MINNESOTA MAIN STREETS

→ Quick Link to Paul Bruhn Grant Application Reference Materials ←

Using the Main Street America Four-Point Approach, Minnesota Main Streets by Rethos is a program to assist towns, small cities, and urban neighborhood centers maximize both their people and built assets to make their communities more vibrant, livable, and economically stable.

The Main Street Approach is a tried-and-true asset-based economic development program with a focus on preserving the buildings and spaces that make a place unique. Paired with the historic preservation expertise and experience of Rethos, Main Street Minnesota communities have additional resources available to reimagine how a historic building or district can be of use today.

Recognizing that a healthy Main Street is a visible sign of a healthy community, Main Street is about revitalizing districts for the people who are living and working in them now. By providing training, resources, and technical assistance, Minnesota Main Streets helps communities develop their own strategies to stimulate economic growth, build civic pride, and shine a light on what makes their spaces irreplaceable.

for the MINNESOTA MAIN STREETS STATE CONFERENCE in DULUTH

Watch for more information coming to you early in 2025.

JUNE 4th - 6th, 2025 SAVE THESE DATES!

The first round of

LOOKING UP DOWNTOWN grant applications has closed.

If you missed your opportunity to apply, there will be a second round of funding that will be announced late winter or early spring 2025. If you would like to receive notice when the second round is announced, please email your information to shannon@rethos.org.

Until then, the following quick guidelines can help vet your projects:

Awards of up to $50,000 will be awarded to 12 projects focused on the interior upper floors of buildings located in Main Street Districts. There will be two rounds of applications, with six projects receiving grants during each period. Grants are for work yet to be completed and will not be applicable for work done prior to grant award and review by the National Park Service.
To be eligible for the Looking Up Downtown grant, your building needs to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places either individually or contributing to a historic district or be in the process of achieving that designation. It must also be located in a Minnesota Main Streets district in communities with populations less than 50,000 (Cities listed below). Please contact your local Main Street Director for district boundaries. Your Local Main Street program director must be part of the application process and provide a letter of support with all individual applicants.

BRAINERD • CLOQUET • EVELETH • GILBERT•

FARIBAULT • FAIRMONT • HIBBING • JACKSON • LAKE CITY •LITCHFIELD • MANKATO • MOUNTAIN IRON • NORTHFIELD • OLIVIA •

OWATONNA •RED WING • SHAKOPEE •

VIRGINIA • WABASHA• WINONA

We anticipate many upper floor projects will be housing-focused, but any interior work to activate upper floor vacant or underutilized spaces is applicable (ex: upper floor event space, new offices, etc.).
Projects will need to be shovel ready. Now is a great time to assemble the necessary paperwork and get going with your prep work. We encourage working with architects with historic architecture experience as much as possible.
You will need photos, both current and historic. Contact your local historical society if you need help finding old photos.
Due to historic designation implications, this grant will only fund window repair, it will not fund window replacement.
If you want to be well-prepared for Round 2, please review the materials provided here as well as the recording of the informational webinar below.