Grant Guidelines 

• The Renew Hamburg Exterior Renovation Grant is a 50% matching grant to assist small businesses in Hamburg, AR with costs associated with renovating their commercial or retail property.  The grant covers exterior renovations only.  Government agencies and religious entities are not considered under this grant program. 

• The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce (HCC) will match half of a business tenant or a building owner’s investment with a maximum grant amount from the HCC of $1,000. 

• Buildings should be currently occupied by an active business or should be occupied by an active business within 30 days of the completion of the project. 

• Only exterior renovation projects can qualify for this grant.  Projects that qualify include:  Removal of deterioration; exterior cleaning; re-painting; repair/replacement of exterior doors or windows; installation of canvas awnings; installation of permanent signs; landscaping; sidewalks; paving parking areas; replacing old pavement or concrete with green spaces.  Other exterior projects can be approved on a case-by-case basis. 

• Projects should be approved by the HCC before construction begins based on the most complete information available.  Approvals must include all paint and awning colors.  Any changes during construction must be approved. 

• No interior renovation costs can be applied toward the applicant’s matching expenditures. 

• In-kind labor or materials do not count toward applicant’s matching portion.  Only contracted labor, materials, supplies or rented equipment can be counted toward the matching 50%. 

• Applications, with a detailed description of the work to be done and price estimates for the work, must be completed before the work begins. 

• The grant amount will be paid to the applicant only when the work is completed and the vendor has been paid.  You must submit receipts for the work before we can reimburse you for the grant. 

•  All projects should be started within 3 months of the approval of the application and should be completed within 6 months or grant funds can be put back into the grant pool.  

•  Applicants can only receive one grant per calendar year.  However, applicants that have not previously received grants will be given preference over applicants that have already received grants if selection criteria are needed.  The program allows applicants to receive a lifetime maximum of two grants for any piece of property. 

•  Grant applications will be awarded on a first qualified application - first awarded basis until the allocated money for the calendar year has been obligated. 

•  Grant funds cannot be used to pay for deductible costs on insurance claims or repairs covered by insurance.