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Downtown façade grant uses $57,500 in city funds for eight projects; several begin in October
Summary
At a Defiance City Council meeting, Downtown Defiance organizers reviewed the 2025 façade grant program: $57,500 from city funds plus a $7,500 grant supported eight projects that leveraged about $170,000 in total investment. Council was asked to budget $50,000 for 2026.
Kirsty Mack and incoming Downtown Defiance executive director Ezekiel “Zeke” Tracy presented the 2025 Downtown Defiance façade grant results during the Defiance City Council meeting. The program awarded $57,500 in city funds and a $7,500 grant to support eight downtown façade projects this year, organizers said.
Mack said, “We had 8 total projects. The full $57,500 was used. The total investment for all of those projects for that is just under a $170,000.” The work covered storefronts, awnings, windows and masonry across multiple buildings in the downtown core.
The grant-funded projects listed by Mack included 654 Perry Street (awning work), 419 Fifth Street (full window project), 607 West Third (masonry on west and south elevations), 210 Clinton (masonry on the south elevation adjacent to the courthouse pedestrian alley), 301 Clinton (window, door and masonry repair at a site damaged in an automobile accident), 319 Clinton (second-floor window work), 310 Clinton (storefront replacement at the Defiance Karate building) and 316 Clayton (awning work). Organizers said work on several sites is scheduled to begin Oct. 6.
Mack reviewed earlier years for comparison: 2024 funded nine projects with $75,000 (about $50,000 from the city and $25,000 from the Defiance Area Foundation) and produced roughly $190,700 in total investment; 2023 funded six projects with a $50,000 city allocation and generated about $177,500 in private investment.
Council members asked about application volumes and program timing. Mack said applications have tracked available funding: owners often wait to submit current contractor quotes until funds are available because quotes typically remain valid for roughly six months. Mack said applications typically open in January. When a council member asked whether any unspent funds would carry over to 2026, Mack replied, “We do not. There is no carryover at this time.”
Organizers and council discussed program expansion. The mayor and staff said budget discussions are underway and that the city models aspects of the program on Tiffin’s approach; officials said there may be room to increase funding if the budget and partners allow. Mack added that early conversations have begun with county commissioners about possibly contributing funds in the future.
Mack noted limits on outside funding sources: state historic funding pockets have been “paused at this time,” she said, and organizers have not yet identified other grant streams that align directly with the façade program’s requirements. Mack invited private donors and nonprofits to contribute to the program through the Downtown Defiance volunteer/business organization.
Council was asked to consider a recurring budget allocation of $50,000 for the façade program in planning for 2026. Mack and Tracy encouraged members to view the finished storefront projects as examples that can spur further private investment.
Details on project addresses, start dates and funding allocations were provided by Mack and Tracy at the meeting; organizers said the 2025 awards were fully committed and that additional private investment has substantially exceeded city grant dollars on these projects.
