Virginia Main Street Grant Writing 101

Posted on by Department of Housing and Community Development

Applications for Virginia Main Street (VMS) FY2025 grants are due Friday, April 5, and the VMS team is excited to see thoughtful, well-developed projects come to life through submitted proposals. Articulating the vision for your project is not always easy so here are a few best practices to grant writing to help you get your idea off the ground and application drafted.

Answer the Question

In high school, your English teacher may have told you not to start your essay response with the same wording as the question. That’s not the case when it comes to grant writing. If the application asks how your project will impact downtown, it’s fine to start your response with “The project will impact the downtown by…” and simply answer the question. Clear answers that get to the heart of the matter are most effective!

Provide Context

What’s happening in your downtown that makes this project the best next step in achieving your goals? While you don’t have to start from the time your town / city was chartered, we would like to understand the bigger picture of why this project is important and the impact you anticipate it will have on your district. A clear explanation of how the project came together allows us to understand your intentions and ensure that your project aligns with grant objectives. 

Show Us the Numbers

What will it take to accomplish your proposed project? For example, if you’re installing a new gateway sign in your downtown, how much does the design of the sign cost? The materials? The installation? How much money is needed, and how much can be provided in-kind? If the Boy Scouts are volunteering to install the sign, add the in-kind value of their volunteer hours (currently valued at $31.80 per hour) to the budget of your project. Both the Community Vitality Grant (CVG) and the Downtown Investment Grant (DIG) require matching funds so for every two dollars of grant support, you will need to invest one dollar into the project. If you are awarded a $15,000 grant, the overall project budget needs to be at least $22,500. In-kind support is included as match so if five Scouts take two hours each to put up the sign, you have $318 to put toward the match requirement.

Make It Make Sense

A strong grant proposal will tell us the who, what, when, where and how of your project. In the application, you’ll be asked to note what steps will be taken to accomplish the project so it’s important to identify specific tasks and who will be overseeing. We understand that you are not a fortune teller, and there are external influences that may alter your plans. However, during the review of your proposal, having a plan is vital to ensure that you have the pieces in place to accomplish the project.

Your project idea and plan are far more important than your writing style, but before you submit your application, take a moment to read what you’ve written out loud to yourself or someone else. This step can prompt questions that may spotlight where clarity is needed or where to trim the fat, so to speak. There’s also no shame in running your grant narratives through a software program that looks for grammatical errors, like Grammarly.

If you have questions about your project idea, the application or specific grant requirements, please reach out to your VMS Program Administrator or mainstreet@dhcd.virginia.gov for assistance. The following resources are also available for reference:

We look forward to reviewing submitted grant proposals and working with Main Street communities across the state to create catalytic change!