Programa de subvenciones GM on Main Street

Eligible organizations can submit their project proposals from Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. CT to Sunday, March 2, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Please note that project proposals for the $60,000 GM on Main Street Grant should be feasible to complete and be usable by the public by November 30, 2025. 

Applications will be selected by a review panel and alerted of their award by early April 2025.

Grant recipients will each receive $60,000 to implement their ideas and will have seven months to complete their projects. Recipients will be required to submit progress reports at the three- and six-month mark following the grant disbursement, and a final report will be due just after the full seven-month implementation period. All reports are to be completed using a template provided. Recipients will be required to attend three cohort meetings (to be scheduled with the group of grantees once selected). 

• Applicants must be located within an eligible county or be a federally recognized tribe located within the Main Street network. Eligible counties feature or are adjacent to a GM Facility. View the list of eligible counties and Main Street tribal communities. 
• Applicants must be non-profit organizations or local governments.
• Applicants may submit up to one (1) application per organization. 
• Previous GM on Main Street grantees are eligible to apply again for the 2025 grant cycle. Previous GM on Main Street grantees must demonstrate successful completion of their prior grant project in their application. 

• Transform your downtown’s transportation infrastructure
• Improve pedestrian safety, walkability, and accessibility
• Implement innovative and forward-thinking projects that encourage downtown traffic safety and walkability and boost economic vitality 

Requested funding must be for a physical transportation-focused project.

Eligible Grant Uses: 

• Construction/​installation supplies and materials 
• Equipment 
• Labor costs for construction/​rehabilitation/​installation/​artist fees 
• Artist’s supplies and fees associated with a community engagement design process (i.e. a mural informed by facilitated community discussions) 
• Other physical items 
• One-off event costs/​programming for initial activation of the space 
• Engineering and architectural plans or fees (up to 20% of $60,000 grant budget) 

Ineligible Grant Uses: 

• Staff salaries (beyond initial construction/​rehabilitation/​installation labor) 
• Operational expenses 
• Reimbursement for projects that are already completed 

• Enhancing or adding a crosswalk in an important location 
• Adding traffic calming features like planter beds, signage, or public art to a corridor 
• Road Diets are a low-cost countermeasure with proven safety benefits for both motorized and non-motorized users. A Road Diet reallocates roadway space to better meet current user needs. This configuration is an inherently low-cost solution, but agencies can reduce project costs even further by combining Road Diets with other programs, such as pavement overlays or restriping. Find more information on road diets here. 
• Smaller reconstruction projects – Neighborhood Main Streets are a nexus of neighborhood life, with high pedestrian volumes, frequent parking turnover, key transit routes, and bicyclists all vying for limited space. Main street design should limit traffic speeds and create a narrower profile with frequent, high-quality pedestrian crossings. In recent years, many main streets have been significantly improved through road diets and the conversion from 4 to 3 (or 6 to 5) lanes of travel with bike lanes and a center turning lane or median.
• Interim design strategies are a set of tools and tactics that cities can use to improve their roadways and public spaces in the near-term. They include low-cost, interim materials, new public amenities, and creative partnerships with local stakeholders, which together enable faster project delivery, and more flexible and responsive design. Whether setting a parklet along a curb, pedestrianizing a narrow corridor, or redesigning a complex intersection, cities have the opportunity and the responsibility to make the most efficient use of valuable street space. An interim design can serve as a bridge to the community, helping to build support for a project and test its functionality before going into construction. 
  • Alternative uses of parking spaces/​driving lanes for pedestrian-oriented parklet, bike corrals, traffic-calming planter beds 
  • Parklets are public seating platforms that convert curbside parking spaces into vibrant community spaces. Also known as street seats or curbside seating, parklets are the product of a partnership between the city and local businesses, residents, or neighborhood associations. Most parklets have a distinctive design that incorporates seating, greenery, and/​or bike racks and accommodate unmet demand for public space on thriving neighborhood retail streets or commercial areas. 
  • Interim public plazas transform underutilized areas of roadway into public spaces for surrounding residents and businesses. Using low-cost materials, such as epoxied gravel, movable planters, and flexible seating, interim public plazas reconfigure and revitalize intersections that might otherwise be unsafe or underutilized. 
• Sustainability upgrades such as:
  • Boosting rideshare or taxi safety by providing safe places for people to meet in designated areas
  • Installing EV charging stations 
  • Installing multimodal charging hubs for electric scooters and bikes 

Applications will be evaluated on the following criteria: 

• Transportation-Focus: Proposed idea must be a local transportation-oriented placemaking initiative located in a publicly accessible location in the downtown or commercial district. Transportation-focused placemaking grants should focus on projects that elevate GM’s and MSA’s priorities to promote pedestrian safety and traffic calming initiatives to improve quality of life in our Main Streets. 
• Innovation: Proposed idea represents innovative, experimental, creative and/​or entrepreneurial approaches to placemaking on Main Street. 
• Inclusivity and Accessibility: Main Street America believes that Main Streets are for everyone. The proposed idea must consider community needs and intentionally include the local community in project design and execution. 
• Feasibility: Proposed idea is feasible given grant amount and program timeline. Project must be able to be completed and usable by the public by November 30, 2025. 
• Replicability: Proposed idea is something that could be modeled and/​or scaled for other Main Street programs to adopt and implement. 

• Choose a project that is innovative and unique, while also ensuring that it is manageable to complete within the implementation period and within your budget. 
• Submit a clear and detailed budget. Make sure to include the cost of labor in your budget. If your total project cost is more than the $60,000 GM on Main Street grant amount, be sure to specify which elements of your total project this grant would be covering. For costs beyond this grant, specify the source(s) of additional funding and whether this additional needed funding is already secured or pending. Avoid submitting projects with significant funding gaps, as GM on Main Street grant projects must be completed and ready to use by the public by the November 30, 2025, deadline.
• When developing your project timeline, make sure to include time up front for any anticipated local approval processes that may be required in your community.
• Demonstrate in your proposal how the community was/​is involved in your project design, and discuss how the project site will be activated once the project is complete.
• Look for opportunities to incorporate environmental sustainability and/​or climate resilience in your project proposal.
• Seek design inspiration from your local culture, history, and/​or environment. 

• Applications Open on February 4, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. CT
• Applications Close on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CT 
• Grant Recipients Notified by early April 2025
• Grant Funds Disbursed to Selected Recipients by May 1, 2025 
• Project Implementation Period: May 1 – November 30, 2025 
• Final Grant Reports Due by December 5, 2025 

Eligible organizations can submit their project proposals through our online platform on this webpage, which will open on Tuesday, February 4 at 12:00 p.m. CT and will close on Sunday, March 2, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Applications will be chosen by a review panel and alerted of their award by early April 2025.