SALISBURY — During Downtown Salisbury Inc.’s quarterly meeting on Wednesday morning, City Planner Emily Vanek announced that the Community Appearance Commission is making $50,000 available for Municipal Service District and Innes Street Improvement Grants for owners and tenants of commercial buildings to help fund any projects that will improve the look of their property.

“The grants are for beautification projects: new pedestrian amenities, benches, outdoor seating, facade elements, storefront restoration, public art. Anything that beautifies your space,” Vanek said.

Examples of projects that will not be considered are regular maintenance, new construction or interior rehabilitation.

Each of the two categories has $25,000 available to be divided among applicants. Location of the applicant’s property will determine which specific grant they can receive. The MSD grant is centered around the downtown area and the Innes Street grant goes along its corridor while also extending a block out.

The maximum amount an applicant can get is $5,000. Vanek specified that these are reimbursement grants with a 50/50 matching basis. Meaning, if a project cost is $8,000, the business will get $4,000 back from the city. If the cost exceeds $10,000, the recipient still can not receive more than $5,000 from the city.

Applications will go through a scoring system and higher scores will take precedence. The Grants Subcommittee of the CAC will determine who gets the grants. On a scale from one to three, higher marks will be given to undertakings on a bigger scale like restorations, adding new elements, and landscaping. Lower scores will go towards items like painting or parking lot improvements.

People can fill out online applications or contact Emily Vanek for any questions. If someone is approved for a grant, they will need to wait for two years before they can apply again. The last day to apply for the grants is Friday, Aug. 25. All approved projects must be completed by Friday, June 21, 2024.