Complete the application before spending down funds on community engagement activities.

Please complete the application before beginning to spend down the funds.  All applications must be approved before funds are used.

The People Energizing Places (PEP) Grant and the Strategic Teams Engaging Places (STEP) Grant were created to meet the growing need for advanced training and assistance within Missouri Main Street communities. Recognizing the challenges faced by Main Street organizations, these grants aim to provide structured support to elevate local revitalization efforts.

PEP Grant: This two-year grant offers comprehensive services with a 75/25 matching structure, where the community contributes 25% of the total cost, amounting to $9,600. The grant focuses on advanced training and development, positioning Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) as a vital partner in advancing your Main Street program.

STEP Grant: This one-year grant emphasizes sustainable revitalization through expert guidance and individualized training. Like the PEP Grant, it operates on a 75/25 matching basis, with the community responsible for 25% of the costs, totaling $5,000. The program is designed to enhance downtown development and strategic initiatives.

By applying for either grant, your organization will partner with Missouri Main Street Connection to achieve greater effectiveness and impact, ensuring continued success in your Main Street endeavors.

The Missouri Main Street program does sometimes offer financial grants to designated Main Street programs in Missouri, but that is not part of either the People Energizing Places or Strategic Teams Engaging People Grant participants. As noted in application document, extensive technical assistance and training will be provided by MMSC as its share of the Matching Grant and contracted downtown revitalization consultants may be brought in to assist with training and paid for by MMSC. 

WalkWorks is pleased to announce its fourth round of technical assistance to support low-capacity, high interest municipalities with the pre-planning steps they must undertake to be ready to apply for funding to develop Active Transportation Plans in 2027. Pre-planning assistance will be available to selected municipal applicants. Eligible municipalities must either be in a State Physical Activity and Nutrition or Diabetes priority county identified by the Department of Health or achieve a threshold rating as an Environmental Justice area on the Department of Environmental Protection PennEnviroScreen assessment map. Those areas include 15 counties (Berks, Clearfield, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Northumberland, and Philadelphia) and any community with an overall rating above 60% in the Department of Environmental Protection PennEnviroScreen Tool (1.1).

In addition, applicants should have an interest in applying for funding to develop an Active Transportation Plan but lack the knowledge, professional support, or resources needed to assemble an application. Barriers may include a lack of clarity among elected officials about the goals/results of developing a plan, a lack of understanding among the public of the relevance of such a plan for their community, and/or an inability to establish a reasonable scope and budget for the plan.

Structured assistance will be offered to a limited number of municipalities between August of 2026 and April of 2027. The long-term goal is to prepare additional communities to apply to develop active transportation plans, which is necessary for the establishment of activity-friendly routes that connect people to everyday destinations, expanding opportunities for physical activity and improving public health.

To apply for pre-planning assistance, in accordance with the WalkWorks Capacity-Building Program Guidelines (PG), please EITHER complete the application included as an appendix in the PG word document, save as a PDF, and combine with relevant resolution or letter and letters of support in a (single) PDF format and submit by email to pawalkworks@padowntown.org OR submit the same information through this online submission platform.

There will be an optional webinar provided reviewing the PG and application on Thursday, May 7, at 3:00 p.m. on zoom. Register here. The webinar will be recorded, posted, and shared with all registrants.

Questions about the FOA that have not been addressed during the webinar can be submitted in writing to pawalkworks@padowntown.org by 5:00 p.m. on May 22, 2026. Written responses to questions will be distributed to all webinar registrants and any who submit questions by May 29, 2026.

Applications received through June 5 will be reviewed starting June 8, with the application window remaining open while space is available through 5:00 p.m. on July 17, 2026. Applications received after June 5 will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Missouri Main Street provides technical assistance and training to communities competitively selected for the Missouri Main Street Community Empowerment Grant Program. Through the Missouri Main Street Program, intensive on-site assistance and training are provided to grant recipients. This is a 70/30 cost-share grant. The value of the grant for the two-year period is $44,110 in services. Seventy percent (70%) is contributed in services by the Missouri Main Street Program; Thirty percent (30%) is contributed in cash, $13,233, by the participating City/Town, or the sponsoring organization, to MMSC at the beginning of the grant period.

General Selection Criteria:

The following general criteria will be used to evaluate all Missouri Main Street Connection applications.

• A strong commitment from local government and various private sector organizations to support the local revitalization program for a minimum of two (2) years.
• An adequate local budget and/or evidence of a fund-raising commitment to finance the local revitalization      program for a minimum of two (2) years.
• A commitment by the community to hire paid staff in the future. For communities under 5,000 in population, the director must be paid for a minimum of 25 hours per week. For communities over 5,000 in population, the director must be paid for a minimum of 40 hours per week. Salaries should be comparable to other economic development professionals in the area. The Missouri Main Street Connection Board of Directors may grant exemptions for special circumstances following a written request by the program. Third-party contracts for management services would need to be approved by MMSC before the contract is signed.
• The community must demonstrate the need for community revitalization.
• The community must demonstrate the possibility of change in the district as a result of participating in the Missouri Main Street Program.
• The community must have a definable commercial area with historic architectural resources.
• Evidence of a local historic preservation ethic and activity, and the existence of architecturally significant buildings in the revitalization program area currently listed on or may be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
• Current community demographics, such as the mix of businesses, housing, size, and location of the proposed revitalization program district, as related to the entire community.
• The community must commit to forming a public-benefit, not-for-profit corporation within two (2) years, designed to serve as the governing body for the local revitalization program, with the commitment to maintain a volunteer board and working committees.
• A commitment by board members, committees, staff, and municipal government to attend training sessions and workshops conducted by MMSC.
•  A financial commitment of $13,233, payable to Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. for services provided during a two (2) year period, beginning when the contract for services is signed by all parties.

If you have any questions about this application, contact: Ben White, Senior Program Specialist, Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. at (816) 560-1722 or by email at ben@momainstreet.org.

This interface is intended to assist you in reporting on the development of your Active Transportation Plan to WalkWorks. It will document your work and the way the grants funds are being applied.

For subsequent submissions, to the extent that any one of the activities has been completed and reflected in an earlier report or is not relevant to the period on which you are reporting, there is no need to address it again.