Eligible businesses in Ashcroft, Cache Creek, and Clinton are once again able to take advantage of the Northern Development Initiative Trust’s (NDIT) Business Façade Improvement program.
The long-running program allows business owners to renovate, restore, or redesign their commercial building façades or storefronts and get a reimbursement for up to $5,000 per building or project. Businesses that have previously taken advantage of the program are eligible to apply again, as long as the project under consideration is new work that has not been previously funded (or is incremental work that builds on a previous project).
Among the items that can be funded are exterior lighting (new, not replacement); new siding; façade painting (including murals and mosaics); entrances and doorways, or windows, that are part of a larger improvement project; awnings; and accessibility improvements to the exterior of the building that are part of a larger project. Projects involving patios also qualify (subject to approval), and signage that is affixed to a building is eligible or funding.
The total minimum cost of the project must be $1,000 (Cache Creek and Clinton) or $1,500 (Ashcroft), and businesses can claim a 50 per cent reimbursement grant (up to a maximum of $5,000) for the cost of the project. Eligible applicants include property owners or business owners, or non-profit societies that occupy a commercial storefront. Home-based businesses are eligible for funding for a project that involves wayfinding signage (signage that is located on the business property; these projects are eligible for 50 per cent of the cost to a maximum of $500).
Eligible Clinton businesses must be located on the Highway 97 commercial corridor within the village, and eligible Cache Creek businesses are frontages along Highways 97 and 1, as well as Todd Road. Eligible Ashcroft businesses must be within the Downtown Revitalization Area (between the Thompson River and the east side of Railway Avenue, and between 1st Street and 8th Street).
Façade enhancements of existing commercial buildings are intended to promote economic growth and investment while upgrading the desirability and long-term viability of the communities’ main streets. The improvements also benefit residents, visitors, and the entire community by encouraging community pride and attracting new investment, tourism, and business.
Interested businesses can check their community’s guidelines to see what projects are allowed, and where: go to www.ashcroftbc.ca/forms (Ashcroft), https://village.clinton.bc.ca/business-economy/resources/local/ (Clinton), or https://cachecreek.ca/facade (Cache Creek). Applications must be received by April 30, 2025 (Clinton), May 31, 2025 (Cache Creek and Ashcroft), or until funding runs out in each respective community.
For more information about the 2025 NDIT Business Façade Improvement program — including applications, eligibility, and timelines — contact the Village of Ashcroft at (250) 453-9161 or admin@ashcroftbc.ca; the Village of Cache Creek at (250) 457-6237 or admin@cachecreek.ca; or the Village of Clinton at (250) 459-2261 or cdc@village.clinton.bc.ca.
