braham, Brainerd, Cass Lake, Cold Spring, Isanti, Little Falls, Long Prairie, Pine River, St. Cloud and Walker, communities that collectively span nine Central Minnesota counties: Benton, Cass, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns and Todd counties.
“These projects are great examples of what can happen when local businesses and organizations have access to resources that help move important investments forward,” said Amy Trombley, vice president for community at the Initiative Foundation. “From downtown storefronts and community gathering spaces to housing improvements and new construction, these investments are helping communities build on their strengths and create opportunities for future growth.”
Established by the Minnesota Legislature and administered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) through regional partners, including the Initiative Foundation, the Minnesota Main Street Economic Revitalization Program provided matching grants to spur local investment in commercial corridors and business districts across the region.
Grants covered up to 30 percent of eligible project costs, requiring businesses and organizations to provide the remaining investment to help turn public funding into significantly larger community and business improvements.
Final Grant Round: 18 Projects
The Foundation recently completed administration of the program’s final grant round, awarding $423,307 to support 18 projects in Braham, Cass Lake, Isanti, Little Falls and Walker. Those projects leveraged an additional $3.2 million in local investment and have all been completed.
The following examples highlight five of the 18 projects supported through the program’s final funding round:
- Isanti: Rockstad and Co. Relics & Wares, a Main Street boutique, completed landscaping and signage updates and invested in overall store improvements and upgrades.
- Cass Lake: Northern Dreams Gymnastics is building a new facility in downtown Cass Lake, giving its growing gymnastics program room to grow. The expansion provides a larger, safer space for athletes and is the first ground-up construction project in downtown Cass Lake in two decades. Read more in IQ Magazine.
- Walker: Chase on the Lake Resort & Spa, a historic resort on Leech Lake, demolished and rebuilt its courtyard and completed exterior improvements, including landscaping, trim, paint and a lobby renovation.
- Braham: The Park Cafe, a family diner on Main Street, made improvements including demolition work, spray-foam insulation, new main-floor flooring and upgrades to its second-floor apartments, including new windows.
- Little Falls: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota refreshed its facility on West Broadway with lighting and heating improvements, parking lot work, painting and upgrades to create a state-approved kitchen.
Grant totals for the final funding round were:
- Isanti: $94,320
- Cass Lake: $96,000
- Walker: $55,751
- Braham: $81,322
- Little Falls: $95,914
A list of funded projects, grant recipients and community investments is available here.