MSA Membership FAQs

No. Our General Membership is open to any individual or group interested in revitalization! Our goal is to provide you with invaluable tools that will help your effort succeed — even if you’re small or just starting out.

Have you been selected as an Accredited or Affiliate Main Street America™ program by your Coordinating Program or the National Main Street Center? Join as a Main Street America Designated Member.

If not, are you an organization, municipality, or individual interested in getting started with Main Street or just looking for access to helpful revitalization resources? Join as a General Member.

Are you a consultant or company that provides goods or services to downtown revitalization organizations? Join as an Allied Member.

Are you an individual who wants to support the Main Street America Movement and stay connected? Join as a Friend of Main Street.

No. Membership is just the first step. Main Street America designation is a process that requires working with your state, county, or city-wide Coordinating Program or MSA to achieve certain standards of performance. Learn more here. 

The General and Allied membership levels do not have additional requirements – just access to resources.

No. The National Trust for Historic Preservation® owns the trademark for the phrase ​“Main Street” as it applies to the revitalization of traditional and historic commercial districts. Local organizations may use the name only if they meet an established set of criteria and have been designated by their state or citywide Coordinating Program or directly by Main Street America. Refer to our Name Use Policy for more information.

Your membership is good for one year from the end of the month you joined us. For example, if you became a member August 10, 2017, your expiration date would be August 31, 2018.

You can find your membership expiration date in the Members Area, on your renewal notices, and renewal confirmation emails.

Renewing your Main Street membership is easy. If you have received a renewal notice from us in the mail, just return the letter along with your dues check made out to the National Main Street Center to the address below. If not, you can download a renewal form here. Finally, you may renew with a credit card online or over the phone at 312−610−5611.

National Main Street Center 
Attn: Membership 
53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 350 
Chicago, IL 60604

Please send your dues along with a completed join or renewal form to:

National Main Street Center
Attn: Membership
53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 350
Chicago, IL 60604

Welcome! Please email us so we can update our records and give you access to the Members Area. If you’re not sure whether your program has an active membership, we’ll be happy to check your status and issue a renewal statement if necessary.

You can update your contact information in the Members Area. Just log into your master organizational account and select ​“Update My Profile”.

You find can your member number (aka account number) in the Members Area, on your renewal notices, and in renewal confirmation emails. Note: master organizational account has a different member number than your individual sub-membership. Please use your organizational number when verifying your membership on applications, registrations, etc.

• Renew the organization’s annual membership, update your organization’s profile, and manage your contacts and sub-memberships. 
• Use this member number to verify your membership when registering for the conference, completing annual reporting, etc. 
• Your organization will only have ONE master account 
• You must be logged into your master account to renew your organization’s annual membership or add sub-members
• You’ll know you’re logged into your organization’s master account when the login portal says ​“Welcome Organization” 

Individual sub-member accounts are used to act as individuals: 

• Access member-exclusive resources, participate in our online member communities, and manage your individual profile and email preferences 
• Your organization will have AT LEAST ONE individual account for the primary account holder, and may create more for other staff members 
• You cannot renew your organization’s annual membership or add additional sub-members when logged into your individual account
• You’ll know you’re logged into your individual account when the login portal says ​“Welcome Your Name”

Yes! You can create individual sub-memberships (see above) for your staff, board, committee members, etc. and allow them to access your organization’s member benefits. The number of sub-members you can (in addition to the primary account holder) add depends on your membership type: 

Coordinating Programs = 10
Main Street America Designated = 5 
Allied = 3 
General = 3 

Note: These sub-memberships are free, but they must be renewed annually to remain active. The primary account holder can renew all sub-memberships when completing your organization’s annual renewal (see above). They can also renew, add, remove, or change sub-memberships any time in the Members Area.

To add a sub-member to your account: 

1. Log into the Members Area with master organizational account and select ​“My Membership” from the dropdown menu. 

2. Click ​“Add” under ​“Additional Sub Members & Memberships”

3. Fill out a profile for your sub-member, and select a staff sub-membership.

To renew a sub-member on your account: 

1. Log into the Members Area with master organizational account and select ​“My Membership” from the dropdown menu. 

2. Select the sub-member you’d like to renew by checking the box next to their name. 

3. Click ​“Renew” and fill out the form.