Through generous donations from the community, Main Street Hartsville has established a Downtown Vibrancy Grant Program. The purpose of the program is to provide grant funding to be used by businesses within the central business district for the replacement of exterior signage and repainting of building exteriors. For purposes of this grant program, the central business district is between Home and Carolina Avenues, and between Fourth and Sixth streets. The grant is only intended for commercial, and not residential, purposes.
Incentive
The grants reimburse up to 60% of the project cost. For signs and exterior painting, the grant pays up to a maximum of $1,000. Other beautification projects, such as planters, tables, or umbrellas are paid up to a maximum of $500.
What is encouraged
- Replacement of wall-mounted signage with projecting signage (see attached photos).
- Replacement of several advertising signs at one location with a single advertising sign.
- Signs designed by a sign professional.
- Repainting of exterior buildings that are faded or chipping.
- Beautification items to improve the exterior appeal of a business.
What will not be funded
- Purchase of portable signs such as A-frames
- Signs that do not conform to the City’s sign regulations.
- Exterior projects that do not have prior approval by the City of Hartsville’s Architectural Review Board (ARB). Contact the City of Hartsville
Business Navigator for more information. - Signs and painting for businesses without current City of Hartsville business licenses.
- Interior painting.
- Interior signage.
- Interior beautification projects.
How to submit a funding request
- Consult with a sign professional to design the sign that you would like to install.
- If desired, consult with the City of Hartsville’s Business Navigator about whether your sign will meet regulations and how it may be presented to the ARB.
- Complete the Downtown Vibrancy Grant. Application materials can be submitted to the Main Street Hartsville office at 106 E. Carolina Ave., by email at info@mainstreethartsville.org, or by USPS at PO Drawer 2497, Hartsville, SC, 29551.
- If you lease the space where your business is located, you must submit a letter from the building’s owner stating that he or she consents to the submission of the funding request and, if funded, approves of the installation of the new sign.
Upon receiving your request, Main Street Hartsville will:
- Confirm with staff at the Business Navigator that the proposed signage and painting complies with City regulations and evaluate the application.
- Determine whether grant funding is available for the application.
- Main Street Hartsville may deny a grant application that does not make recommended changes to their sign after initial review. Every effort will be made by Main Street Hartsville to work with the applicants so that an incentive can be granted.
- If your funding request is approved, you will be notified of such approval and asked to complete the City of Hartsville’s Sign/Awning Permit application at hartsvillesc.gov/forms. You must also receive approval from the City’s ARB before work may begin. Please remember that this grant program is a reimbursement program, which means that Main Street Hartsville will not disburse the grant payment to you, until you provide proof that the sign company and/or paint company, as well as any other contractors working on the project, have been paid in full by you. All reimbursement checks will be paid to the applicant listed.
The grant application form is available online.