SCRANTON, Pa. – The City of Scranton opened grant applications today for a program to improve small business facades. Eligible small businesses can receive 50 percent of their exterior business renovation project costs, with a maximum award of $10,000 per business. Applications are available through City’s website at https://scrantonpa.gov/FacadeGrants2026 and will remain open until project funds are expended.
“Our original facade grant program had real impact for local businesses,” Mayor Paige G. Cognetti said. “We are excited to bring this program back to help businesses across Scranton give their stores a fresh look and our business corridors a boost of energy.”
City officials joined with the owners of McCarthy Flowers, 1001 N. Main Ave., to announce the program. McCarthy Flowers was one of more than two dozen businesses that had received an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) façade grant from the City of Scranton, transforming their business with a fresh coat of green paint. Other ARPA funded projects across the City supported new business signage, lighting, window and door replacements, and work to improve accessibility to Scranton’s unique small businesses.
For the 2026 façade program, eligible businesses must be located in low-to-moderate income areas as defined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, be current on all taxes and trash fees, and have no outstanding Code Enforcement issues.
Eligible projects will include the replacement or installation of:
- Windows and doors;
- Signage;
- Lighting;
- Awnings, canopies, and sunshades;
- Decking and stairs;
- Gutters and downspouts;
- Cornices or decorative trim;
- Restoration of historically significant architectural details;
- Masonry, pointing, or carpentry work;
- Painting, surface treatment, or repairs to original finishes;
- Entranceways to buildings or parking lots;
- Trees, shrubs, flowers, and other greenery; and
- Sidewalks, patios, walkways, benches, planters, and other permanent exterior features including work completed with concrete pavers, brick, or natural stone.
Ineligible costs include fencing, retaining walls, site improvements, paving, parking lots, and roofing.
Applications are open now. Interested businesses can contact City of Scranton Community Development Manager Liza Carroll at lcarroll@scrantonpa.gov or City of Scranton Economic Development Coordinator Tom Cipriano at tcipriano@scrantonpa.gov.
Last modified: July 10, 2026
