2025 Spruce Up For Spring Grant for NEBA Members

We all know how important the appearance of a storefront is to attract and welcome customers into a business. Businesses that take a little more care with the exterior of their storefront by adding a fresh coat of paint, colourful flowers in a planter, or even a few strands of twinkly white lights, attract more customers and increase sales. Attractive storefronts also help create a more vibrant and welcoming atmosphere for our district. To help our members enhance their storefronts, North End Business Association (NEBA) is offering a ‘Spruce Up For Spring’ Grant.

Members can receive up to $250.00 on any purchase that "spruces up" their storefronts. This is an opportunity to implement small but impactful improvements to your storefronts and add to the beautification of our district. Below are the details:

1) Timeline - The grant is retroactive, so any purchases made on Tuesday, April 1st, to Monday, June 30th, 2025, are applicable. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 30th, 2025.

2) Eligibility - The Grant is available to businesses that are categorized as retail, food and drink, personal care/retail services, attractions, and accommodations. Eligible businesses must be members of the association and located in the NEBA catchment area (see catchment map here). Funds are limited and will be awarded on a first come first serve basis.

3) Suitable Grant Claims - Anything that improves your storefront - patio enhancements and furnishings, fresh coats of paint, signage, awnings, lighting, planters, flowers, labour, etc. Members should focus on exterior projects that face the main street or store frontage; making improvements to the back of your business or alleyway would not be acceptable.

TO APPLY:

Interested businesses or organizations can email Tristen Haley, NEBA Marketing & Communications Coordinator at info@gonorthhalifax.com, by 11:59 pm (ADT) on Friday, May 30, 2025, with the following information to be considered for a grant:

• Name of business

• Address

• Contact name and title

• Email and phone number

• Type of business (e.g. restaurant/bar/café, retail, personal care/retail services, attraction, or accommodation)

• Outline of what the funds will be used for and when the grant will be used

  
  

Applicants are asked to read the Grant’s Terms & Conditions, below, before submitting a grant application.

*All purchases made and/or work done must be dated between Tuesday, April 1st, and Monday, June 30th, 2025, to be used within the 2025 spring/summer season.

TERMS & CONDITIONS:

The Spruce Up For Spring Grant is offering grants up to a maximum of $250.00, including tax, per business. Businesses are welcome to apply for an amount LESS than $250.00. Spruce Up For Spring funding is a one-time-only grant to assist businesses and organizations 'beautifying' their storefront for the 2025 spring/summer season.

To be eligible for the Grant, businesses or organizations must be a North End Business Association (NEBA) member, located in the NEBA catchment area, and are either a retail, food and drink, personal care/retail services, attractions and/or accommodation-type business. Organizations with more than one business can apply for each business individually.

Exterior enhancements can include the following: paint, signage, awnings, lighting, planters, flowers, patio enhancements and furnishings, professional pressure-washing, and any labour and/or hardware associated with the improvements.

Other items or enhancements may be considered if presented by a business as being necessary to improve the exterior appearance of their storefront. Only improvements or enhancements to the street-facing exterior of a business or organization will be considered. The Grant may not be used for interior improvements.

The Call for Applications is now open, and applications will be accepted until 11:59 pm (ADT) on Friday, May 30, 2025. Grant applications will be reviewed and approved by NEBA, contingent upon meeting the criteria and sufficient funds in the overall program. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and applicants will receive notification within five (5) business days if their application is successful or not. If the funds for the grant are depleted before Friday, May 30, 2025, NEBA will make an official announcement by email to all members and applicants that the grant application process is closed.

Businesses can use the grant for purchases made and/or work done between Tuesday, April 1 and Monday, June 30, 2025. Once the material is purchased and/or the work is done, the business/organization must:

1) submit proof of purchase/payment (receipts and/or invoices with dates between April 1 and June 30, 2025),

2) provide an invoice from your company for the material amount (up to $250.00 including tax). Please make your invoice out to North End Business Association and back out the HST paid on purchases if applicable. 

3) “before” and “after” photographs of the completed exteriors.

4) Please send your documentation to Tristen Haley, NEBA Marketing & Communications Coordinator at info@gonorthhalifax.com by Thursday, July 31, 2025.

NEBA will provide the funds to the businesses once sufficient proof has been submitted. Refunds will be processed every thirty (30) days and mailed directly to the applicants in the form of a cheque. If it is determined by NEBA that a Grant recipient did not use the full amount they were awarded, the materials were purchased outside of the outlined timeframe of April 1, and June 30, 2025, or the materials purchased were not eligible or used for the 2025 spring/summer season, NEBA reserves the right to either deny payment to the grant recipient or pay an adjusted amount based on valid receipts received. Grants are provided at the discretion of NEBA.

Please direct any additional questions or comments to Tristen Haley, NEBA Marketing & Communications Coordinator, at info@gonorthhalifax.com or 902-456-3842.