Historic Main Street Oxford

The Façade Improvement Program is a grant available to developers, businesses, and commercial building owners that wish to improve their property. The program is a 70/30 grant that may not exceed the amount of $2,000 per address per year. Façade grant renovation can be used on any exterior portion of the building that is visible to the public. This can include the building's front, back, and sides, exterior doors, windows, shutters, gates, and other decorative elements that are integral to the façade. The program's mission is to stimulate revitalization and private sector capital investment by proactively addressing deteriorating property conditions and encouraging improvements which increase economic vitality.

The Signage Improvement Program is a grant available to developers, business, and commercial building owners that wish to improve their signage. The program is divided into two types of funding for either a “brick and mortar” business or a mobile unit. The “brick and mortar” fund has a total pool of $7,000 and the mobile unit has a total pool of $3,000. The program is a 70/30 grant that may not exceed the amount of $1,000 per address, per year for the “brick and mortar” category and mobile units may not exceed the amount of $500 per unit, per year for the “mobile unit” category. Applicants may not apply for both, but only one category.

Funding from the National Trust is awarded to nonprofit organizations and public agencies, and the majority of our funding is awarded for planning and education projects through our National Trust Preservation Funds grant program.

USDA Rural Development forges partnerships with rural communities, funding projects that bring housing, community facilities, business guarantees, utilities and other services to rural America. USDA provides technical assistance and financial backing for rural businesses and cooperatives to create quality jobs in rural areas. Rural Development promotes the President's National Energy Policy and ultimately the nation's energy security by engaging the entrepreneurial spirit of rural America in the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. Rural Development works with low-income individuals, State, local and Indian tribal governments, as well as private and nonprofit organizations and user-owned cooperatives.

The Alabama Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit is a 25% refundable tax credit available for owners of commercial properties who substantially rehabilitate historic properties that are listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and are 60 years old or older. The tax credit provides jobs, increases the tax base, and revitalizes existing buildings and infrastructure, while preserving and rehabilitating Alabama’s historic properties.

The Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program is the largest Federal program that specifically supports historic preservation and is one of the nation's most effective programs to promote historic preservation and community revitalization.

The National Park Service is the federal agency that administers the program, and the AHC is the point of contact for anyone who applies for tax credits for properties in Alabama. The Historic Preservation Certification Application must be submitted (in duplicate) to the AHC to certify that the property is eligible for the program and that proposed work meets historic rehabilitation guidelines.