Downtown Revive & Thrive: Rehabilitation for Innovation and Incubator Spaces

Downtown Revive & Thrive: Rehabilitation for Innovation and Incubator Spaces is sponsored by Kansas Department of Commerce / Office of Rural Prosperity. Downtown Revive & Thrive: Rehabilitation for Innovation and Incubator Spaces is a grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce and Office of Rural Prosperity that funds the rehabilitation of downtown buildings in small Kansas communities for use as innovation hubs, incubators, o…

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Taxes, Credits, & Exemptions To The Stars: Kansas Business Awards Corporate & Professional Services Food Processing and Manufacturing Energy & Natural Resources Downtown Revive and Thrive Downtown Revive and Thrive Rural downtown corridors across Kansas face increasing numbers of vacant and underutilized properties, many of them historic buildings in need of rehabilitation.

At the same time, demand is rising for flexible spaces that allow entrepreneurs to test products, develop commercial concepts, and pilot new retail or restaurant ventures. In response, the Kansas Department of Commerce launched the Downtown Revive & Thrive: Rehabilitation for Innovation and Incubator Spaces program.

Commerce seeks proposals to revitalize underutilized or historic buildings by transforming them into accessible, modern and sustainable workspaces. There is a total of $500,000 available in funding for Kansas communities with populations of 5,000 or less for projects that result in functional business incubator spaces or facilities designed for temporary retail or restaurant operations.

Revive & Thrive Webinar Slides Revive and Thrive FY26-27 Awardees Submitting Entity Name Street Address City County Grant Funds Awarded Funding Linger Gig Lab 101 S Main St Cimarron Gray $95,090. 00 FY26 City of Lebanon 415/413 Main Street Lebanon Smith $78,294. 00 FY27 Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation 109 W Lincoln Ave Lincoln Lincoln $91,390.

00 FY26 Luray Community Foundation 101-103 Main St. Luray Russell $95,090. 00 FY26 City of Marion, KS 130 E Main Marion Marion $85,853.

00 FY27 Choose Ottawa County 221 W 2nd St Minneapolis Ottawa $95,090. 00 FY26 Norton City/County Economic Development 102 W. Washington St.

Norton Norton $85,853. 00 FY27 City of Potwin 100 N Randall Potwin Butler $28,250. 00 FY26 Rural Community Partners 106 W.

Rutledge Yates Center Woodson $95,090. 00 FY26 Total Funding Available : $500,000 Max Award Amount : $100,000 Match Amount: Encouraged but not required; in-kind match allowed A private building owner must have an eligible local partnering support organization collaborate on the grant to complete the administration of the grant award.

This organization will commit to supporting the project through the fiscal administration of the grant funds (distributing the payments to the building owner), tracking the quarterly financial reports, and ensuring that the building owner is on track with program deadlines.

The applicant will also designate a primary point of contact that Commerce will be working with throughout the grant award, who will be responsible for managing communications between the building owners and Commerce as needed. A signed letter from the supporting organization must be included as a required attachment in order to be eligible.

Eligible supporting and fiscal organizations include designated Kansas Main Street programs, economic development corporations or chambers of commerce, cities, counties, schools, 501(c)3 or 501(c)6 organizations, local community foundations, or tribal nations. Buildings must be in the downtown or primary corridor of a rural community. Properties must be in cities with a population of less than 5,000.

Renovates interior space to create a functional incubator or a facility that is designed for temporary retail, workspaces, innovation centers, or restaurant operations. Create a space that would increase downtown foot traffic. Building must be currently under-utilized or vacant to be eligible.

Buildings should be older than approximately 30 years. Buildings do not need to be on the historic registry. Buildings made of plain cinder block, metal or another modern building material lacking any significant architectural details will not be strong candidates for this grant.

Projects must show potential for reuse and revitalization as economic drivers in the community. The awarded project can include funding from any local, state or federal source, as long as there is no duplication of benefit. Examples include Community Development Block Grant, Community Service Tax Credit Program, USDA Rural Development, State Historic Preservation Office programs or Network Kansas programs.

Projects must incorporate Main Street Design Guidelines and follow local ordinances and code for rehab/construction/façade improvements. The supporting organization and building owners are required to sign a contract agreeing to the conditions of the program. Construction must be complete in 24 months with a tenant in place in 30 Months.

Building must be occupied and pass any local occupancy permit or local permitting inspection requirements. A maximum of $100,000 per city per year The application is located within Submittable which will require the applicant to create an account. Once an account is created, they can begin filling out the application.

An application can be shared with multiple Submittable accounts. This means that one person can start the application and then can add contributors to help complete the required sections of the application. Is there a match requirement?

– No, match is encouraged, but not required. Does the building have to be in the downtown area? It needs to be in the downtown of a community or on a main corridor in the town that where foot traffic is encouraged.

Does the building have to be vacant or in poor condition? No, the building can be underutilized or in decent condition, ready for renovation into an incubator or pop-up retail/restaurant. Do any previous Commerce awards impact eligibility?

No, as this is a new program, all communities with populations of 5,000 or less are eligible to apply. What if my business decides to stay in this “temporary” location? As long as the business was a new business at the time of move in, if they decide to remain in this location, that would be acceptable.

This is not intended for expanding businesses, or for a permanent location, but to support new businesses that need to pilot a concept before investing in their permanent location. Does the space need to be fully occupied by the time the grant period is complete? This grant can also be a co-working or temporary location for new innovations or pop-up restaurants and retail.

Given this, the space must be tenant ready and available for lease by anyone at the end of the 30 month time period. Project contact: The main person that would be able to answer questions regarding the status of the project and who the internal team would call if there were questions or issues with the project. Building owner: The owner of the building that is being rehabilitated with these grant funds.

Grant agreement: Also known as the contractual document that Grantees and Building Owners sign with the Department of Commerce at the beginning of their grant period. This document is sent via Legal through DocuSign. Signee: The official person that has the authority to bind the grantee to the contract issued by the Department of Commerce.

Applications will open on Thursday , January 22nd and will close on Tuesday, March 10th at 5 p. m. Review period : March 11 – April Public comments: Pre-award site visit, 50% complete site visit, 100% complete site visit Anticipated award announcement date: April 2026 Join office hours to get your questions answered or reach out to our team throughout the application period!

Review the scoring rubric for the grant in advance of submitting your application. Apply for the tax clearance certificate early because that will take 48 hours or so to come back from Department of Revenue. Every Thursday from 10-11 a.

m. February 5 through March 5 Template Commitment Letter Template Commitment Letter Grant Application Checklist Grant Application Checklist Screenshot of Proof of Good Standing with the Secretary of State Required for Businesses and Non-Profit Organizations: Screenshot Submission of Kansas Secretary of State Good Standing Status.

You are not required to pay for a Certificate of Good Standing, a screenshot of the webpage listing for your organization will suffice. *Government entities do not need to submit this information. Tax Clearance Certificate This needs to be completed by the building owner AND the supporting organization (only if the supporting organization is a non-profit).

*Government entities do not need to submit this information.

OPC – Certification of Company Form OPC – Certification of Company Form Trisha Purdon, Director of Office of Rural Prosperity Incentives & Financing, Taxes, Credits & Exemptions, Site Selection, Doing Business in Kansas Infrastructure assessment, community planning, development support, and downtown activation Find a Job, Job Seeker Services, Employer Services Plan your trip to Kansas. Places to visit, things to do.

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